Pu-Erh Tea

What They Tell You

Many different things go into grading a Pu-Erh tea, and only when the combination of these factors comes together successfully does a proper Pu-Erh tea come about.

In fact, the grading of Pu-Erh teas can be very difficult as many of the factors are dependant on different environmental aspects. In fact, this is the main reason why the classification and grading of Pu-Erh teas has evolved to a process akin to the classification and grading of wines.

So what factors contribute to this?

• The province it was grown in: Generally Pu-Erhs from the Yunnan province are considered to yield very good Pu-Erh teas, although other Chinese provinces such as Guangdong and Hunan also produce quality Pu-Erhs. In earlier times (notably during the Qing dynasty) the most famous Pu-Erhs were said to come from the Six Famous Tea Mountains (the location of which has changed over the years).
• What type of tea tree the leaves were harvested from: Whether the leaves were harvested from a wild tea tree, or a cultivated tea tree can make all the difference in taste (covered in the earlier section).
• The tea factory where it was processed: Much can be said about a Pu-Erh tea if you know where it was processed. Initially Pu-Erh tea factories were state owned and regulated; however, more recently Pu-Erhs are processed more and more by privately-owned factories.
  (Only a very small percentage of Pu-Erhs are made by small businesses. The Pu-Erhs made by these however, are generally found to be higher-end teas)
• The season in which it was harvested: Pu-Erhs are harvested almost throughout the year, with winter being the one exception. The Pu-Erhs which are prized most however, are the ones that are harvested during spring time (some teas are harvested towards the end of winter resulting in an "early spring" harvest). Autumn teas come next into the equation, with summer following behind.
  The reason spring-harvested Pu-Erhs are more sought after lies in the taste. Pu-Erh tea connoisseurs have noted that Pu-Erhs harvested during the spring months have the best flavor.
• Leaf size and quality: Another factor that goes into determining the final quality of Pu-Erh teas, is the leaf size and leaf-quality. For example, depending on whether the leaf is small, large (preferred), broken, mature, or tender, the taste of the tea will change, thereby changing the quality of the tea.
• And just like a fine wine, Pu-Erh teas also have their good years and their bad years. So, they are also classified and graded according to the year it was harvested.

...Tomorrow we start on the 5th and last in the series of articles on Pu-Erh Tea. Be sure to comeback for more!

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