Historical Classification of Pu'er Tea
What kind of tea does Pu'er tea belong to? Pu'er tea belongs to dark tea, named after its origin in the ancient Pu'er Prefecture (now Pu'er City) in Yunnan. Today, it generally refers to tea produced in the Pu'er tea region, made from sun-dried green tea leaves of large-leaf varieties in Yunnan, processed through post-fermentation into loose tea or compressed tea. Its appearance is brownish-red, with a rich and bright red soup, a unique aged aroma, a mellow and sweet taste, and brownish-red leaves. It is divided into raw tea (natural fermentation) and ripe tea (artificial accelerated fermentation).
Current Classification of Pu'er Tea
What kind of tea does Pu'er tea belong to? Historically, Pu'er tea was indeed classified as dark tea, as seen in Professor Chen Chuan's book "Tea Manufacturing" from Anhui Agricultural University.
However, there has been disagreement within the industry, mainly due to differences in its processing techniques compared to dark tea. In recent years, the debate has intensified. By 2006, the local industry standard in Yunnan defined Pu'er tea as compressed tea or loose tea made from large-leaf tea varieties in specific regions of Yunnan, reaching a consensus within the industry: Pu'er tea is a special type of tea that does not belong to any existing tea category. By July of this year, when the geographical indication for Pu'er tea was officially recognized, this classification became even more established. Additionally, in the national import and export commodity catalog, Pu'er tea is also classified under special tea categories.
Differences and Classification of Raw and Ripe Pu'er Tea
What kind of tea does Pu'er tea belong to? Raw Pu'er tea belongs to green tea (large-leaf tea), while ripe Pu'er tea belongs to fermented tea or dark tea.
Yunnan has defined Pu'er tea as tea made from large-leaf Yunnan tea varieties through specific processing techniques. What kind of tea does Pu'er tea belong to? Pu'er tea is similar to dark tea but differs from it, making it a special type of dark tea, or simply, Pu'er tea belongs to the category of Pu'er tea itself.