Novice tea lovers who have just come into contact with Pu'er tea will definitely encounter the situation of "want to buy but dare not buy" when faced with a variety of tea products of different origins and flavors. Firstly, I am worried about buying tea products only to find that they are not to my taste. Secondly, I am also afraid of being cheated because I am not familiar with the market. In view of this, the editor specially compiled the taste characteristics and precautions of raw Pu'er tea from the three major Pu'er tea regions. Novice Pu'er tea lovers should not miss it. Let's read on!
Distribution of tea areas in Yunnan
There are many tea-producing places in Yunnan. The Pu'er tea tea areas are mainly in Xishuangbanna, Lincang City, Pu'er City and even Baoshan City. Based on the geographical location of the tea area, Pu'er tea generally has the characteristics of "bitter in the north, astringent in the south, soft in the east and hard in the west". Today we will focus on introducing the new Shengpu tea from the three main tea areas of Menghai, Mengla and Lincang in Xishuangbanna.
#1: Menghai Tea Area
- Suitable for tea lovers who pursue strong tea flavor
Many well-known famous mountaintops are located in the Menghai tea area, such as Laobanzhang, Laoman'e, Mengsong , Laopanpan , etc. The new tea from the Menghai tea area is characterized by its high aroma and strong tea flavor. Although the tea taste is relatively sweet and astringent, it is easy to produce body fluids and return to sweetness. The raw Pu new tea is more irritating, so it is suitable for teas that like strong tea flavors and can tolerate the irritating nature of tea. friend.
The Menghai tea area has a long history of growing and making tea, and its reputation is relatively high. In addition, the tea produced in this tea area has a large room for transformation, so many professional tea drinkers collect Menghai tea. Therefore, the price of tea from well-known cottages such as Lao Banzhang and Banzhang Laozhai has always been the highest in the Menghai tea area. For beginners, you can try tea products from Laoman'e and Guangbie Laozhai to get familiar with the characteristics of Menghai tea.
#2: Mengla Tea Area
- Suitable for tea drinkers who like a combination of firmness and softness, floral tea flavor
The most representative Mengla tea area is the Yiwu tea area, where the six ancient tea mountains are located. Tea lovers who have just entered the Pu'er tea circle have all heard the saying "Ban Zhang is the king, Yi Wu is the queen". Different from the strong Menghai tea, Yiwu's tea is more gentle, with a floral aroma and a balanced taste of both hard and soft. The sweet aroma is obvious but the astringency is lighter than Menghai tea. The taste is rich and the aftertaste is also slightly sweet with floral aroma. It is suitable for A tea drinker who pays attention to the balance of sweetness, bitterness and sweetness in tea.
In ancient times, Yibang , Manzhuan , and Mansong teas were presented as tribute tea to the imperial court, which shows how noble they are. In recent years, the output of the two cottages has not been much, and the price of tea is not cheap. Novice tea lovers can consider medium-priced teas such as Ma Hei and Yiwu Zhengshan, which are very cost-effective and worth a try.
#3: Lincang Tea District
- Suitable for tea drinkers who like sweetness and smooth taste
Lincang tea area is famous for its soft and sweet tea. The famous Icelandic Tea Village in the Pu'er world is located in Lincang. Lincang Tea Area can be roughly divided into the Eastern Mid-Levels and the Western Mid-Levels. Due to different sunshine hours, the tea characteristics of the two are slightly different. The tea produced in areas such as Ba Nuo and Zhengqitang in the eastern mid-levels has a strong aroma, rich taste and texture. The nature of the tea is stronger than that in the western mid-levels, with a more obvious sweetness.
The tea areas in the western mid-levels, such as Iceland, Molie, and Daxueshan, are famous for their round and thick taste and long sweet water flavor. The bitterness is not high, and the tea is sweet and smooth. Therefore, Lincang tea is suitable for novice tea lovers who like a delicate taste and not too bitter.
The essence of Lincang tea is softer than that of Menghai and Yiwu tea areas. Even if it is a new tea, it is not that irritating. Therefore, the price of Lincang tea in the Pu'er market has risen sharply in recent years, and the price of tea in Laozhai, Iceland, has reached tens of thousands of yuan per catty. For novice tea drinkers, you can start buying tea from mid- to low-priced tea areas, such as Nanpu, Molie, Ma'anshan, etc. The quality of the tea is good and the price is relatively affordable. Of course, capable tea lovers can also try teas from Iceland and Xigui to better appreciate the soft, sweet and watery charm of Lincang tea.
Things to note for novice tea drinkers
- Try before you buy
Regardless of whether you are a novice or an experienced person, testing tea is the most basic step before buying tea . Trying before buying not only ensures the quality of tea products and whether they suit your taste, but also helps merchants avoid unnecessary misunderstandings during communication. Novices should also start from the shallower to the more advanced, trying some cost-effective teas first to confirm their taste before trying higher-priced teas.
- The difference between new tea and old tea
When buying tea, you should know clearly the year of production. The flavor of old tea will naturally be different from that of new tea after time. Therefore, tea lovers should also understand that new tea cannot be directly compared with old tea. In fact, both have their own characteristics.
The taste and properties of new Sheng Pu tea and old tea can be very different. Beginners should pay attention to whether there is any physical discomfort when tasting new tea to avoid tea drunkenness.
The above is a Pu’er tea buying guide for beginners. There is a long way to learn Pu'er tea. I hope this can help all the new Pu'er tea lovers so that they will not be deterred when buying Pu'er tea next time.
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