Tea practitioners say:

Tea has its own character. An old tea master once said: "Strong does not mean thick, and light does not mean thin." Beginners tasting Pu-erh tea can easily be misled by its 'bitterness' and 'astringency'. This article can help you understand Pu-erh tea better.

Original title: Bitterness, Astringency, and Powerfulness Are Not Necessarily Indicators of Good Pu-erh Tea

Yunnan's unique climate, where weather can differ within ten miles, gives Pu-erh tea its "one mountain, one flavor" and "ten mountains, ten flavors" characteristic. Different producing areas have completely unique shapes, colors, aromas, and qualities. Different teas offer different tasting experiences; not all good teas should be described as "astringent," "bitter," or "strong."

Currently, some unscrupulous merchants promote the bitterness, astringency, and powerfulness of Pu-erh tea as the hallmarks of the best Pu-erh. They overlook the fact that while teas like Lao Ban Zhang are known for being bitter, astringent, and powerful, almost everyone tries to associate their tea with or link it to Lao Ban Zhang. In reality, teas from different places have their own distinct flavors. With the near homogenization of Pu-erh processing techniques today, the emphasis is on highlighting the unique taste of each tea mountain.

The "Astringency" of Pu-erh Tea: In fact, all raw Pu-erh tea has some astringency—it's an inherent flavor that cannot be eliminated. The intensity of astringency varies between tea mountains and regions and should not be used as the sole criterion for judging quality. However, the astringency of terrace tea (from large-scale, recently planted gardens with younger tea trees) tends to linger in the mouth and is slow to dissipate. In contrast, the astringency of ancient arbor tea (generally trees several decades old, of the arbor type), while present, dissipates quickly and transforms into a sweet aftertaste.

The "Strength" of Pu-erh Tea: The strength of tea flavor refers to how, upon entering the mouth, it rapidly occupies all parts of the palate, filling it completely with that tea's taste. Immediately drinking another tea afterwards would then seem tasteless. This is exemplified by teas like "Lao Ban Zhang," which has been highly sought after by tea enthusiasts in recent years. Some people refer to this strong tea flavor as "powerful" or "baqi".

The "Bitterness" of Pu-erh Tea: There are two kinds of bitterness. One is seasonal bitterness. Spring tea is considered the best, being the most fragrant, sweet, or having the best returning sweetness. Summer tea is the lowest quality, tasting bitter immediately upon entry—some even as bitter as traditional Chinese medicine. This is because ample summer rainfall, while promoting larger tea leaves, also creates a bitter base. Conversely, plants that receive ample sunlight tend to taste sweeter—the same principle applies to fruits and vegetables.

The second is bitterness from regional cultivation. The flavor of tea leaves depends largely on soil and weather. As the saying goes, "Oranges grown south of the Huai River are oranges; grown north of the Huai River, they become trifoliate oranges." Among the many Pu-erh producing areas, many places in Lincang, Simao (now Pu'er City), and Wenshan Prefecture are less suitable for Pu-erh growth due to climate and soil. The tea produced there can be unpleasantly bitter. Of course, this kind of bitterness is sometimes misleadingly described by some as "strong."

The bitterness, astringency, and strength of Pu-erh tea are not the same thing. The most bitter Pu-erh is Lao Man E. Furthermore, the currently most popular teas, Lao Ban Zhang and Bing Dao, may not remain in vogue in a few years—this is a question. Therefore, one cannot simplistically claim that Pu-erh tea that isn't bitter is not good tea, or that tea which isn't powerful is not good tea.