Tea drinking has always been a unique culture and treasure of the Chinese nation, with a history spanning hundreds of years. Nowadays, more and more people are enjoying tea, and there is also an increasing interest in understanding Tea culture. The first thing to understand is the difference between raw and ripe tea, so here we provide a summary and introduction specifically for this purpose.

The Difference Between Raw and Ripe Tea

1. Production Process

Raw Tea: After fresh leaves are picked, they undergo fixation (withering in a wok to evaporate moisture) – rolling – sun-drying (Pu'er tea must be sun-dried), becoming raw loose tea or sun-dried Green Tea. Sun-dried green tea is then steamed at high temperatures (to soften it and increase humidity, making it easier to shape) and placed into fixed molds before being sun-dried again, turning it into compressed raw tea cakes (or other shapes).

Ripe Tea: After fresh leaves are picked, they undergo fixation – rolling – sun-drying, becoming raw loose tea or sun-dried green tea. Sun-dried green tea then undergoes artificial rapid post-fermentation through the process of sprinkling water and piling, becoming ripe loose tea (the piling process involves sorting the tea by grade – stacking it by grade – inoculating beneficial microorganisms that accelerate fermentation – increasing temperature – sprinkling water manually to increase humidity – stacking – regularly turning over the pile; this process now takes about 30 days). Ripe loose tea is then steamed and shaped to become compressed ripe tea.

2. Color and Aroma

Raw Tea: The colors are primarily light green, dark green, or partly yellowish-red. Freshly made tea cakes usually have no distinct aroma, but if subjected to high temperatures, they have a sweet, baked aroma. Older teas tend to be brownish, while new teas are more greenish.

Ripe Tea: The colors are primarily black or reddish-brown, with some bud tea appearing as dark golden yellow. There is a strong piling aroma, somewhat similar to a moldy smell. Lightly fermented teas may have a taste reminiscent of longan, while heavily fermented teas may have a damp, musty scent. Ripe teas have more fragmented and incomplete leaves.

3. Liquor Color and Taste

Raw Tea: The liquor color is primarily yellow-green or green. The taste is strong and stimulating. If heated, the tea liquor is fragrant and sweet but slightly thin and slightly astringent.

Ripe Tea: Lightly fermented teas are mostly deep red, while heavily fermented ones are primarily black. The taste is thick and sweet, almost without bitterness or astringency, and is quite durable when steeped.

4. Leaf Base

Raw Tea: New tea leaves are primarily green, yellowish-green, or dark green, with high activity, flexibility, and elasticity. Here's a trick: twist a tea leaf like a rubber band; if it springs back, it's good tea.

Ripe Tea: In lightly fermented teas, the leaf base is reddish-brown but not flexible. In heavily fermented teas, the leaf base is mostly dark brown or black, hard, and brittle.

5. Drinking

Raw Tea: The taste is strong and stimulating, with a slight bitter and astringent flavor, but the aftertaste and mouthfeel develop quickly. The tea is full-bodied, with a bright yellow liquor, and needs at least three years of aging to be suitable for drinking. It requires 5-20 years of maturation to lose its bitterness and astringency, developing characteristics of richness, sweetness, and smoothness.

Ripe Tea: The taste is mellow, soft, pure, and smooth, without bitterness or astringency. Through the artificial fermentation process, raw tea can rapidly achieve the changes that would naturally occur over 5-10 years, allowing it to be consumed immediately upon purchase.

Selecting Genuine Pu'er Tea When Purchasing

1. Choose Big Brands

Large manufacturers have substantial resources and can ensure better food safety, quality control, and after-sales service. Two key factors affect the quality of Pu'er tea: fermentation and storage. Large manufacturers have mature processes and formulas, as well as stable traditions, while small manufacturers have limited resources, weaker technology, and lower error tolerance. Although there are some smaller, specialized manufacturers, overall, there are more instances of failure than excellence.

2. Avoid Superstition

Avoid superstitions about mountain teas, grade-level teas, and imprint-level teas. Remember, the worst thing you can do when buying tea is to try to “find a bargain.” Don't believe in any particular mountain tea, grade-level tea, or imprint-level tea, as truly fine teas are not widely available on the market.

3. Examine the Tea Cake

The tea cake should be round, with clear tea leaves, and consistency throughout. When purchasing Pu'er tea, don't judge the tea by its appearance; always break open the inside to ensure consistency. High-quality raw materials and correct processing are prerequisites for Pu'er tea becoming more fragrant with age. To ensure valuable Pu'er raw tea for future storage, first, the tea base must be “thick”; second, proper storage is essential.

Which is Better: Pure or Blended Pu'er Tea?

Taste: Pure tea can concentrate the characteristics of the production area, variety, and time period, resulting in a unique and distinct style. However, this also brings certain drawbacks, as the aroma and taste can be relatively monotonous, lacking rich layers and changes. Blended tea, which combines multiple types of tea, offers a richer and layered aroma and taste, taking the best from each, achieving a harmonious and balanced flavor.

Quality: True pure tea is extremely limited in quantity and is non-renewable. Additionally, it is greatly influenced by environmental factors such as climate, leading to variations in the quality of tea from different regions every year and season. It is virtually impossible to find two identical pure teas. With blended tea, the tea master strictly controls the quality, ensuring stability and enabling mass production over multiple years. Blending seeks the effect of one plus one being greater than two, where the participating teas complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, enhancing their best qualities while concealing their flaws.

The participating teas often have their own unique features, so how to blend these features to create a relatively balanced experience for the drinker after brewing is crucial.

Is Older Ancient Tree Tea Always Better?

In general, ancient tree tea refers to large-leaved tea trees that have survived for over a century. However, according to some tea enthusiasts, only trees over 300 years old can be called “ancient trees.” Some believe that the older the tree, the better the quality. However, measuring the age of tea trees is challenging, and there is currently no accurate method for determining their age. We cannot cut down all the tea trees to measure them, so the view that the older the ancient tree tea, the better the quality is not entirely correct, and experts have not provided sufficient scientific evidence.

In a patch of ancient tree tea garden, when the climate and soil conditions are similar, we will notice that some ancient tea trees grow particularly vigorously, while others appear less robust. This is closely related to the age of the trees. Just like humans