Ⅰ.Evaluation Skills of Pu’er Tea
(I)International Evaluation Methods
According to GB/T 23776-2018 Method for Sensory Evaluation of Tea, professional tea evaluation equipment is used to perform sensory evaluation on Pu’er tea through basic tea evaluation procedures, such as sampling → holding the plate → evaluating the appearance →homogenizing the sample → weighing the sample → brewing → timing → discharging the soup→ judge the soup color → smelling the aroma → tasting → evaluating the leaves.
Tab.5-2 National standard evaluation method of Pu’er tea
1.Evaluation of appearance
Evaluation of dry Pu’er tea appearance depends on visual and touching identification.When evaluating loose Pu’er tea, check the sample tea, identify the tea type, color, name, place of origin,etc., then pick the representative sample tea and shake the sample plate.I.See how many buds there are.It is better to have more buds, bright color and high freshness.II.Look at the tightness and thickening degree of leaves.It is better to have rolling tightness and large thickness; Ⅲ.Look at the degree of gloss.Smooth and glossy color is better, while dry color is worse.IV.Look at the whole crushing and clarity, and check whether it is flat and even, and whether there is discontinuity of tea distribution and sundries other than tea.When evaluating the compressed Pu’er tea, focus on the appearance evenness, tightness and scattering of compressed Pu’er tea.
2.观汤色
汤色审评主要从色度（包括正常色、劣变色、陈变色等）、亮度和清浊度三方面评比。普洱茶（生茶）的汤色依陈化程度的不同而深浅不同，主要有黄绿、绿黄、浅黄、橙黄、深黄等颜色表现；普洱茶（熟茶）的汤色有红艳、红亮、深红、红浓、红褐、褐色等。好的普洱茶的汤色一定是明亮的。
3.闻香气
审评香气除辨别香型外，主要比较香气的纯异、高低和长短。
4.尝滋味
审评滋味先要区别是否纯正：纯正的滋味可区别其浓淡、强弱、鲜、爽、醇、和；不纯的可区别其苦、涩、粗、异。爽滑是高品质普洱茶的滋味。
5.评叶底
评叶底主要看嫩度、色泽、匀度。嫩度好的叶底含芽（带毫）的量多，叶质柔软、肥嫩、有弹性；嫩度差的叶底没有芽毫，叶张较粗大、叶底硬、无弹性。
（二）周红杰名师工作室评鉴法
由于云南大叶种加工而成的普洱茶浓厚耐泡等品质风格的独特性，云南农业大学周红杰名师工作室结合多年来的相关研究成果，总结出一套适合云南普洱茶的专用评鉴方法：325评鉴法、212品鉴法。
表5-3 周红杰名师工作室评鉴法
第一泡：分辨香气高低，是否有异杂气息；分辨滋味的浓淡、醇苦、甘爽、厚薄，是否回甘，是否黏稠。
第二泡：分辨香气类型、粗细，并放大不明显的异杂味；分辨浓强度、顺滑度、融合度，是否生津，刺激性强而不涩是为浓，入口苦、吞咽后苦而挂舌是为涩。
第三泡：对比前两泡，以确定香气的持久与耐泡程度。如有烟味、霉味、酸味、馊味、臭味等异杂味的品质较差。对比前两泡，以确定滋味的持久程度。滋味分散，苦涩剥离的品质较差。
2.Observe color of tea soup
Color of tea soup is mainly evaluated from chroma (normal color, discoloring, aging color,etc.), brightness and cleanliness.The soup color of raw Pu’er tea varies with the aging degree,including yellow green, green yellow, light yellow, orange yellow, dark yellow, etc., while the soup color of fermented Pu’er tea is red, bright red, dark red, thick red, red brown, brown, etc.The soup color of high-quality Pu’er tea must be bright.
3.Smell fragrance
In addition to distinguishing fragrance types, the evaluation mainly compares the purity,strength and durability of fragrance.
4.Taste
To evaluate the taste, it is necessary to distinguish whether the taste is pure or not: the pure taste can be distinguished from thickness, intense, freshness, smoothness, mellowness and mildness; The impure ones can be distinguished from bitterness, the astringency, roughness and strangeness.Smoothness is the unique taste of high-quality Pu’er tea.
5.Evaluate tea grounds
Evaluation of tea grounds mainly depends on freshness, color and evenness.The tea grounds with high freshness have many buds (with tiny needles), with soft, thick and elastic leaves, while those with low freshness have no buds and needles, of which the leaves are rough and hard without elasticity.
(II)Evaluation Method of Zhou Hongjie’s Studio
Due to the unique quality and style (such as thick taste, resistance to brewing)of Pu’er tea processed from Yunnan big-leaf species, Zhou Hongjie’s Studio of Yunnan Agricultural University,according to the related research results of many years, summed up a set of special evaluation methods suitable for Yunnan Pu’er tea: 325 evaluation method and 212 evaluation method.
Tab.5-3 Evaluation method of Zhou Hongjie’s Studio
1st brewing: Distinguish the strength of fragrance and identify whether there is foreign flavor;Distinguish the intense, mellowness and bitterness, sweetness and smoothness as well as thickness of the taste and identify whether there is aftertaste and viscosity.
2nd brewing: Distinguish the type and thickness of fragrance and highlight the inconspicuous peculiar smell; Identify the strength, smoothness and fusion degree and taste whether it can promoteproductionofbodyfluids.Thicktasteisstrong but not astringent and astringent taste is the bitterness that can be stilled felt by tongue after drinking and swallowing.
根据三次冲泡，看其色、香、味、形、品质差异。三次差异小，品质较好；三次差异大，品质较差。