There are many dimensions to understanding Pu-erh tea. There are ripe teas that undergo fermentation and raw teas that do not; there are the regions of Xishuangbanna, Lincang, and Pu’er; there are new teas, middle-aged teas, and aged teas; there are fresh and brisk flavors, sweet and mellow tastes, and aged charm. Perhaps we can approach the uniqueness of Pu-erh tea through two concepts: “layered complexity” and “viscosity,” and thereby enter the wonderful world of Pu-erh.<\/p>\n
Delving Layer by Layer into Pu-erh Tea<\/strong> For Pu-erh tea, whether raw or ripe, good layered complexity is essential. Its aroma must be rich in variation, revealing a staged, orderly progression from one infusion to the next. Take raw Pu-erh as an example: it may begin with a floral note, gradually shift to a fruity character, and finally settle into a delicate floral-fruity finish.<\/p>\n Moreover, this aromatic evolution must develop over time. Pu-erh tea is a tea that values post-fermentation and aging. A new raw tea needs to transition from its initial floral, fruity, and floral-fruity aromas toward older, deeper notes and eventually aged fragrance, within which one can distinguish types such as mushroom aroma or camphor aroma.<\/p>\n A new ripe tea, meanwhile, must evolve from its initial sticky-rice fragrance and ripe-fruit aroma toward chestnut aroma, lotus fragrance, and eventually aged character. Similarly, its salivation and returning sweetness must show progression across infusions: the initial salivation may be prominent, followed by a gradually emerging sweetness.<\/p>\n As time passes and bitterness fades, can the salivation reach the realm of “a spring murmuring beneath the tongue,” and can the returning sweetness achieve a mellow depth? An excellent new Pu-erh, raw or ripe, must already display good layered complexity in its youth. This layered progression is the key to whether a new Pu-erh can withstand the test of time.<\/p>\n If a tea shows minimal change from first to last infusion, leaving the palate feeling flat and bland, or if its changes are chaotic and disordered, then even after years of aging it will hardly be recognized as a fine aged tea.<\/p>\n Thick, Smooth, and Viscous: The Qualities of the Tea Liquor<\/strong> Immediately after brewing, one can assess viscosity as the liquor touches the lips. An excellent Pu-erh, raw or ripe, must already demonstrate outstanding viscosity in its youth. Viscosity can also be described as oral richness and oral impact. An excellent new Pu-erh, upon entering the mouth, fills the palate with fragrance, triggers swift salivation and returning sweetness, and delivers a wealth of flavors to the taste buds. Such a tea can be said to possess superior viscosity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Author: Old Tea Head · Lin Shen (LamSam) There are many dimensions to understanding Pu-erh tea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lamsam-tea-notes-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6123"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6493,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6123\/revisions\/6493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentea-shop.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In the context of Pu-erh tea, “layers” refers to the changes the tea liquor undergoes as it moves across the palate, and the evolution from one infusion to the next. This evolution involves the aroma, the salivation response, and the returning sweetness. The essence of layered complexity lies in change<\/em>. Whether this change unfolds in a coherent, sequential progression is the key criterion for judging the quality of a new Pu-erh tea.<\/p>\n
“Viscous” means thick and slightly adhesive. In the context of Pu-erh tea, it refers to the richness of water-soluble substances: whether the tea polyphenols, amino acids, fructose, and pectin are abundant. Viscosity is primarily perceived through the tea liquor as it enters the mouth.<\/p>\n
\nZen Tea Manor ZENTEA MANOR
\nTianying Supply Chain Company
\nwww.zentea-shop.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"