Many friends who are new to learning about Pu'er tea don't know where to start, and they are unfamiliar with many concepts, common knowledge, and terminology related to Pu'er tea. This is an article to help beginners quickly understand Pu'er tea.

◎ What is Pu'er tea?

Pu'er tea originates from the Lancang River basin in southern and western Yunnan. It is made from fresh leaves of large-leaf Yunnan tea tree varieties, steamed and pressed into various compressed teas, which evolve after a certain period of storage; or it is made from Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried green tea (maocha) processed through artificial post-fermentation to produce Pu'er compressed tea and Pu'er loose tea.

◎ What is raw tea?

Large-leaf tea leaves grown in Yunnan are sun-dried (shaiqing) and directly pressed into cakes, tuo, or bricks, called raw cakes, raw tuo, or raw bricks. If not pressed, it is called maocha.

◎ What is ripe tea?

Large-leaf tea leaves grown in Yunnan are sun-dried (shaiqing), then undergo wet-piling fermentation (wodui), and finally pressed into shape, called ripe cakes, ripe tuo, or ripe bricks.

◎ How to distinguish raw and ripe Pu'er tea?

There are many ways to distinguish raw and ripe Pu'er tea. Generally, from the appearance, raw Pu'er under 10 years is dark green, while ripe Pu'er is dark brown. Next, by smell: raw Pu'er has a light, fresh aroma, while ripe Pu'er has an aged fragrance. Finally, by the liquor color: raw Pu'er's liquor is orange-yellow, while ripe Pu'er's is maroon or dark chestnut.

◎ What category of tea does Pu'er belong to?

Pu'er tea belongs neither to dark tea nor to black tea. Because the production process and essential characteristics of Pu'er tea differ from the six major tea categories, the Yunnan Tea Association has appealed to the Chinese tea industry and is seriously discussing with national experts and scholars to classify Yunnan Pu'er tea as a reprocessed specialty tea, repositioning it in the Chinese tea spectrum.

◎ What are spring tea, summer tea, and valley flower tea? How to distinguish them?

Spring tea is harvested from February to April, with the best quality picked within 15 days after Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), mostly one bud and one leaf, with fine and white bud tips. Summer tea is harvested from May to July, called rainwater tea; if processed properly, its quality is similar to spring tea. Autumn tea is harvested from August to October, called valley flower tea. Related articles can be found under "What are second water, third water tea, and valley flower tea?"

◎ What is the production process and method of Pu'er tea?

Pu'er tea has two production methods, namely raw tea and ripe tea: First, raw tea: traditional process: kill-green (shaqing) — rolling (rounian) — sun-drying (shai gan). Second, ripe tea: kill-green — rolling — drying — dampening and piling fermentation (shi shi wodui) — drying.

◎ What is sun-dried green tea (shaiqing) and baked green tea (hongqing), and what is the difference between them?

Fresh tea leaves are harvested, then pan-fried (kill-green), rolled, spread on bamboo mats, and naturally sun-dried on bamboo mats, called sun-dried green maocha (shaiqing maocha), which can be stored long-term. If fresh tea leaves are harvested and then dried using a dryer to produce a high-aroma tea, it is called baked green tea (hongqing); it has a shelf life and cannot be stored long-term. Simply put, sun-dried green tea is a Pu'er tea process, while baked green tea is a green tea process.

◎ How is Pu'er tea graded, and what is the difference between grades?

Pu'er tea is classified into high, medium, and low grades. High-grade loose tea includes: imperial, ceremonial, special grade, first to fifth grade (medium grade), and sixth to tenth grade (low-grade loose tea). Pu'er tea broken bits are divided into high, medium, and low grades. In grading, higher grades have more buds, while lower grades have more stems. Does a higher grade mean better quality? No, a higher grade only indicates tender tea material, not necessarily related to quality.

◎ What is dry-storage and wet-storage Pu'er, and what is the difference?

Pu'er tea stored in a warehouse with relative humidity below 80% slowly ages naturally, transforming into an "aged aroma" quality, commonly called "dry-storage Pu'er tea." "Wet-storage Pu'er tea" is stored in a warehouse with relative humidity above 80% to accelerate transformation, but during this process, the tea may become moldy, hence called "wet-storage Pu'er." Only dry-storage aging can achieve the effect of "the older, the more fragrant." Some unscrupulous merchants use wet-storage tea to counterfeit aged dry-storage tea.

◎ What should be noted when purchasing Pu'er tea?

Four key rules: First, purity: smell the aroma; the aroma should be pure, with no off-flavors. Second, purity: observe the color; the tea liquor should be like jujube color, not black like lacquer. Third, correctness: verify the storage; it should be stored in a dry warehouse, not in a damp place. Fourth, taste: savor the liquor; the flavor should be mild, not mixed. Six don'ts: Don't rely on incorrect age labels, don't use fake packaging as evidence, don't judge by darkness of color, don't be fooled by added flavors, don't consider tree age as a criterion.

◎ How to store Pu'er tea?

If storing compressed tea, do not remove the packaging. For loose tea, it is best to store it in a purple clay jar. The environment should be clean and hygienic, free from off-flavors, with stable temperature and humidity, and avoid light. Simply put: "dry, ventilated, and no off-flavors."

◎ Where are the Pu'er tea regions and tea mountains located?

The six ancient tea mountains are: Youle, Gedeng, Yibang, Mangzhi, Manzhuan, and Mansa. Except for "Youle" in Jinghong City, the other five tea mountains are in Mengla County.

◎ What is crab feet (pang xie jiao)?

Crab feet is a parasitic plant that grows on older, tall arbor tea trees. It is green in color and shaped like a crab's two claws. It has a strong plum fragrance and contains various organic compounds with high nutritional value. It can be used medicinally, treating stomach diseases and diabetes effectively.

◎ What are the main components of Pu'er tea?

Pu'er tea mainly contains amino acids, alkaloids, tea polyphenols, tannins, caffeine, pigments, monosaccharides, proteins, organic acids, lipids, and vitamins.

◎ What are the benefits and effects of Pu'er tea?

Pu'er tea has many benefits: reducing fat and aiding weight loss, beautifying the skin, sobering up, anti-radiation and anti-aging, protecting teeth and improving eyesight, and nourishing the stomach.

◎ What is the recipe number (ma hao) of Pu'er tea?

For example, 7531: "75" represents the 1975 recipe. It must be clarified that a 1975 recipe does not mean the tea was made in 1975. "3" represents the average grade of the tea, graded based on tenderness; the higher the tenderness, the higher the grade. The last "1" represents the factory that produced the tea. For example, Kunming Tea Factory (1), Menghai (2), Xiaguan (3), Pu'er (4), etc. Factory numbers have changed, now extending to 9.

◎ How to brew Pu'er tea?

Brewing Pu'er tea is quite particular. Generally, a purple clay pot is best, as it enhances the tea's flavor. A covered bowl is more suitable for appreciating Pu'er tea, and in the office, a brewing cup (piao yi bei) can be used.

Pu'er Tea Terminology Glossary

Xianhao (Prominent downy hairs): Particularly high amount of downy hairs.

Yunjing (Uniform and clean): Even and neat, free from stems, chaff, and other impurities.

Jinshi (Compact): Moderate tightness, relatively heavy body.

Feizhuang (Plump and robust): Tender buds and leaves, heavy body.

Qingche (Clear): Clean, transparent, bright, free of sediment.

Xianyan (Bright and vivid): Bright and brilliant, clear and bright.

Shen (Deep): Deep liquor color. / Qian (Light): Light liquor color, like water.

Mingliang (Bright): Tea liquor clear and transparent. / Hunzhuo (Cloudy): Large amount of suspended matter in the tea liquor, poor transparency.

Chendianwu (Sediment): Substances settling at the bottom of the tea liquor.

Gaoxiang (High aroma): Tea aroma high and persistent.

Chunzheng (Pure and correct): Tea aroma neither too high nor too low, pure and normal. / Pingzheng (Average): Lower aroma, but no off or mixed odors.

Dunzhuo (Dull and thick): Stagnant and unpleasant.

Qingwei (Green flavor): Tastes or smells like grass or green leaves. Insufficient kill-green or fermentation can both cause a green flavor.

Gaohuo (High fire): Slightly baked caramel or burnt sugar aroma.

Chenqi (Aged aroma): Scent from aged tea.

Huigan (Returning sweetness): Pleasant aftertaste with a slight sweetness.

Nonghou (Thick and full): Rich taste with strong stimulation. / Chunhou (Mellow and thick): Smooth, sweet, thick, with some stimulation.

Nongchun (Thick and mellow): Rich, smooth, and pleasant, with a sweet aftertaste. Less stimulating than thick and full, but more than mellow and thick. / Chunzheng (Mellow and correct): Refreshing and normal, slightly sweet. / Chunhe (Mellow and mild): Mellow, balanced, sweet, with stimulation weaker than mellow and correct but stronger than mild and gentle.

Pinghe (Mild and gentle): Normal tea flavor, weak stimulation.

Danbo (Thin and light): A slight tea flavor at first, then weak and tasteless.

Se (Astringent): A puckering, rough sensation on the tongue and mouth after drinking. / Qingse (Green astringency): Astringent with a raw, green taste.

Ku (Bitter): A bitter taste upon entry, with a stronger bitterness in the aftertaste.

Shuwei (Cooked taste): Unpleasant tea liquor with a steamed or stewed flavor.

Feihou (Plump and thick): Robust buds, thick leaf flesh, veins not exposed.

Kaizhan (Open and unfolded): Leaves spread out, soft in texture.

Xianliang (Bright and fresh): Bright and fresh. / Anza (Dark and mixed): Leaves dark in color, uneven mature and young.

Jiaoban (Scorch spots): Localized black or yellow burn marks on leaf edges, surfaces, or undersides.

Baqi (Dominant/fiery): Refers to strong tea energy, with intense bitterness and astringency but fast returning sweetness and salivation.

Neifei (Inner ticket): The small piece of paper pressed into the front of the tea cake, usually printed with the manufacturer and their logo.

Neipiao (Inner note): The larger piece of paper wrapped inside the tissue paper, usually containing information about the tea and the manufacturer.

Zhifei (Outer ticket): Pu'er tea cakes are usually packed 7 per tong (bamboo leaf bundle), and 12 tongs per basket, called one zhi. The outer paper of each zhi is printed with the recipe number, weight, manufacturer, and date of production.

Qiaomu xing chashu (Arbor-type tea tree): Has a distinct trunk, high branching, usually 3-5 meters tall or more.

Guanmu xing chashu (Bush-type tea tree): No distinct trunk, dense branching near the ground, short canopy, usually 1.5-3 meters tall.

Ban qiaomu xing chashu (Semi-arbor-type tea tree): In height and branching, it falls between the arbor and bush types.

Mingqian cha (Pre-Qingming tea): Spring tea picked before Qingming Festival.

Yuqian cha (Pre-Grain Rain tea): Spring tea picked before Guyu (Grain Rain) Festival.

Shantou (Mountain origin): You may have seen tea described as from Ban Zhang, Yiwu, Jingmai, etc.; these refer to the mountain origin of the tea material.

Chatou (Tea heads): During the wet-piling process, tea leaves clump together due to high pectin content. Not all tea heads taste good. Tea heads are very resistant to brewing, lasting around 30 infusions. Generally, it is best to boil tea heads to slowly release the pectin.

Samian (Surface covering): Simply put, to make tea cakes, bricks, tuo, etc., look more attractive, a layer of higher-grade tea material is sprinkled on the surface. Except for loose tea, most shaped Pu'er teas have a surface covering. If the interior uses grade 8 material and the surface uses grade 6 material, the average grade of the cake would be grade 7. However, having a surface covering does not mean it is bad!

Zi ya cha (Purple bud tea): Purple bud tea is a variation caused by prolonged UV exposure, resulting in high anthocyanin content. The buds and leaves usually appear purple.

Yi kou liao (Single material): Means the tea cake's material is uniform from the surface, center, to the bottom, with no difference inside and out. However, note that single material does not necessarily mean pure material (single origin).

Chagao (Tea paste/tea cake): Historically, it was offered as tribute to emperors. The oldest production method involves boiling tea leaves for a long time, then adding specific substances to solidify the tea liquid into a paste. When drinking, you scrape off a small amount from the tea paste and dissolve it in hot water.