A good tea is not easy to get, not only requires good raw materials, good production technology, but also good storage for Pu'er tea.
To taste the real taste of Pu'er, you must have the correct and reasonable brewing method, otherwise even a good tea will not show the taste that matches its quality.
So today we will discuss that whether Pu'er tea is better to be brewed or drawn?
Pu'er tea is divided into raw tea and ripe tea, and there are also differences between new tea and old tea, namely: new tea, old raw tea, new ripe tea, and old ripe tea.
The four teas are different in nature, different in content, different in taste and texture, and naturally different in brewing methods. Some are suitable for brewing with a tea maker, and some are suitable for brewing with a tureen. Here are the explanations for tea lovers one by one.
Advantages of brewing tea: able to provide and maintain a higher water temperature,
Conducive to the full overflow of the contents of the tea leaves, making the tea soup thicker.
The advantages of drawing: it is conducive to more flexible control of the water temperature and the speed of soup,
The tea maker can make relatively free and flexible adjustments according to the specific tea.
Generally speaking, raw tea with an aging period of less than 1 year is a new-born tea. The new-born tea is relatively cold in nature and is more suitable for people who are prone to get angry and have a hot body. New-born tea has a high content of tea polyphenols. Tea polyphenols have astringent properties and are irritating to the intestines and stomach. Therefore, tea lovers with weak intestines and stomachs should drink moderately, otherwise they will easily damage the intestines and stomach.
In terms of taste and texture, new-born tea has a fresh taste, and the texture of the tea is relatively soft. The water temperature should not be too high during brewing, usually between 93℃~96℃. Otherwise, the water temperature will be too high and it will have a hot taste, which will make new-born tea aroma impure; but the temperature can not be too low, otherwise the aroma is not strong enough. And it should not be stuffy in the early stage of brewing, otherwise it will cause too much substance in the new tea to overflow, the taste is too strong and easy to be bitter; Secondly, it will make the tea soup insufficiently fresh and the aroma dull. Fully considering the characteristics of new-born tea and the key points of brewing, it can be seen that the texture of the tea is relatively soft, and the pursuit of fresh taste is not suitable for the boiling method that can maintain a high water temperature. Otherwise, too much tea polyphenols, caffeine and other substances overflow the tea soup to taste bitter and astringent, and too much tea polyphenols and caffeine will easily stimulate the intestines and stomach, which is not good for health. At the same time, the amino acids, vitamins and other substances in the new tea are easily destroyed by high temperature, thereby reducing the health benefits and taste of the new-born tea.
Only when the storage aging period is close to 10 years, the raw Pu'er tea can be called old raw tea.
After long-term storage and transformation of old raw tea, its contents have undergone major changes. Tea polyphenols are transformed into theaflavins, thearubicins and even theafuscins. The total content of tea polyphenols is reduced, and the gastrointestinal stimulation of tea soup is weakened;
Amino acids, vitamins and other substances with better activity, after post-fermentation conversion, the content decreases or even disappears.
Old raw tea, the tea nature gradually changes from the coldness of the initial new tea to mild, the aroma changes from refreshing to deep, and the overall taste becomes relatively sweet and mellow.
Fully consider the characteristics of old raw tea and the main points of brewing: old raw tea requires a higher water temperature to fully stimulate the deep Pu'er aging;
The content of active substances with health benefits in old raw tea is relatively low, so there is no need to worry that high temperature will destroy the health benefits of tea;
After the content of tea polyphenols is reduced, don't worry, too strong tea soup will have greater irritation to the stomach;
In addition, boiling and drinking can make the contents of the old raw tea fully dissolve into the tea soup, and it can also taste the fullness, sweetness and mellowness of the old tea. Therefore, old raw tea is suitable for boiling.
Freshly matured tea usually refers to the matured tea that has been stored for aging within one year.
After being fermented, freshly ripe tea will have a corresponding smell if the storage period is not enough;
At this time, the tea nature of cooked tea tends to be hot and dry, and it is easy to feel dry when drinking;
After being fermented, some of the contents of the newly ripe tea are still in a relatively active fermentation state, and the taste is not stable enough.
Therefore, in terms of health and taste, the temperature of freshly cooked tea should not be too high and the tea soup should not be too thick, otherwise it will get angry and taste bad.
Fully consider the characteristics of freshly cooked tea and the main points of brewing: it is not advisable to drink freshly cooked tea, otherwise the tea soup will be too thick, which is not good for your health or good for drinking.
The storage and transformation period is close to 10 years, and only the mature Pu'er tea of more than years can be called mature tea.
As for the matured tea after storage and transformation, its smell has been greatly dissipated or even disappeared; the sensation of dry fire has basically disappeared, and the tea nature has changed from dryness to mildness.
Generally speaking, ripe Pu'er tea with an aging period of about 10 years has reached a better drinking period.
Drinking old mature tea requires a higher water temperature to fully stimulate the contents of the tea, so that its calm aroma can be presented, and the contents can be better dissolved into the tea soup, making the tea soup taste rich enough.
Full consideration of the characteristics of mature tea and the key points of brewing shows that: mature tea that requires a higher water temperature is more suitable for boiling and can show the fullness of mature tea.
The above are two different ways of drinking tea, brewing tea and making tea, and the differences between different Pu'er teas.
Is it good to make tea? Is it better to brew? It cannot be generalized, but should be implemented on specific tea products.
According to the characteristics of tea products, choosing the most appropriate drinking method can get the best taste and make the best use of the health benefits of Pu'er tea.