Pu'er tea can be said to be a science. There are various information about Pu'er tea in the market, which makes many tea lovers who are new to Pu'er tea complain to us, saying that the world of Pu'er tea is always esoteric and difficult to understand, and they feel confused.
As a person who has experienced it, the editor also understands this kind of distress, so I would like to share some entry-level doubts about Pu'er tea to see if it can help everyone!
#1: Should beginners drink raw tea or cooked tea?
There is no right or wrong, just put your own taste first! Raw tea and cooked tea have different taste characteristics. Each tea has a different feeling depending on the place of origin and the age of the tea. Generally speaking, raw tea is mainly characterized by its sweetness and strength , while cooked tea focuses on a mellow and smooth taste, as well as a strong aroma of camphor.
If you like a stimulating taste, try raw tea; if you like a rich and mellow taste, try cooked tea. When choosing Pu'er tea, you can first consider the taste that suits you and your physical condition before making a decision.
#2: Which Pu’er tea producing region should you drink?
As the saying goes, use your own taste as the criterion. Pu'er tea is mainly produced in Lincang, Pu'er (Simao) and Xishuangbanna. Each production area also has different hills and villages, each with different characteristics and different tastes. Taking Banna in Xishuangbanna as an example, Banzhang and Laoman'e are characterized by sweetness, bitterness and astringency, and the bitterness is easy to dissolve. However, on the other side of the Lancang River, the Pu'er produced in Yiwu and Yibang is relatively soft and sweet.
The editor must emphasize that it is unwise to blindly pursue famous brand-name production areas . Apart from the high market prices, if you are not familiar with the characteristics of tea areas, you are also likely to encounter counterfeit products. Therefore, when you first start studying Pu'er tea, you should first try tea products from different production areas to find the Pu'er that suits your taste, and then slowly study the market value of the tea area. There is never a certain tea region you should drink, you can only drink tea that suits you.
#3: Is raw tea cold? Is it suitable for women to drink?
The nature of freshly made raw tea is actually very similar to that of green tea. It is indeed cooling, but as long as the stimulating substances in the raw tea are transformed over time, it will not be cold. Sometimes we have heard that good aged raw Pu'er has a tea smell and makes you sweat after drinking it. This is the truth.
If simply distinguished by year, raw tea aged 1 to 5 years will be very stimulating and the tea will be cooler. If the body cannot stand cold herbal tea, or girls should be careful not to drink too much during their menstrual period. Beginners who want to try Shengpu are generally recommended to start with tea that has been aged for 8-10 years. The aroma, tea taste, aftertaste and excitement of this year are relatively moderate, and the price is relatively reasonable. Of course, if you like the salivation and excitement of raw tea, then that’s a different story.
small suggestions
The biggest difficulty in learning Pu'er is the fluctuating prices of tea products. The price of Pu'er has fluctuated in the past, and the market has been flooded with inferior Pu'er, which has discouraged tea drinkers who are interested in trying Pu'er tea. It is indeed a pity. However, with the modernization of tea factories in recent years, the quality of Pu'er tea has become less variable. Beginners are advised to purchase test tea from a reputable tea shop to reduce the risk of buying inferior tea.
Many people blindly pursue famous brands and famous production areas without considering whether the taste of tea products meets their own needs. This is actually not advisable and can easily be deceived. Therefore, the editor takes the trouble to repeatedly remind everyone of the importance of tea testing. Don’t be affected by the concept of rising value of Pu’er tea. Pursuing the Pu’er tea that suits you best is the actual way to taste tea.
The above is the editor’s sharing about Pu’er tea. There are four types of raw Pu'er tea tasting activities going on this month. Join the tasting now and taste the varied taste of raw Pu'er tea!
Click here to participate in the Pu'er tasting event
Suggested reading:
Things to do before buying tea! Things you don’t know about tea tasting
