Pu-erh tea comes in many varieties, including raw tea and ripe tea, and can be classified by shape as compressed tea, tuo cha, or brick tea, or by storage conditions as dry storage or wet storage. However, many tea lovers do not know how to distinguish between dry-stored and wet-stored Pu-erh tea. Let's take a look at the methods in this article for differentiating between dry-stored and wet-stored Pu-erh.

For dry Pu-erh tea, sniffing the tea aroma involves assessing the fragrance of the unbrewed tea leaves. The method is to hold the tea leaves with both hands (or one hand), bring them close to the nose, and sniff carefully. If the aroma is too faint to detect, you can exhale warm breath onto the leaves. When the tea leaves are warmed, the fragrance will be released. At this point, sniff promptly to identify the type of aroma.

For wet Pu-erh tea, sniffing the brewed leaves means assessing the aroma of the tea leaves immediately after the first infusion while they are still warm. Since the brewed leaves, under the influence of heat, allow their aromatic compounds to fully volatilize, any undesirable odors can also escape with the steam. Therefore, sniffing the warm, wet leaves is the easiest way to identify the tea's aroma type. The method is to hold the cup (pot or lidded bowl) from which the tea soup has been poured with one hand, while using the other hand to partially lift the lid, then bring the nose close to the rim of the cup (pot or bowl) to sniff lightly or deeply. You can also insert the entire nose into the cup to get closer to the leaves for a stronger sense of aroma. To accurately judge the tea's aroma type, intensity, and duration, repeat the sniffing once or twice, but each sniff should not be too long, as the sense of smell tires easily. Prolonged sniffing reduces olfactory sensitivity, making assessment inaccurate—generally, about 3 seconds is sufficient.

Additionally, if many tea samples need to be compared, extending the sniffing time for each and dealing with leaves at different temperatures can make it difficult to distinguish their quality. When sniffing, gently shake the leaves in the cup (pot or bowl) each time to turn them over. Before identifying the tea's aroma, do not open the lid of the cup (pot or bowl). Sniffing the brewed leaves to assess tea aroma involves three stages: hot sniffing, warm sniffing, and cold sniffing. Combining these three stages is necessary to accurately evaluate the characteristics of the tea's aroma.

This concludes the introduction on how to distinguish between dry-stored and wet-stored Pu-erh tea. In fact, experienced individuals can often tell at a glance. If you wish to purchase Pu-erh but are not very knowledgeable about tea, it is better to choose a reputable store or bring along a friend who understands tea.