The texture of tea soup is an important sensation in the process of drinking Pu-erh tea. For those new to Pu-erh tea, the texture of the tea soup is often easily overlooked. One reason is that drinkers accustomed to other types of tea focus on the fresh aroma of the tea leaves or the surface fragrance enhanced by processing techniques, with little lasting memory after drinking. Therefore, discussing the texture of tea soup separately aims to give tea enthusiasts a more profound impression, enabling a more objective understanding and experience of all the sensations Pu-erh tea offers.

[Method to Experience the Viscosity of Tea Soup]

In daily life, we often see toothless elderly people eating. They move their lips and use their gums to touch and break down food for easier swallowing and digestion. Without teeth, the elderly develop a finer sensitivity to the viscosity, hardness, and shape of food. Similarly, we can use movements of the upper and lower jaws and tongue in the mouth to cultivate an experience of the tea soup's viscosity.

[Method to Experience the Softness of Tea Soup]

Hold the tea soup in your mouth and silently count for two to three seconds before swallowing. If a bitter or astringent taste immediately arises upon entry, it indicates poor softness. In contrast, tea soup with excellent softness typically reveals its bitterness or astringency slowly after swallowing.

[Method to Experience the Smoothness of Tea Soup]

Very smooth tea soup often evokes a feeling similar to "drinking chicken soup," though it never quite reaches the same level of oily richness as chicken broth. Especially with young raw Pu-erh tea, its smoothness is hard to remember. The moment a very oily and smooth tea soup is swallowed, it leaves a sensation akin to a thin oily film coating the mouth and deep throat. This aftertaste is more easily perceived and remembered compared to the initial smoothness upon entry.

[Method to Experience the Thickness of Tea Soup]

Thickness is most easily confused with softness and bitterness/astringency. Often, when someone describes tasting a very thick tea soup, they are actually referring to the lingering astringency left in the mouth and on the tongue after drinking. The thickness of tea soup refers to a solid, full-bodied sensation. This feeling is more easily experienced when the tea soup flows, so moving the tea soup around in the mouth—up, down, left, and right—can make this sensation clearer. For tea soup texture, judging the type is straightforward, but evaluating and remembering the degree is more challenging. Focused and repeated practice is essential to ultimately develop an objective ability to discern.