Ⅱ.Characteristics of Pu’er Tea
The quality characteristics of Pu’er tea can be presented from various aspects such as color,aroma, taste and shape, but the taste of tea soup is the most important quality factor.Excellent quality of raw Pu’er tea is reflected in thick, sweet, refreshing, smooth and bright tea soup,excellent quality of fermented Pu’er tea is reflected in thick, sweet, smooth, moistening, soft,dense and aromatous tea soup.On the contrary, if the tea soup makes us feel numbness, stinging,pricking, scraping, hanging, sour, astringent, hot, dry, blending, strange, unusual, moldy, pungent,floating, the tea quality is poor.
(I)Quality Characteristics of Raw Pu’er Tea
All raw Pu’er tea is compressed tea.In the market of Pu’er tea, people often mistake Yunnan big-leaf sun-deactivated primary tea as loose raw Pu’er tea, which is wrong.The main quality characteristics of raw Pu’er tea are: well-proportioned appearance, moderate tightness and dark green color; yellow-green and bright soup; rich and lasting fragrance; strong and sweet taste; thick and yellow-green leaf.The quality characteristics are influenced by factors such as origin, grade,storage environment and time, etc.of raw materials.As the storage time goes on, the color of soup will gradually change from green to orange or orange-red, the fragrance will gradually weaken,with a slight floral or sweet fragrance, the old fragrance will be highlighted, the taste will become mellow, and the leaf will be brown, soft and bright.
（二）普洱茶（熟茶）的品质特征
普洱茶（熟茶）有散茶、紧压茶两类。普洱茶（熟茶）是以云南大叶种晒青茶为原料，经微生物固态发酵而成。发酵后的半成品经筛分精制形成不同级别的散茶，普洱茶（熟茶）散茶的级别分为宫廷、特级、一级、三级、五级、七级、九级等级别。不同级别的散茶亦可经拼配蒸压付制形成不同型制的普洱茶（熟茶）紧压茶。普洱茶（熟茶）的品质特征：正常的普洱茶（熟茶）应具有外形色泽红褐油润；汤色红浓明亮；陈香独特；滋味醇厚；叶底红褐油润。对于紧压茶还应具有匀称端正、松紧适度的外形特征。与生茶一样，品质特征同样会受到原料产地、原料等级、存放环境及时间等因素影响。不同时间的普洱茶（熟茶）由于受到外界存放环境的影响，品质也会发生变化：随着存放时间的延长，汤色逐渐变得更透亮，似红葡萄酒的颜色，滋味慢慢由浓厚向醇和、甜醇转变。
表5-1 不同等级的普洱茶（熟茶）散茶品质特征
(II)Quality Characteristics Fermented Pu’er Tea
Fermented Pu’er tea can be divided into loose tea and compressed tea.Fermented Pu’er tea is made from sun-deactivated Yunnan big leaf tea by solid-state fermentation of microorganisms.The fermented semi-finished products are screened and refined to loose tea of different grades.The grades of fermented loose Pu’er tea are divided into royal, superior grade, grade 1, grade 3, grade 5,grade 7, grade 9, etc.Loose tea of different grades may also be blended, steamed and compressed into different types of compressed fermented Pu’er tea.The quality characteristics of fermented Pu’er tea: Normal fermented Pu’er tea should have red, brown and oily appearance; red and bright soup; unique aged fragrance; mellow taste; red, brown and oily leaf.Compressed tea should also have the shape characteristics of well-proportioned and moderate tightness.Like raw tea, its quality characteristics are also affected by the origin, grade, storage environment and time of raw materials.Due to the influences of external storage environment, the quality of fermented Pu’er tea in different time also changed: with the extension of storage time, the soup color gradually becomes brighter,which looks like red wine, and the taste slowly changes from thick to mellow and sweet.
Tab.5-1 Characteristics of fermented loose Pu’er tea of different grades
