FAQS

The Tea Horse Road was a vital trade route connecting mainland China with Tibet, and Pu-erh tea was transported to Tibet and other regions via this route. Pu-erh tea was named after Pu-erh Prefecture (now Pu-erh City, Yunnan Province) during the Ming Dynasty, which was an important production area for the tea.

"Seven - son cake" refers to Pu - erh tea cakes packed seven per tube, each weighing 357 grams. The inner fly is a small piece of paper embedded in the tea for anti - counterfeiting. The inner ticket is inside the cotton wrapping and introduces detailed tea information. The branch fly is the paper on the outer packaging of each branch, marked with the mark number, weight, manufacturer, and date.

Fermentation transforms the flavor from fresh to richer and more complex. Fixation stops oxidation via high - temperature treatment. Rolling breaks tea cells to ensure juice extraction. Sun - drying preserves organic matter and active substances. Steam pressing shapes the tea and impacts storage and aging.

Pu-erh tea should be stored in a dark, well-ventilated environment with humidity between 60 - 70% and temperature between 20 - 30℃. Storage humidity, temperature, and ventilation significantly impact aging speed and flavor development. During aging, tea polyphenols convert to thearubigins and theaflavins (corrected from teahhuangsu), proteins convert to amino acids, theabrownins polymerize, and soluble sugars increase.

These are special forms and historical products of Pu-erh tea. Iron cake is a thick and hard cake. Golden melon tribute tea is pressed into a half-melon shape. Thousand-liang tea is a tightly pressed strip tea. Mushroom compressed tea is pressed into a mushroom shape. Column tea is pressed into a long column. Old tea head is naturally curled buds. Guangyun tribute cake is from Guangdong Province. Commemorative cake is made for special events. Bamboo tube tea is roasted in bamboo tubes. Number-grade tea cake is a collectible tea from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Liberation period.

Tasting Pu-erh tea involves observing the appearance, smelling the dry tea aroma, tasting the tea soup, and inspecting the leaf base. Health benefits include antioxidants, helping lower cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, aiding digestion, and weight management.

Brewing temperature, time, and number of infusions impact Pu - erh tea's taste. Young raw tea uses water at 98℃ - 100℃, steeped briefly (10 - 20 seconds), and can be infused 10 - 15 times. Aged and ripe tea use boiling water with longer steeping times (30 - 60 seconds).

Teaware affects Pu - erh tea's taste and aroma. Gaiwans suit beginners, Yixing clay pots are for ripe tea, and glassware is for cold - brewed tea.

Tasting Pu-erh tea involves observing the appearance, smelling the dry tea aroma, tasting the tea soup, and inspecting the leaf base.

After - sweetness and saliva induction are key indicators of Pu - erh tea quality. High - quality tea has rapid and lasting after - sweetness with pronounced saliva induction.

After-sweetness and saliva induction are key indicators of Pu-erh tea quality. High-quality tea has rapid and lasting after-sweetness with pronounced saliva induction.

Pu - erh tea strips should be tight, uniform, and robust, with vibrant color and easy breakage when dry. Soup color should be bright and clear, with raw tea ranging from yellow - green to amber and ripe tea from reddish - brown to wine red.

Pu - erh tea aroma can be categorized into types like downy aroma, lotus fragrance, clear fragrance, chestnut aroma, aged scent, jujube aroma, and medicinal scent. The taste should be mellow, smooth, and sweet with pronounced after - sweetness.

Pu-erh tea's leaf base should be resilient, with vibrant color and uniformity. Aged charm is the unique flavor developed in Pu-erh tea after long-term aging, more evident in aged teas.

Throat locking refers to discomfort from dryness and difficulty swallowing. Water texture refers to the flow and thickness of tea soup in the mouth, which should be smooth for high - quality tea.

Fruit acid taste is a fresh, sour taste resembling fresh fruit, produced by organic acids. Green taste results from insufficient fixation temperature or time.

Inner fly is a small paper embedded in the tea for anti - counterfeiting. Inner ticket is inside the cotton wrapping with detailed tea info. Branch fly is on the outer packaging, marked with the mark number, weight, manufacturer, and date.

These are special forms and historical products of Pu-erh tea, including iron cake, golden melon tribute tea, thousand-liang tea, mushroom compressed tea, column tea, old tea head, Guangyun tribute cake, commemorative cake, bamboo tube tea, and number-grade tea cake, each with unique production methods and historical backgrounds.

Pu-erh tea has collection value due to its "the older, the better" characteristic, especially for high-quality raw tea. Culturally, it holds an important position in China, used in social settings and traditional ceremonies.

When selecting Pu - erh tea, observe the appearance, smell the aroma, check the soup color, taste the flavor, and examine the leaf base. High - quality tea has a smooth, lively, pure, sweet, mellow, and rich taste, while low - quality tea has a harsh, rough, sour, dry, miscellaneous, strange, or toxic taste. Store Pu - erh tea in a dark, well - ventilated environment with humidity between 60 - 70% and temperature between 20 - 30℃. Raw tea should be isolated from odors, while ripe tea can have moderate oxygen contact.

Defect flavors in Pu - erh tea include smoky, black tea, damp, moldy, foreign odors, fruit acid, sour, watery, and green tastes. These are often caused by improper processing or storage.

Pu-erh tea packaging identifiers include mark numbers, inner flies, inner tickets, and branch flies. Mark numbers indicate production year, material grade, and manufacturer. Inner flies are for anti-counterfeiting. Inner tickets introduce detailed tea info. Branch flies are marked with the mark number, weight, manufacturer, and date.

Special forms and historical products of Pu-erh tea include iron cake, golden melon tribute tea, thousand-liang tea, mushroom compressed tea, column tea, old tea head, Guangyun tribute cake, commemorative cake, bamboo tube tea, and number-grade tea cake. Each has unique production methods and historical backgrounds.

Tasting Pu-erh tea involves observing the appearance, smelling the dry tea aroma, tasting the tea soup, and inspecting the leaf base. Health benefits include antioxidants, helping lower cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, aiding digestion, and weight management.

Teaware affects Pu-erh tea's taste and aroma. Gaiwans suit beginners, Yixing clay pots are for ripe tea, and glassware is for cold-brewed tea.

Pu-erh tea strips should be tight, uniform, and robust, with vibrant color and easy breakage when dry. Soup color should be bright and clear, with raw tea ranging from yellow-green to amber and ripe tea from reddish-brown to wine red. Aroma can be categorized into types like downy aroma, lotus fragrance, clear fragrance, chestnut aroma, aged scent, jujube aroma, and medicinal scent.

Pu-erh tea taste includes smoothness, liveliness, thickness, sweetness, after-sweetness, and saliva induction. After-sweetness refers to the sweet aftertaste produced in the mouth after swallowing, which is one of the important indicators for evaluating tea quality.

Pu-erh tea's leaf base should be resilient, with vibrant color and uniformity. Aged charm is the unique flavor developed in Pu-erh tea after long-term aging, more evident in aged teas.

Throat locking refers to discomfort from dryness and difficulty swallowing. Water texture refers to the flow and thickness of tea soup in the mouth, which should be smooth for high-quality tea.

Fruit acid taste is a fresh, sour taste resembling fresh fruit, produced by organic acids. Green taste results from insufficient fixation temperature or time.

Brewing techniques for Pu-erh tea include controlling water temperature, time, and number of infusions. Tasting steps involve observing the appearance, smelling the aroma, tasting the tea soup, and inspecting the leaf base.

Health benefits of Pu-erh tea include antioxidants, helping lower cholesterol, regulating blood sugar, aiding digestion, and weight management. Culturally, Pu-erh tea holds an important position in China, used in social settings and traditional ceremonies.

Special forms of Pu-erh tea include iron cake, golden melon tribute tea, thousand-liang tea, mushroom compressed tea, column tea, old tea head, Guangyun tribute cake, commemorative cake, bamboo tube tea, and number-grade tea cake. Each has unique production methods and historical backgrounds.

Pu-erh tea packaging includes inner fly, inner ticket, and branch fly. Inner fly is a small paper embedded in the tea for anti-counterfeiting. Inner ticket is inside the cotton wrapping and introduces detailed tea info. Branch fly is on the outer packaging, marked with the mark number, weight, manufacturer, and date.

Pu-erh tea must be made from Yunnan large-leaf sun-dried green tea as raw material and processed within a specific geographical area in Yunnan. The production process is confidential and has geographical protection requirements.

Pu-erh tea is mainly produced in regions such as Xishuangbanna, Pu'er, Lincang, Baoshan, and Dali in Yunnan Province.

Pu-erh tea is primarily made from the leaves of Yunnan large-leaf tea trees, which are rich in nutrients and suitable for aging.

Pu-erh tea originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, spread to Tibet via the Tea Horse Road during the Tang Dynasty, became a tribute tea in the Qing Dynasty, and has recently gained popularity for its "the older, the better" concept.

Pu-erh tea holds an important position in Chinese culture and is often used in social settings and traditional ceremonies. It is a regional specialty of Yunnan.

Pu-erh tea originated in Yunnan Province, China, and can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. It spread to Tibet via the Tea Horse Road during the Tang Dynasty and was named after Pu-erh Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty. Pu-erh tea became a tribute tea in the Qing Dynasty and was traded via horse caravans. It has recently gained popularity for its "the older, the better" concept, leading to a collecting boom.

The Tea Horse Road was a vital trade route connecting mainland China with Tibet, and Pu-erh tea was transported to Tibet and other regions via this route. Pu-erh tea was named after Pu-erh Prefecture (now Pu-erh City, Yunnan Province) during the Ming Dynasty, which was an important production area for the tea.

For young raw Pu-erh tea, the water temperature should be around 98℃-100℃, while for aged raw tea and ripe tea (over five years), boiling water can be used.

High-quality Pu-erh tea only needs one rinse, while multiple rinses will not improve low-quality tea.

Pu-erh tea can be presented in various forms such as loose tea, cake tea, brick tea, and tuocha, each affecting the aging process and flavor development differently.

Pu-erh tea is typically brewed with boiling water. The first infusion is usually used for rinsing the tea, and subsequent steeping times are adjusted based on the tea's age and type.

Brewing time impacts the extraction degree of Pu-erh tea, thereby affecting its taste. Young raw tea is steeped for a shorter time (10 - 20 seconds), while aged tea and ripe tea can be steeped for longer (30 - 60 seconds).

Pu-erh tea can be infused multiple times due to its rich connotation. It can typically be brewed 10 - 15 times, with high-quality tea allowing even more. The flavor evolves with each infusion, showcasing the tea's complexity.

Different teaware affects Pu-erh tea's taste and aroma. Gaiwans suit beginners, Yixing clay pots are for ripe tea, and glassware is for cold - brewed tea.

Pu-erh tea is a post-fermented tea originating from Yunnan Province, China. It is divided into two major categories: raw tea and ripe tea. It does not belong to the six major categories of tea.

Seven-son cake tea consists of seven cakes per 筒 (tube), each weighing 357 grams, which originated from ancient transportation needs. Explanation 1: Emperor Qianlong's praise for the seven-son cake. Explanation 2: Tax requirements for border trade during the Tang Dynasty. Explanation 3: The lucky number "seven" in Yunnan's ethnic minority culture.

Pu-erh tea should be stored in a dark, well-ventilated environment with humidity between 60 - 70% and temperature between 20 - 30℃. Raw tea should be isolated from odors, while ripe tea can have moderate oxygen contact.

High-quality raw Pu-erh tea can be stored for decades, while ripe tea usually reaches its optimal taste after a few years of storage.

Pu-erh tea can be presented in various forms such as loose tea, cake tea, brick tea, and tuocha, each affecting the aging process and flavor development differently.

Storage humidity, temperature, and ventilation significantly impact Pu-erh tea aging speed and flavor development. Suitable conditions promote good aging, while improper environments may degrade quality.

During Pu-erh tea aging, tea polyphenols convert to thearubigins and theaflavins (deeper soup color), proteins convert to amino acids (enhanced umami), and theabrownins polymerize (thicker soup), with soluble sugars increasing (stronger sweetness).

High-quality raw Pu-erh tea gradually ages over time, developing a richer taste and more complex aroma. Ripe tea usually reaches optimal taste after a few years of storage. Storage time significantly impacts Pu-erh tea quality.

Pu-erh tea can be stored in Yixing clay jars, pottery, porcelain, bamboo containers, etc. Yixing clay jars are preferred for their good breathability and light-blocking properties.