When drinking tea with seasoned tea drinkers, you may hear evaluations like: “This Pu-erh tea lacks activeness.” So what is the “activeness” of Pu-erh tea?
“Activeness” is a broadly applied term that originally came from the field of chemistry, where it describes the activity of solution ions or enzymes. Later, the concept was extended to biology, medicine, physics, and many other fields. Its basic meaning refers to possessing vitality, the capacity to remain vigorous and active.
In chemistry, activeness often describes the characteristics of a catalyst: its ability to react swiftly or promote a rapid reaction. In biology and medicine, activeness can refer to a property of antibodies (as antitoxins), specifically the speed and firmness with which antibodies bind to antigens.
Activeness can also describe the functional activities of organisms or biological tissues, such as enzyme activity or cellular activity. In environmental protection, activeness focuses on environmental treatment and pollution control: active catalysts have broad application prospects in deodorization, water purification, air purification, and reducing waste gas and wastewater emissions. In the new energy industry, active catalysts are widely used in hydrogen production, oxidation treatment, fuel cells, carbon dioxide reduction, and photocatalysis.
In petrochemicals, active catalysts play key roles in cracking, hydrogenation, hydrocracking, alkylation, isomerization, dehydrogenation, reforming, and ammonia synthesis, improving product quality and yield.
In the realm of Pu-erh tea, “activeness” is a term used to describe the characteristics of the tea. The “activeness” of Pu-erh tea generally refers to the degree of fermentation and aging potential of the tea leaves, as well as their potential positive influence on health and the tasting experience. The activeness of Pu-erh is related to microorganisms. The fermentation process of Pu-erh involves microorganisms, particularly in post-fermented teas. These microorganisms break down certain compounds in the tea leaves during fermentation, producing specific flavors, aromas, and colors.
Therefore, the activeness of Pu-erh tea can refer to the microbial activity during fermentation and the resulting chemical changes. It is also related to aging potential. Pu-erh tea is famous for “improving with age.” Over time, Pu-erh tea may become gentler, richer in flavor, and more aromatic. The activeness of Pu-erh tea can also refer to its potential health benefits.
Studies have shown that Pu-erh tea may contain active components beneficial to health, such as tea polyphenols, catechins, and microbial metabolites. These may possess antioxidant, lipid-lowering, and digestion-assisting properties. In Pu-erh tea tasting, activeness may also relate to the mouthfeel and texture. A Pu-erh with good activeness often presents a vivid, rich layered sensation upon entry and a long-lasting returning sweetness in the mouth.
The “activeness” of Pu-erh tea is also related to raw materials, processing, storage conditions, the role of microorganisms, time, and many other factors. The raw material for Pu-erh tea is the leaf of the Yunnan large-leaf variety tea tree. The growing environment (soil, climate) and the quality of the picked leaves both influence the tea’s activeness.
Pu-erh tea comes in two main types: raw tea and ripe tea. Ripe tea undergoes artificial fermentation; raw tea ferments naturally. The degree of fermentation affects the tea’s activeness and its final flavor and aroma. The production processes (kill-green, rolling, sun-drying, fermentation, etc.) directly affect the activeness of the leaves. The refinement and traditionality of the processing can all influence the final quality of the tea.
Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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