Ⅰ.Classification of Pu’er Tea
Historically, Pu’er tea was originally divided into Maojian tea, bud tea and Nüer tea.Because of its excellent quality, it became a tribute tea of feudal dynasties.Ruan Fu wrote in Records of Pu’er Tea that:“In February, the tender shoot picked is thin and white, which is called Maojian tea, and is used as tribute tea; after picking, it is steamed and then twisted into tea cake.The tender leaves are called bud tea; Nüer tea was picked by women before the rain.It is also called Siliang Chongyuan Tea.”In A New Account of South Yunnan, Zhang Hong recorded that“the treasures of Pu’er tea include Maojian tea, bud tea and Nüer tea.”
(I)According to the Formation Way and Development History
According to the formation and development history, Pu’er tea can be divided into two categories: traditional Pu’er tea and modern Pu’er tea.
1.Traditional Pu’er Tea
The compressed tea is made from fresh big-leaf tea of Yunnan by fresh leaves of Yunnan bigleaf tea plant by deactivation by sunning, twisting, sun exposure, steaming, compression and then natural drying and storage for a certain period of time.Its quality is characterized by yellow-brown or amber soup color, mellow and sweet taste.With the extension of storage time, its fragrance of flowers and honey gradually turns into aged fragrance or medicinal fragrance.
2.Modern Pu’er Tea
Yunnan big-leaf tea deactivated by sunning is used as raw material to form loose tea screened to different grades by moderate watering and microbial solid-state fermentation, and compressed tea in different shapes such as brick, cake, bay and pillar by re-blending and then streaming and compressing.Its quality is characterized by thick and bright soup color (brownish red), sweet and mellow taste, rich and aged fragrance (with dried fruit fragrance, sweet fragrance, lotus root fragrance, timber fragrance, medicinal fragrance, etc.), and soft and uniform brownish red and oily leaf.
（二）按加工工艺和品质特征分
根据中华人民共和国国家现行标准《地理标志产品普洱茶》GB/T 22111-2008，从加工工艺和品质特征来看，普洱茶又可分为普洱茶（生茶）和普洱茶（熟茶）两种类型。按外观形态可分为普洱茶（熟茶）散茶、普洱茶（生茶、熟茶）紧压茶。普洱茶紧压茶外形有圆饼形、碗臼形、方形、柱形等多种形状和规格。
普洱茶（生茶）是以地理标志保护范围内的云南大叶种晒青茶为原料，在地理标志保护范围内通过晒青茶精制→蒸压成型→干燥→包装加工而成。
普洱茶（熟茶）是以地理标志保护范围内的云南大叶种晒青茶为原料，在地理标志保护范围内适度潮水后，经微生物、酶、湿热、氧化等综合作用，发酵形成普洱茶（熟茶），其独有的品质特征：外形色泽红褐，汤色红浓明亮，香气独特陈香，滋味醇厚回甘，叶底红褐。