Which is better between pure raw materials and blends of Pu’er?

In recent years, many tea lovers have been arguing over whether pure Pu-erh tea or blended Pu-erh tea is better. Personally, both have their merits. Today we will systematically analyze and explain the pure materials and blending of Pu-erh tea.

Pure Pu-erh tea from ancient trees refers to the age of trees picked at the same time in the same region and at the same grade Sun-dried green hair tea made from the fresh leaves of Puer tea trees over a century old; blending Pu-erh tea refers to mixing sun-dried green hair tea from ancient trees, big trees, small trees and terraces according to different tree ages, different years, different altitudes, and different production areas. Maocha produced in different seasons, etc. are blended according to a certain proportion. The purpose of blending Pu-erh tea is to maximize the strengths and avoid weaknesses, and to improve the taste of the tea soup.

< span>pure material

Before 2000, the blending process was to produce Pu’er One of the core technologies of tea. Around 2003, the Pu-erh tea market gradually heated up, and the grading and production of tea began to be subdivided. In order to meet the personal preferences of some tea lovers, “pure tea” began to appear in the market.

The production of pure ancient tree materials is more to maintain the mellow taste and post-fermentation transformation of Puer , The background and taste of tea. In order to ensure the quality of finished tea, pure Pu’er will select high-quality tea leaves, mainly tea from famous mountains and ancient trees. The pure dry tea has the typical taste characteristics of the region where it is produced, rich in quality, and high in price and value.

Because of making pure material The tea greens are all picked from the same area, so the taste is slightly single. Therefore, it is easier to distinguish the place of origin of pure raw tea. We can judge the characteristics of the mountain according to the shape of the dry tea, the taste of the tea soup and the bottom of the leaf. Veteran tea drinkers can tell the tea producing area from the taste of the tea soup.

Another feature of pure tea is that the tea quality itself is not prone to miscellaneous flavors. The regional characteristics of Pu’er tea are very obvious and complex. Even the taste and taste of tea produced by two adjacent tea gardens may be different. Pure tea is only made from the same tea garden. During transformation, as long as it is not attacked by peculiar smell, it can be kept pure and impurity is not easy to appear. The shapes of the raw materials are basically the same. After pressing, the tea cakes are neat and even, and the shape is beautiful.

Matching

Because the output of pure raw materials is extremely scarce and expensive, it cannot meet the needs of the majority of tea consumers. The output of big tree tea, small tree tea and platform tea It is rich, but the taste is not good, and the blending is very good. solves this problem-to maximize the strengths and avoid weaknesses, complement each other’s advantages, and improve the taste of Maocha while covering up its shortcomings.

The blending of Pu-erh tea is a very personalized technology, the key lies in “matching”, The blender needs to taste the tea leaves to be blended one by one, according to the sensory experience and blending technology, and then according to the formula, blend two or more kinds of tea leaves together in proportion to “reconcile” the tea properties, maximize the strengths and avoid weaknesses, and make the tea soup form a unique flavor. And then form this blended teaGenerally speaking, blended teas do not have the characteristics of “one mountain, one flavor”. The blended Pu-erh tea has a richer taste.

The transformed taste is the standard for evaluating the quality of a blended tea. The technical content of blending is high, and the requirements for the blenders are extremely high. It is not only the inheritance of Pu-erh tea from ancient to modern tea-making experience, but also the understanding and enlightenment of the nature of tea.

Matching The technology of tea has not been “formatted” and “patterned” from ancient times to the present, and it is not static. Tea makers in each era can use their own understanding of nature and comprehension of the nature of tea to shape more tea through various practices. high quality product. Fostering strengths and avoiding weaknesses, emphasizing superiority and concealing inferiority, balancing high and low—”there is no best, only better” is the eternal principle followed by the blending process of Pu-erh tea.

Blending is also the secret weapon of many big factories, the formula is confidential, and all the routines of the state-owned tea factory era Tea is all made by blending. For large factories, blending can greatly increase the number of products, and can also consume raw materials of different levels and periods (spring tea, summer tea, autumn tea).

The advantages of blended tea are rich taste, obvious layering, steady, thick and stable, blended by masters The tea produced is extremely stable. The advantages of several types of tea are combined, and the aroma is more fragrant and long-lasting. The aroma, foam resistance and taste of the comprehensive tea make the tea after blending full of charm.

The tea made by experienced blenders is hard to find, the more obvious ones are very It is difficult to predict its transformation effect in the later stage. Blended tea is often very delicious to drink now, but it is difficult to say after three to five years of storage. After all, it has been broken up and reorganized, and the blender cannot grasp what it will be like in the later stage. performance, so there is uncertainty in the post-transformation process.

< span>Common blending methods

Harmony is the basis of blending tea, Good taste is the purpose of blending tea. The following eight methods are the “secret recipe” for common Pu-erh tea blends.

1. Grade matching:

Grade blending is the most common blending method for Pu-erh tea. Taking cake tea as an example, usually grade 7 tea is used as the base material (50% -70%), use the fifth-grade tea as the base (20%-30%), and the third-grade tea as the surface (10%-20%). This method of cooked tea is the most common and mature technique.

2 , The blending of different tea mountains Highest skill. The blending of different tea mountains is not a simple mixing process, but based on the tea maker’s understanding of the tea properties of each tea mountain, especially the role played by different (tea mountains) tea leaves in the subsequent fermentation, and finally reaches the tea maker’s mind Ideal tea.

The auxiliary material is “slightly sour” (which plays a key catalytic role in the post-fermentation relay process), seasoned with tea from Jingmai Mountain, whichever is “sweet”, and after the completion of post-fermentation, a “gorgeous turn” is formed.

Therefore, in the initial blending, the tea maker has already formed the color of the mature tea in the future , aroma, taste, shape and so on. This blending method has no fixed pattern and proportion, and is completely related to the personal quality of the tea maker. It is not only a skill, but also an art, and a realm.

“>

3. Blending of ancient tree tea and platform tea

This is a blending method that has emerged in recent years. It organically combines ancient tree tea and platform tea to increase the taste of tea soup Fullness and richness of tea soup. It improves the taste of platform tea and reduces the production cost of Pu’er tea. This method is best if the proportion of ancient tree tea raw materials is less than 20%, and the maximum is no more than 50%.

4. Matching of seasons

< p data-track="59">Yunnan tea can be picked in three seasons, except in winter. It can be picked in spring, summer and autumn to make tea, so there are spring tea and summer tea. The blending of tea and autumn tea, the blending of spring tea and autumn tea, etc. are low-tech. It is a skill, not a skill.

5. Year matching

In order to avoid the astringency and bitterness of the new tea, including the “thin feeling” of the taste, experienced tea makers deliberately mix in some “old ingredients” with a long history, which are different in color, aroma and taste< /span>Based on the feeling of new tea. Generally, the blending ratio of “old ingredients” does not exceed 10%. Some famous Pu-erh tea companies in Yunnan generally use this method in the processing of cooked tea. It belongs to skill and is A way to quickly improve the quality.

6. Blending of fermentation degrees

A method often used in the production of cooked tea in recent years. Artificial fermentation can quickly “cook ripening”, but there are also problems of dark red soup and poor taste, and subsequent aging is also required. Blending heavily fermented (more than 90 percent maturity) and moderately fermented (70 percent maturity) cooked tea can make the tea soup appear red and bright, and achieve a moderate taste effect.

However, because some over-fermented cooked tea is added to this method, it can be drunk for a period of time. If it continues to be stored, especially after five years of storage, the taste and color of the soup will be basically locked, without major changes, and there is little room for improvement in quality. It does not belong to the category of technology.

7. Health The blending of tea and cooked tea

This is a very interesting item in the processing of cooked tea scientific practice. After the cooked tea is fermented in the heap, there will be a “heap smell” for a long time, which is a taste that consumers are always reluctant to accept. In the past, in order to get rid of this “heap smell”, we could only use the method of storage and rely on time to solve it. If some raw tea is blended with cooked tea, the general ratio is between 3% and 5%, the taste of the tea soup will be richer, and there will be no “heap taste”.

The individual raw tea leaves we found in many cooked tea cakes were not accidentally scattered inside, but Consciously “add”. Folk Pu’er tea lovers even increase the ratio of raw tea: almost 1:1 (raw tea and cooked tea) mixed together for brewing to meet the drinking needs. Therefore, it is a skill to simply remove the “stack of flavor”, and it is a skill to satisfy the layering and fullness of drinking, that is, to “complement and blend” cooked tea of ​​different qualities and raw tea from different regions.

8. Blending herbal tea

“Ju Pu”, rose Pu’er, camellia Pu’er, etc. on the market, that is, Pu’er tea cakes are made by adding some chrysanthemum, rose and camellia . Among them, “Ju Pu” is the first product based on the concept of blending Pu-erh tea with flowers and plants, and it is also a mature product that has been recognized by the market so far. Such as Pu’er tea and roses, Pu’er tea and honeysuckle, Pu’er tea and orchids and so on.

In fact, blending flowers and plants into tea is not the first creation of Pu-erh tea, nor is it an invention of the Chinese. It was first invented by British aristocrats for English black tea. However, English-style black tea pays attention to the beauty of dry tea appearance, while Pu-erh tea blends pay more attention to functional effects, such as eye-care, lung-nourishing, and weight-loss.

The eight blending methods mentioned above are not static. Sometimes, in one tea, there are many methods In the case of combined use.

Comparison between pure materials and blending

In summary, pure There is no standard answer as to which tea is better than blended tea. It is a matter of different opinions. What we drink with pure ingredients is personality, and what we drink with blends is fusion. Pure material is relative, blending is absolute. You can’t arbitrarilyjudge pure materials or blending, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Good-quality tea, whether pure or blended, is good tea. On the contrary, poor-quality tea, whether pure or blended, is not good tea.

Source of this article: Image and text from The Internet, the copyright belongs to the original author, and the opinions in the article only represent the author himself. If there is any violation of your rights, please leave a message to delete.