How to judge the quality of Pu'er tea? Does Pu'er tea have a shelf life?

Pu'er tea is known as "the older it gets, the more fragrant it becomes". Because it is collected for a long time, our friends who like to drink tea should try to learn to distinguish the quality of Pu'er tea. The first standard is that it must be clean and hygienic, followed by the taste, tea soup, and the quality of the tea. Although Pu'er tea has collection value, no matter how good the tea is, it is meaningful only when you drink it. In this way, life can be full of flavor!

Contents of this article

1. How to judge the quality of Pu'er tea

2. Does Pu'er tea have a shelf life?

3. Will Pu'er tea go bad if it is stored for a long time?

How to judge the quality of Pu'er tea

How to distinguish good and bad Pu'er tea: Good Pu'er dry tea has an aged aroma and has the aroma of longan and jujube, etc., and has no strange or mixed tastes; while poor quality Pu'er tea has a slight aged aroma or only an aged smell, or even a sour or other mixed taste. High-quality Pu'er tea tastes rich, smooth, soothing, sweet, and makes the tongue saliva; on the contrary, poor quality Pu'er tea tastes bland, not smooth, not sweet, and makes the sides of the tongue feel uncomfortable, and even produces a "numbing" feeling.

How to identify the quality of Pu'er raw tea:

1. Look at the appearance

First, check whether the tea is intact and whether there are other impurities on the surface (such as yellow flakes, hair, and strings); secondly, check the overall luster, tenderness, and thickness of the raw Pu'er tea. It is generally recommended to compare tea cakes from different hills and different ages. With a reference, it is easier to understand Pu'er tea.

2. Smell the tea

First, smell the aroma of the dry tea to see if there is any peculiar smell; secondly, you can distinguish whether it is new tea or old tea by its aroma. The aroma of new tea and old tea is different. The former has a green smell and the aroma is more obvious, while the latter has a smell of wood.

3. Observe the soup color

The main thing to look at is the transparency of the tea soup and whether there are other (non-tea) floating objects. The tea soup of new tea is light yellow and clear, while the tea soup of old tea is amber yellow.

4. Smell the fragrance

By smelling from high up, smelling from cold, and smelling the cup lid, you can smell the natural aroma of the tea itself to check whether it is pure and natural, whether it has any peculiar smell or smoke, whether it is long-lasting, and whether it is strong.

5. Taste it

In addition to tasting the tea soup for peculiar and other flavors, you should also pay attention to how quickly the bitterness is removed, whether the sweetness returns to the bottom of the tongue or the cheeks, and whether the sweetness lasts. New tea tastes stronger than old tea.

6. Observe the bottom of the leaves

After tasting the tea, you can use a tea clip to pick out a piece of tea, and roll or tear it with your hands to check the age, color, softness and degree of withering of the tea leaves.

How to identify the quality of Pu'er ripe tea:

1. Look at the appearance

First, check whether there are impurities in the cooked tea and the uniformity of its color (brown-red). The color of the cooked tea can be used to preliminarily judge its fermentation degree.

2. Smell the tea

This is the same as smelling raw tea and dried tea to see if there is any peculiar smell. This is the first step to judge the quality of a cake of tea. No matter how good the mountain, how good the raw material, how mellow the taste, or how long the year, if there is any peculiar smell or moldy smell, it is a low-quality product.

3. Observe the soup

Observe whether the tea soup is transparent and ruddy. Inferior tea cakes have turbid tea soup that is too dark to see.

4. Smell the fragrance

The first step in smelling the fragrance is to determine whether there are other peculiar smells, and then smell whether there are old fragrances, woody fragrances, medicinal fragrances, and whether the fragrance is persistent. If there is a peculiar smell, it is necessary to distinguish whether it is caused by storage or insufficient production process.

5. Taste

The concentration, smoothness, and sweetness of the tea soup. The tea leaves of new tea, which have not been aged for a long time, have a hot and dry taste, and drinking too much will cause internal heat. The bitter and astringent taste of old tea has faded, and it is smooth when it goes down the throat.

6. Observe the bottom of the leaves

Gently spread out the cooked tea leaves and observe whether they are plump, shiny, and uniform. Try to roll them with your hands to test their toughness. If they are mud-like, they are bad.

Does Pu'er tea have a shelf life?

Pu'er tea has a shelf life, which is generally about 10 years, so the concept that Pu'er tea gets better with age is correct, but this rule may be broken if it is out of this shelf life. If Pu'er tea is stored in good conditions, it can be stored for 30 to 40 years, but the taste and nutrition of Pu'er tea will be greatly reduced.

Will Pu'er tea go bad if it is stored for a long time?

Pu'er tea is known as "the older it gets, the more fragrant it becomes". Some people also say that tea in the traditional sense also has no shelf life, but tea can absorb odors and moisture, causing "chemical changes" in the tea's internal quality, changing its taste and causing it to go bad.

If Pu'er tea is properly stored, it will become more fragrant as it ages. However, when you buy Pu'er tea, you will find that there is a shelf life on the outer packaging. This is because food must be labeled. In fact, consumers do not need to pay attention to it when drinking Pu'er tea. In addition, if you find that the tea has a moldy smell, it is usually due to improper storage and it is not advisable to buy it.

New Pu'er tea has a strong flavor and is very irritating, which is not something that people who are used to drinking high mountain tea or Pu'er tea are used to. Old Pu'er tea has become milder and less irritating due to long-term storage and post-oxidation. It can promote blood metabolism and does not irritate the stomach. It is also said to be good for health, qi and qi. The longer it is stored, the higher the degree of oxidation and the mellower the taste of the tea soup.