Good Pu-erh tea has a bluish-brown appearance (raw tea) or reddish-brown (ripe tea), with plump, tightly rolled leaves. It emits light aromas such as floral, fruity, orchid, fresh, longan, or camphor notes, accompanied by a special aged fragrance.

Pu-erh loose tea is graded by tenderness, ranging from extra-grade, tenth grade up to first grade and special grade. The higher the tenderness, the better the quality generally is.

The level of tenderness is mainly judged by four points:

First, look at the number of buds: more buds and visible pekoe indicate higher tenderness;

Second, look at the tightness and thickness of the leaves: tightly rolled and thick leaves indicate higher tenderness;

Third, look at the glossiness of the color: smooth, lustrous colors indicate higher tenderness;

Fourth, look at cleanliness: uniform, with few stems and no impurities is better, otherwise it is poorer.

Pu-erh compressed tea should have a uniform thickness, moderate tightness, and colors such as bluish-brown, brown, or reddish-brown are normal.