Pu 'er tea can be recognized because of its obvious health care function, and because the ecological environment in Chashan, Yunnan Province is more changeable and mellow in taste than other teas, and Pu 'er tea is more resistant to brewing, with the characteristics of aging and fragrance.
The total content of tea polyphenols and catechins in Pu 'er tea is higher than other tea varieties. Pu 'er tea contains more saponins and vitamin P than other teas, and is also rich in a variety of anti-cancer vitamins, such as β-carotene, vitamin B 1, B2, C and E, most of which are important trace elements for anti-cancer. Therefore, Pu 'er tea has the effects of losing weight, preventing cancer, resisting cancer, lowering blood pressure, reducing blood fat, resisting arteriosclerosis, caring for the gastrointestinal tract, resisting aging, sobering up and expelling toxin.
Pu 'er tea can be divided into two categories in terms of technology, one is raw Pu 'er tea (raw material pressed tea) and the other is cooked Pu 'er tea (piled fermented tea); Divide new tea and old (old) tea from the year; According to the appearance classification, it is divided into the following categories: 1. Cake tea: 2. Tuocha: 3. Brick tea, 4. Loose tea.
How to choose a tea suitable for your drinking habits, first of all, you should understand some basic points of purchasing Pu 'er tea:
Cooked tea is an artificial fermented tea that accelerates aging through "stacking fermentation" process. The rapid transformation of tea by "heap-fermentation" process can reduce the bitterness of tea in a short time, make tea soft, smooth and suitable for drinking, and save the long years of waiting for the normal transformation of Pu 'er raw tea. Raw tea refers to Pu 'er tea, which is made of fresh Yunnan tea by picking, deactivating enzymes, rolling, steaming, pressing into various shapes and drying at a suitable temperature. Chen Fang is a natural way. Pu 'er tea is the raw tea that can continue the subsequent fermentation without pile fermentation. Tea is stronger and more exciting than cooked tea. Chen Fang's new or fresh raw tea tastes bitter and astringent because of different tea growing areas and tree ages. The soup is light yellow or yellow-green, and the taste is more and more mellow after long-term storage.
Old (aged) tea usually refers to tea stored for more than ten years. However, long tea age does not mean good tea. Good old tea is first of all good raw materials, reasonable technology and proper storage. Otherwise, the new tea is inferior, and it will be inferior after a long time. I suggest that when you buy old tea, especially the more precious tea, you must have rich knowledge of Pu 'er tea, and you can distinguish the age and authenticity of Pu 'er tea from its appearance, soup color and taste. If you can't tell what old tea is, please ask an experienced person to buy it for you.
Whether it is raw tea, cooked tea or old tea, the main points of purchase can be summarized as follows:
1. Tea quality: Due to the different geographical location, environment and growth conditions in different tea-producing areas, Pu 'er tea can be divided into Dashu tea, Taitai tea, spring tea and autumn tea according to the picking season, and each tea has its own unique flavor under normal technological conditions.
2. Beauty: First, look at whether the tea strips are complete, compact and clear.
3. Bright color of soup: mainly depends on the depth and transparency of soup color. High-quality Yunnan Pu 'er tea, the tea soup is red and bright, and there seems to be an oil film on the soup. The bottom of mature Pu 'er tea leaves with high quality Yunnan Pu 'er tea is brownish red. Inferior, the tea soup is red but not strong and not bright. There are often dusty substances suspended in it, and some even turn black, which is the vulgar "soy sauce soup". High-quality raw materials, orange color, clear and transparent, as if wrapped in an oil film, unchanged for a long time.
4. The fragrance is positive: the tea tastes pure, and there is no musty smell or peculiar smell; Hot-smelling tea soup should be fragrant, while cold-smelling cup bottom has a long fragrance and a very sweet and refreshing taste. Inferior tea has no obvious aroma, and inferior tea will have other miscellaneous tastes.
5. mellow taste: mainly judged by taste, sweetness and throat moistening.
6. Long tea rhyme: The most obvious feeling is throat rhyme. The high-quality taste is mellow, smooth, throat-moistening and sweet, while the oral liquid and tea have a long-lasting rhyme. The inferior taste is dull, non-slippery, not sweet, and the bitterness is too heavy to melt.
7. check the bottom of the leaf: this is very important. Experienced people can see whether some processes are correct according to the bottom of leaves. Usually, it is required that the bottom of cooked tea leaves should avoid carbonized debris and a large number of black leaves. Raw tea leaves are uniform in color, active, tough and not easy to rot.
Pay attention to health problems when buying cooked tea, and suggest choosing a big factory without experience; To buy raw Pu 'er tea, we must first know the origin of Pu 'er tea, because only good tea mountain and good technology can truly have the value of drinking and collecting. Because of the different geographical location and growth environment of tea trees in different tea-growing areas in Yunnan, the taste of tea products in different tea-growing areas is very different. When buying, you should choose according to your taste and use. As your first contact with raw tea, I suggest you choose famous manufacturers first, and then choose "Shantou" tea and "Player" tea according to your personal preference after you have certain drinking experience.
Simply put, the brewing of Pu 'er tea includes tea selection, preparation, water selection, tea throwing and brewing.
Tea selection: choose your favorite loose tea or pressed tea.
Kitchenware: Tea set for making tea, including drinking utensils, cooking utensils, storage utensils, sanitary ware and auxiliary utensils. Pu 'er tea is different in tea quality, storage and aroma, and more attention should be paid to the selection of drinking vessels. There are two common types: first, the special thin-walled porcelain for bowl-covering (bowl-soaking) is upturned, which preserves the aroma and taste of Pu 'er tea well when making tea; Second, there are high and low densities of teapot, and the choice of teapot depends on the quality of tea. When choosing tea, you should listen, see and smell the selected tea products, and then choose the teapot. Simply put, the teapot has the advantage of absorbing taste and enhancing fragrance.
Choice of water: Water is the mother and carrier of tea, and the choice of water is also an important part of tea tasting. According to the current situation, in principle, soft water with neutral and alkaline PH (7.0-7.5) is selected, such as pure water and mineral water (not suitable for those with high mineral content, it is understood that Nongfu Spring is used in many tea competitions at present).
Tea: The amount of tea can be determined according to personal taste. I usually use about 6 grams of tea, 120CC container; Personally, when Pu 'er tea is placed, it is easy to taste the real taste because it is less moist. Pay attention to the placement of tea leaves. Generally speaking, the tea placed in this way will form a better "tea mountain" after brewing, which is beneficial to the water and soup in the pot.
Brewing: There are many ways to make tea. For Pu 'er tea, this method can be used. First, the water temperature should be controlled according to the coarseness, tenderness and freshness of tea. Generally, coarse old leaves (old tea and cooked tea) are brewed at the highest temperature (100℃), while tender materials (raw tea) are brewed with water of 90-95℃. Wash tea (moisten tea), the time depends on the storage of tea products and the old and new, generally wash tea once or twice, and the soaking time is controlled within five seconds. 1 soaking, the soaking time and temperature are revised according to the tea (suggested soup color). According to personal drinking habits, the first soaking is generally set at 10-30 seconds; Then soak for about ten seconds every three times, and the soaking time and temperature can be modified according to the color of the last soaking soup. Pu 'er tea is the most durable tea, and 6 grams of tea can generally brew ten to twelve teas. You can try soaking in the last bubble for about 5 minutes before making soup. High quality Pu 'er tea is very sweet.
Key points of making tea: 1. Drink tea calmly, not impatient. 2. Use low-level water injection: the height and velocity of water flow are as uniform as possible, and it is not allowed to fluctuate. Keep filling water gently, smoothly and evenly along the edge of the bowl or pot. 3. soaking method.
Pu 'er tea has a variety of tea properties and brewing methods. When choosing tea, we must find the most suitable drinking method and make a satisfactory cup of Pu 'er tea.