Pu'er tea grade classification

Foreigners like to drink coffee, but Chinese people have a tradition of drinking tea all year round. China's tea tradition has a long history and has been passed down to this day, and has also developed many tea varieties that are famous both at home and abroad. But Yunnan Pu'er tea remains one of the most popular tea varieties. Many people only know how to drink tea and are satisfied with the pure taste, but they do not understand the basic knowledge of tea. In fact, Pu'er tea also has a special grade classification.

First of all, Pu'er tea is divided into three categories

1. Collection-grade Pu'er tea

Collection-level Pu'er tea naturally comes from famous mountains and villages, and from ancient trees. Generally speaking, collection-grade, tasting-grade, and beverage-grade Pu'er tea account for 10%, 20%, and 70% respectively. Under such a positioning system, the phenomenon that "customers who drink beverage-grade tea find it difficult to understand those who drink collection-grade tea" can be better explained. Each level naturally has a different price point, and targets different consumer groups. The high-end products we call palace-grade, special-grade, and gift tea are collection-grade.

2. Drinking-grade Pu'er tea

Regarding drinking-grade Pu'er tea, some people simply define it as high-altitude, small-tree, plateau-quality tea. It is certainly inferior to the collection level, but as daily rations, it is enough even for enthusiasts. Generally, Pu'er teas of grade one and three brick teas, Tuo tea, and grade one to five loose teas are considered drinking-grade Pu'er teas.

3. Beverage grade Pu'er tea

For beverage-grade Pu'er tea, we define it as a tea for the purpose of quenching thirst, which is suitable for people who do not understand tea or who take tea as a diet pill. Beverage-grade Pu'er tea is commonly found in food stalls, restaurants, etc., or in some tea products sold in supermarkets. This category of Pu'er tea mainly refers to loose tea of ​​grade six to ten.

Generally speaking, when picking tea leaves, leaves and buds are picked at the same time, from the tip of the tea branch to the third leaf: if there is one leaf and one bud, pick one bud; if there are two leaves and one bud, pick one leaf and one bud; if there are three leaves and one bud, pick two leaves and one bud. When grading, higher grades have more buds, while lower grades have more leaves and stems. So what are the characteristics of the grades divided according to different qualities? What are the characteristics of different grades?

The grading generally refers to loose Pu'er (ripe) tea, and a single-grade grading method is often used, which is special grade, grade one, grade three, grade five, grade seven and grade nine. Therefore, sun-dried green tea (loose) and cooked tea (loose) each occupy six grades.

1. Raw tea grade

Special grade: The tea leaves are plump, tender and tight, with visible buds; the color is green and moist, the shape is uniform, and there are slightly tender stems; the aroma is fresh and rich; the taste is rich and sweet; the soup is yellow-green and clear; the leaves are tender and the buds are visible.

Level 2: The tea leaves are thick, tight and have visible hairs; the color is green and moist, the shape is uniform, and there are tender stems; the aroma is fresh and strong; the taste is rich; the soup is bright yellow-green; the leaves are tender and uniform.

Level 4: The tea leaves are tight and compact; the color is dark green and moist, the appearance is relatively uniform, and there are a few stems; the aroma is fresh and fragrant; the taste is mellow; the soup is green and yellow; the leaves are thick.

Level 6: The tea leaves are firm, dark green in color, even in appearance, and have stems; the aroma is pure; the taste is mellow; the soup is green-yellow; and the leaves are thick and strong.

Level 8: The tea leaves are thick and solid; the color is yellow-green, the appearance is relatively uniform, and there are slightly more stems; the aroma is mild, the taste is mild, the soup is green-yellow and slightly turbid, and the leaves are thick.

Level 10: The tea leaves are coarse and loose; the color is yellow-brown, the shape is uneven, and there are many stems; the aroma is coarse and old, and the taste is coarse and light; the soup is yellow and turbid, and the leaves are coarse and old.

2. Ripe tea grades

Special grade: The tea leaves are tight and fine; the appearance is even and clean, the color is reddish-brown with moist and visible hairs; the tea has a strong aged aroma and a rich, sweet and refreshing taste; the soup is bright red; the leaves are reddish-brown and tender.

Grade 1: The tea leaves are tight and compact; the appearance is even and clean, the color is reddish brown with visible hairs; the tea has a strong aged aroma; the taste is rich and sweet; the soup is bright red; the leaves are reddish brown and tender.

Level 3: The tea leaves are still tight and compact; the appearance is uniform and clean with tender stems; the color is brown and moist with visible hairs; the aged aroma is strong and pure; the taste is mellow and sweet; the soup is bright red; the leaves are reddish-brown and tender.

Level 5: The tea leaves are firm and even in appearance, slightly stemmed, and brown and moist in color. The aroma is strong, and the taste is rich and sweet. The soup is bright dark red. The leaves are reddish-brown and not tender enough.

Level 7: The tea leaves are firm and even in appearance, with stems, and are brown in color but not moist. The aged aroma is pure, the taste is mellow and sweet, the soup is thick and brown-red, and the leaves are reddish-brown and thick.

Level 9: The tea leaves are coarse and loose; the appearance is uneven, with uneven stems, and the color is brown and slightly flowery; the aged aroma is mild; the taste is pure and sweet; the soup is brown-red and thick, and the leaves are reddish-brown, coarse and loose.

In short, the formation of different grades of Pu'er tea is directly related to the grade and quality of the sun-dried green tea used, and is also related to the fermentation process. The classification of grades is based on tenderness, and the tenderness is measured mainly based on three factors:

(1) Look at the number of buds. There are many buds, the hairs are obvious, and the fruit is very tender.

(2) Check the tightness of the blades (how tightly they are rolled). The degree of firmness and firmness is good, and the heavier the meat, the more tender it is.

(3) Look at the degree of glossiness of the color. The more moist the better the tenderness, while the more dry the color, the worse the tenderness. What should you pay attention to when buying Pu'er tea?

Pu'er tea can be divided into two types: trees and shrubs in terms of tea leaves raw materials; into new tea and old tea in terms of age; into raw tea and cooked tea in terms of fermentation and transformation; into fresh fragrance, camphor fragrance, lotus fragrance, jujube fragrance, ginseng fragrance, and aged fragrance in terms of taste; and into dry storage and wet storage. These distinctions make the price, taste and efficacy of Pu'er tea different. There are many varieties of Pu'er tea on the market, with varying quality. Consumers should be discerning when choosing:

(1) Pu'er tea trees grow at altitudes above 1,000 meters. They are more than 500 years old and grow together with other tree species such as camphor trees, forming a complete plant ecosystem. They do not require fertilizers or pesticides, have sufficient nutrients, and have great potential for value-added. However, they are relatively expensive and are suitable for people with relatively good financial conditions.

(2) The taste of Pu'er tea varies according to the tea growing area and grade. Some have a strong bitter taste, some have a light green fragrance, some have a strong and refreshing taste, and some have a mild tea aroma. But the soup should be clear, taste sweet and smooth, and have a natural aroma.

(3) Raw tea has a strong tea aroma and is good at removing grease, but it has a certain degree of irritation to the stomach. It is suitable for people with good stomach function, obesity, high blood lipids and blood pressure. Cooked tea has a mild tea aroma, is smooth and delicate, warms the stomach, promotes bowel movements and urination, and has a slimming and beauty-enhancing effect. It is suitable for all people.

(4) Pu'er tea has great potential for appreciation. Collecting Pu'er tea can indeed bring good economic benefits, but when collecting, you must choose tea from large trees with good tea quality and produced by manufacturers with good brand reputation.

(5) Pu’er tea with a long shelf life does taste good and has a high quality, but the variety and quantity of old tea on the market are extremely limited, and the price is extremely high. In pursuit of profits, some unscrupulous businessmen use various means to make fake old tea. Since it is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish the authenticity from the appearance, it is very deceptive. Therefore, do not blindly pursue old tea. You should look more, ask more, and communicate more, or buy from reputable merchants.

(6) Pure Pu'er tea does not contain any pigments, flavorings or spices.

We recommend that you use purity and righteousness as the evaluation criteria when purchasing tea: First, clarity: Smell its flavor: The flavor should be clear, without any other flavors. The second is purity: distinguish its color, the color of tea should be like dates, not as black as lacquer. The third is correct: keep it in its place, store it in a dry warehouse, and not in a damp place. Fourth is the flavor: the soup should have a mild taste, without any mixed flavors. But no matter what kind of tea you choose to buy, you should go to a reputable specialty store, which has a complete range of products and guaranteed quality.

This is the end of the introduction to the Pu'er tea grade classification. For daily drinking, we can choose to buy according to our own situation. In addition, you must choose carefully when purchasing and choose a trustworthy merchant to avoid buying inferior Pu'er tea.