The difference between Liubao tea and Pu'er tea

Most people are more familiar with Liubao tea and Pu'er tea. Although they are different in reputation, it is difficult to distinguish them from the appearance. They look similar. To avoid buying the wrong ones, you need to pay attention to make relevant distinctions. First of all, the raw materials are different, and the production processes are also different. The color of the tea soup is completely different when brewed.

Understand the difference between Guangxi Liubao tea and Pu'er tea in three minutes

1. Different raw materials: green tea

The raw materials of Liubao tea come from small and medium-leaf varieties and Cangwu group varieties within the administrative jurisdiction of Wuzhou City, Guangxi, and most of them are shrub-type medium-leaf varieties. The raw materials of Pu'er tea come from Xishuangbanna, Lincang, Pu'er and other areas in Yunnan Province. They are mainly large-leafed Yunnan tree species, and the cultivation methods include wild tea, wild released tea, terraced tea, etc. Although both are dark teas, the unique environment in which Liubao tea grows enables the tea trees to absorb ample sunlight and water, making its internal contents more diverse. Therefore, the contents of the finished tea are different from those of Pu'er tea.

2. Different production processes: drying and piling

In terms of production process, Liubao tea and Pu'er ripe tea are very similar, but there are still differences between them.

The Liubao raw tea production process uses stir-fried green tea, which is a combination of drying and withering. The stir-fried green tea leaves are tight and grey-green in color. The green smell is basically gone, and it has a cooked fragrance. Pu'er tea is sun-dried, which is done by using sunlight. The tea leaves of sun-dried green tea are large in appearance, dark green in color, and have a strong aroma.

Piling is the key process to form the unique quality of ripe tea. The fermentation method of Liubao tea and Pu'er ripe tea is the same. Both of them pour water on the raw tea to make the tea absorb water and get damp, and then pile it into a certain thickness, using the principle of moist heat to ripen the tea. However, the fermentation time of Liubao tea is shorter than that of Pu'er tea, that is to say, the degree of fermentation of Pu'er tea is heavier than that of Liubao tea. The degree of fermentation determines whether the tea leaves room for transformation in the later stage, and whether the tea has collection value depends on this.

3. Difference in tea soup color

Both are ripe teas and it is difficult to distinguish them in terms of tea soup color. Relatively speaking, Liubao tea soup is brighter, bright red and clear, while Pu'er tea is more red, thick and deep. Due to the different degree of fermentation, the leaf bottoms of these two kinds of tea are very different. The leaf bottom of Pu'er tea is reddish brown, the leaf bottom of Liubao tea is dark brown, and the leaf bottom of aged Liubao tea is shiny black.

4. Difference in taste

The aroma of Liubao tea is pure but not obvious. It becomes apparent after tasting. The taste is mostly sweet, mellow, refreshing and smooth. The betel nut-scented Liubao tea gives people a cool and refreshing feeling. Pu'er tea has a strong aroma, the new tea has a distinct sun-dried flavor, and the taste is more mellow, thick, sweet, fresh and sweet. According to the experience of tea lovers, the taste of Liubao tea aged for more than 10 years is closer to that of Pu'er tea aged for forty years. If you come across them, you might as well give them a try.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The points mentioned above are also the conclusions drawn by the editor after a period of understanding and observation. I believe that after more comparisons, you will not make mistakes between these two types of tea.