“Pile Flavor”

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Aged Pu'er Tea is made through a process of sprinkling water onto piles, i.e., tea + water + pile.

The production process of aged Pu'er involves piling the tea leaves together for fermentation. During this process, water is manually sprinkled to create a high-temperature, high-humidity environment. This allows microorganisms to participate in the fermentation, breaking down certain intrinsic substances in the tea and generating new ones. As a result, the aged Pu'er becomes smooth and mellow, significantly reducing its bitterness and astringency.

During fermentation, the influence of microbial flora in the tea leaves produces some flavors, which are commonly referred to as “pile flavor.”

Generally, it takes between 2 to 4 years to eliminate the pile flavor from aged tea. The most ideal method is natural storage, but attention must be paid to the storage environment, ensuring it is well-ventilated, dry, and free of foreign odors.

If you still find the pile flavor too strong when drinking, you can use several methods to alleviate it:

1. Before brewing, use a tea knife to break apart the tea cake and let it rest for a while. This will help to dissipate part of the pile flavor through the process of waking up the tea.

2. Place the tea cake above the steam of a boiling kettle before brewing. The extremely high temperature of the steam softens the tea cake and removes some of the pile flavor.

3. Brew with high-temperature water. Boiling water quickly wakes up the tea, evaporating some of the moisture and thus reducing the pile flavor.

4. Bake the tea cake at high temperatures to add fragrance. Although this method can suppress the pile flavor, the baked tea must be consumed immediately and cannot be stored, otherwise, it will develop an acidic taste later on.

Why does the broth of aged Pu'er tea sometimes look like soy sauce?

A good aged Pu'er tea should have a bright red broth. Under light, it appears as clear and luminous as red agate. However, sometimes when brewing aged Pu'er tea, the broth may appear murky, dark, and black, resembling “soy sauce broth.” Apart from the possibility of purchasing low-quality Pu'er tea, incorrect brewing methods can also lead to the appearance of “soy sauce broth.”

Mistake One: Not rinsing the tea. During the fermentation process and subsequent storage, aged tea can accumulate dust. Without rinsing, the broth after brewing will appear cloudy, creating a “soy sauce broth.” When brewing aged tea, it is important to Rinse it with boiling water. This not only wakes up the tea but also uses the high-temperature water to thoroughly wash away impurities and dust on the tea.

Mistake Two: Using too much tea. Many tea enthusiasts tend to use excessive amounts of tea. After brewing, the broth of aged tea becomes overly concentrated, and the overall color appears dark and brownish-black, similar to soy sauce.

Mistake Three: Over-infusing. Aged Pu'er tea, especially older teas, requires appropriate infusing times. However, if the infusing time is too long, the broth color will become deep black, turning into “soy sauce broth.” Younger aged teas with tender leaves release their intrinsic substances more quickly, and over-infusing them can also result in “soy sauce broth.”

Mistake Four: Slow pouring. This is particularly evident in aged teas with tender leaves. The intrinsic substances in young tea leaves are released more quickly, so rapid pouring is necessary during brewing to avoid overly concentrated broth. If the pouring time is too slow, it will make the broth overly concentrated, forming “soy sauce broth.”

How to approach tasting aged tea?

To appreciate aged Pu'er tea, one should consider six key factors: thickness, smoothness, moistness, sweetness, purity, and aroma.

1. Thickness: The thickness of aged Pu'er is a very comfortable feeling. When the tea broth slides into your mouth, stimulating the taste buds, use the tip of your tongue to stir the tea broth. You'll fully experience its richness and fullness, which can also be understood as a viscosity. Thickness is different from the concentration of the tea broth. It relates to the internal soluble substances in the tea. When there are more water-soluble components in the broth, the texture will feel thicker and denser.

2. Smoothness: Smoothness refers to the “oily smoothness” of aged tea, similar to the feeling of drinking chicken soup or rice soup. Typically, very smooth tea leaves a “layer of oil” sensation after drinking. This needs to be distinguished from the ease of swallowing due to the absence of bitterness or astringency. When the tea broth enters the mouth and pauses briefly before flowing down the throat and into the stomach, there is a very round and natural feeling, leaving a strong impression on the taster. Conversely, poor quality tea broth can cause a “locked throat” sensation.

3. Moistness: Good aged Pu'er tea provides immediate hydration upon entry, alleviating any dryness. After three or four brews, the tea broth leaves the throat feeling fresh and moisturized, without any dryness in the mouth. Swallowing the broth warms the entire belly, illustrating the moistness of aged tea.

4. Sweetness: Sweetness is the simplest and most direct aspect to consider when appreciating aged tea. The sweet aroma can be detected even before the tea broth touches the tongue. Once the tea broth enters the mouth and comes into contact with the tongue, the sweetness is quickly perceived and spreads throughout the mouth, lingering persistently.

5. Purity: Purity is a crucial indicator of the skillful fermentation process in aged tea. Whether the fermentation environment was hygienic, the methods were correct, the fermentation degree was suitable, and the storage conditions were ideal can all be assessed through the purity of the tea broth. Pure tea broth tastes clean and comfortable. Even those who do not prefer aged tea will not find it difficult to accept. If the tea broth has an off-flavor, it indicates that the hygiene standards were not met during production or that it was contaminated during subsequent storage.

Original article published in Pu'er Magazine

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