This is the question that all Pu-erh tea drinkers want to know
1. What exactly is the difference between raw and ripe Pu-erh tea?
Pu-erh tea is divided into raw tea and ripe tea, and the differences between the two are quite significant:
From a process perspective: Raw tea is Pu-erh that has not undergone fermentation, while ripe tea is fermented through an artificial wet-piling process. Simply put—raw tea is a maiden, ripe tea is a married woman.
From an aging perspective: Raw tea has greater aging value. Under proper storage conditions, it can be aged for decades or even over a century. Ripe tea, however, cannot be aged for that long. The term "old tea" in the market often refers to raw tea, but raw tea will never turn into ripe tea through aging. The misconception arises because the tea soup of long-aged raw Pu-erh turns red.
From a consumption history perspective: Raw tea has a long history of consumption, while ripe tea was only created in the 1970s. Its invention aimed to simulate the aged taste of raw tea.
From the tea soup and flavor perspective: Ripe tea soup is reddish-brown, while raw tea soup is lighter,呈黄绿色 (excluding old tea). Raw tea has a stronger, more intense taste than green tea and can easily become bitter. Ripe tea tastes醇厚, rich, and温和, similar to black tea.
2. Why is Pu-erh cake tea also called "seven sons cake"? How was the weight of 357 grams per cake established?
In the past, the Qing government stipulated that "Yunnan merchants sell tea, with每七圆为一筒..." According to the weight calculations of the time, 1 cake of Pu-erh was 357 grams. 7 cakes made 1筒 (tong), weighing approximately 2.5 kg. 12筒 made 1件 (jian), weighing about 30 kg. When transported by horse caravans, one horse carried 2件,刚好 60 kg. This was convenient for both tax payment and交易, and thus the standard has been沿用至今.
There is another explanation: In order to配合 export, each件 of Pu-erh tea was standardized at 30 kg by the China National Native Produce & Animal By-Products Import & Export Corporation. Following international practice, each件 was packed as one dozen (12)筒, each筒 contained 7 cakes, making each cake 357 grams.
In the early 1970s, Yunnan Tea Import & Export Company sought a more appealing name that was better for宣传 and推广. They referred to Pu-erh as "seven sons cake tea," and this称谓也随之被传称.
3. Can Pu-erh tea really help with weight loss?
Many tea friends claim that long-term consumption of Pu-erh tea can lead to slimming effects. However, in fact, apart from its effects of lowering blood lipids and aiding digestion, there is no official scientific research indicating that Pu-erh tea has a direct weight-loss effect. Therefore, do not drink it as a减肥茶.
4. What do the codes like 7572 and 7542 commonly used when referring to Pu-erh tea mean?
These numbers are actually marks (唛号). The character "唛" is transliterated from the English word "mark," meaning a标记号码.
The mark number of Pu-erh tea is标示 as follows: The first two digits indicate the配方 (recipe/formula) year used for this tea. The third digit indicates the primary grade of the raw mao cha (larger number means lower grade). The fourth digit is the factory number (Kunming Tea Factory is 1, Menghai Tea Factory is 2, Xiaguan Tea Factory is 3, Pu'er Tea Factory is 4).
Let's use an example: 7572 means it uses the 1975 formula, the primary raw material grade is 7, and the producing factory is Menghai Tea Factory (2).
5. How should Pu-erh tea be stored at home?
Storing Pu-erh tea is not difficult. Just pay attention to avoiding light, ensuring透气, and maintaining suitable, stable temperature and humidity. For example, a dry cabinet at home works, or if conditions allow, store it in a specialized紫砂缸,瓷罐, or锡罐.
However, before storage, check if the external packaging meets storage standards, such as whether it is严密 packaged or if it is plastic包装 (plastic packaging is not conducive to Pu-erh storage). If it does not meet storage conditions, it needs to be repackaged. Additionally, keep it away from items with strong odors to prevent the tea from "absorbing smells."
6. What is dry storage and wet storage? Why is it best not to buy wet-stored tea?
Dry storage refers to a relatively dry,避光, and透气的 storage environment. Wet storage refers to a high-temperature,潮湿的 storage environment.
Since the aging of dry-stored tea requires a very long time, to rapidly ferment the tea, people developed the "拔苗助长" wet storage technology to accelerate the熟化 of Pu-erh. However, due to insufficient control over humidity and temperature, many wet-stored teas are prone to mold and spoilage, which can be harmful to health. Therefore, it is best not to buy wet-stored tea.
So how to distinguish between dry-stored and wet-stored tea? When buying tea,仔细观察 the dry leaves: Dry-stored tea has油润色泽 and清晰的叶梗. Wet-stored tea has暗淡的颜色 and条索有凝结现象. Beyond that, the most important thing is to taste it. Dry-stored tea tastes natural, at most with a slight仓味 (a stuffy smell similar to dust, which disappears after proper退仓). Wet-stored tea has a霉味,腐味, and some may cause an uncomfortable锁喉 sensation (feeling like there's a foreign object in the throat).
7. What is ancient tree tea?
In the market, we often see the term "ancient tree tea." So what is an ancient tree? Is any old tea tree considered an ancient tree?
Of course not. To be called an ancient tree, three conditions must be met: First, it must be an arbor tea tree, tree-like rather than a shrub-like tea plant. Second, it must be seed-propagated, growing naturally with minimal人工干预, relying on a共生环境. Third, it must have reached a certain age to be called ancient.
Typically, the market统称 trees over a hundred years old as ancient trees. However, there has actually been no unified official definition within the industry. Due to the limited quantity and yield of ancient tree tea, coupled with its unique regional flavor characteristics, it has always been highly sought after by tea enthusiasts.
8. What shapes does Pu-erh tea come in?
Common shapes of Pu-erh tea, besides loose tea, cake tea, and brick tea, also include沱茶 (tuo cha),迷你沱茶 (mini tuo cha),柱茶 (pillar tea), and金瓜茶 (golden melon tea), among others.