The Difference Between Raw Tea and Ripe Tea

1. Raw Tea

Processing: After fresh leaves are picked, they undergo pan-firing, rolling, and sun-drying to become raw loose tea. It is then compressed into shaped raw tea cakes.

Leaf Color and Aroma: The leaves are primarily green to dark green, with some turning yellowish-red. Usually, newly made tea cakes have a subtle aroma. If processed with high heat, they may have a baked, sweet fragrance.

Taste: The taste is strong and highly stimulating. If processed with high heat, it is fresh, aromatic, sweet but thin, and slightly astringent—similar to Taiwanese green tea.

Liquor Color: Mainly yellow-green or greenish.

Spent Leaves: Newly made tea is primarily green or yellow-green. The leaves are highly active, relatively pliable, and elastic.

2. Ripe Tea

Processing: After fresh leaves are picked, they undergo pan-firing, rolling, and sun-drying to become raw loose tea. This raw loose tea then goes through an artificial accelerated post-fermentation process—the wet piling (wo dui)工序—to become ripe loose tea. It is then compressed into shaped ripe tea cakes.

Leaf Color and Aroma: The leaves are black or reddish-brown, with some bud tea appearing dark golden. There is a strong 'wo dui' pile fermentation aroma. Lightly fermented tea may have a scent similar to longan, while heavily fermented tea has a damp, grassy mat smell.

Taste: Thick, rich, sweet, with almost no bitterness, and it remains flavorful over many infusions.

Liquor Color: Lightly fermented tea is mostly deep red; heavily fermented tea is primarily black.

Spent Leaves: Due to wet piling, lightly fermented leaves are reddish-brown but not pliable. Heavily fermented leaves are mostly dark brown or black, harder, and more brittle.

Even if you are not an experienced tea connoisseur, once you know the difference between raw tea and ripe tea, no one can call you a tea novice.