Without the spring breeze, it does not peek through; only as sunlight sheds its youthful green. It is spring tea season once again — the mountains awaken, and the tea rests in the tea farmers’ fingertips. At this time of year, how many tea lovers are like “wanderers” returning home, journeying toward the mountains to embrace the spring light and drink tea.
The most beloved taste of spring tea is “freshness.” But do you know where the freshness of spring tea comes from?
The freshness of Pu-erh tea refers to the tea liquor’s fresh, lively mouthfeel characteristics, determined primarily by certain chemical components in the tea. The “fresh” taste in spring tea comes mainly from amino acids, biflavanols, and soluble sugars. These substances bring a vivid, lively mouthfeel to the liquor, like the sensation of a spring surging forth — smooth, delicate, never dull, and free of off-flavors.
The “crisp” sensation comes mainly from catechins, theaflavins, and the complexes of theaflavins with caffeine. These substances, after the liquor is swallowed, bring a clean, refreshing sensation to the mouth, as if a cool feeling rises from deep within the throat, like drinking a glass of sparkling water infused with mint leaves — crisp, clear, and refreshing.
The higher the amino acid and catechin content in Pu-erh tea, the higher the freshness. Amino acid content is related to the raw materials, craftsmanship, and vintage. Raw materials are the primary factor determining freshness. First is the growing environment. Generally, the more favorable the geographical and climatic conditions for spring tea growth, the more nutrients are synthesized, and the higher the amino acid content. Second is the season.
Of the four seasons, spring tea is the freshest. After a winter of preparation, the nutrients stored in the roots — theanine and glutamine — play a major role in the growth and development of the following year’s spring shoots, causing spring tea to accumulate higher amino acid content than tea from any other season. Third is tenderness. Generally, tender tea buds have a very high phenol-to-ammonia ratio, producing fresh and crisp flavors.
The freshness of Pu-erh spring tea begins accumulating from the moment of hand-plucking. Hand-picked tea generally has noticeably higher freshness than machine-picked tea, because manual picking keeps the buds and leaves whole, fresh, and uniform, preserving the amino acids, catechins, and other molecules as much as possible, ensuring high freshness in the spring tea.
Kill-green is a key step in tea processing. Through rapid high-temperature treatment, the enzymes in the tea leaves are deactivated, stopping the fermentation process. If temperature and timing are well controlled during kill-green, the amino acids and tea polyphenols in the leaves are preserved, enhancing the fresh, crisp mouthfeel of Pu-erh spring tea. Conversely, improper kill-green can lead to loss of nutrients and affect the taste.
Additionally, the freshness of Pu-erh spring tea is greatly influenced by the rolling process. Rolling is an important stage in Pu-erh production; it breaks the cell walls of the tea leaves, allowing the tea juices to infuse more readily during brewing. However, excessive rolling can damage too many cell walls, causing water-soluble substances to release too quickly, thereby affecting both the tea’s endurance for multiple infusions and its freshness.
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Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam)
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