Pu'er Tea does not have an identity card like a person, where one can clearly see the exact valid date; nor is it like many fresh foods that have a specific best-before date.

“I bought a cake of tea, but if there's no specific date on the packaging, how can I determine the vintage of a Pu'er tea?”

In fact, every tea product within a certain time period has distinct characteristics. In a natural and clean storage environment, grasping the core characteristics of the tea allows for a rough estimation of the vintage of a Pu'er tea.

Today, let's discuss how to quickly determine the vintage of Pu'er tea.

Observe the Appearance

Taking proper storage in a dry Kunming warehouse as an example:

New tea:

New raw tea has a fresh color, usually dark green, with prominent white downy hairs;

New ripe tea has a dull color, usually dark red, with some tea products having golden buds.

Aged tea:

Raw tea aged between 5-10 years: The color turns greenish-yellow, the white downy hairs turn golden, and the tea is glossy and lustrous.

Raw tea aged 20 years and over: The color is yellowish-red and lustrous, with golden downy hairs.

Ripe tea aged between 5-10 years: The color turns reddish-brown and lustrous, with prominent golden downy hairs.

Ripe tea aged 20 years and over: The tea is reddish-brown and lustrous, with prominent golden downy hairs.

The older the tea, the more the edges will loosen and shed due to the loss of moisture. New tea is typically firmer and rarely shows loosening.

Identify the Packaging

Pu'er tea has always been packaged primarily in cotton paper. During the era of numbered teas and printed teas, there were no specific date markings on the products.

With the standardization of tea products, after 2005, production dates started to be printed on the packaging, although this is not entirely reliable.

Over time, the cotton paper absorbs the tea essence from the product, forming a glossy finish, and the paper changes from having a crisp texture to being smooth and soft.

For tea aged over 20 years, the packaging paper is very soft, and there may even be small holes left by insects.

However, we know that packaging is easily interchangeable, so this method should only be used when feasible.

Smell the Aroma

Different teas at different stages present distinct aromas.

New raw tea: The aroma is strong and high-pitched, with floral fragrance mingled with honey sweetness; the tea broth is fresh, sweet, and refreshing.

Raw tea aged between 5-10 years: The aroma gradually fills and becomes purer, carrying the taste of maturity.

Raw tea aged 20 years and over: The aroma of the dry tea is not noticeable unless you get close and sniff carefully, but it is not without aroma.

New ripe tea: The dry tea carries the scent of post-fermentation pile odor or earthy smell, and the ripe tea aroma is not pure.

Ripe tea aged between 5-10 years: The ripe tea aroma is pure, with no mixed odors (assuming proper dry storage).

Ripe tea aged 20 years and over: The aroma of the dry tea is typically aged fragrance.

Taste the Essence

As a beverage, simply looking and smelling Pu'er tea is not enough; tasting is also required.

New raw tea, taking Nan Ming Jia Ren's 2024 Jingmai as an example, when brewed and tasted, has a delicate Orchid aroma and clear, sweet, and silky broth.

Raw tea aged between 5-10 years: The taste becomes milder and richer, lacking the vigor of new tea, appearing gentle and friendly. The tea broth is orange-yellow in color, and the qi remains.

Raw tea aged 20 years and over: The broth quality is soft, the color is reddish-orange, clear, and bright. The qi is warm and moist, leaving a comfortable feeling throughout the body after drinking.

New ripe tea, the tea aroma is slightly mixed, and the clarity of the broth is not high.

Ripe tea aged between 5-10 years: The smoothness and sweetness of the broth are much higher than in new tea, and the color becomes deep red and clear like a garnet.

Ripe tea aged 20 years and over: The aged fragrance is rich, the broth is thick and full, and the sweetness is prominent.

To quickly determine the vintage of Pu'er tea, in addition to learning these methods, it is also necessary to consider the specific storage conditions of the specific tea product.

The vintage characteristics of tea stored naturally in a dry warehouse are relatively obvious and easy to judge; however, judging the vintage of tea that has been dampened is more complex and requires additional tasting and practice.

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