Pu-erh tea is post-fermented tea. In the storage of finished Pu-erh tea, whether it is raw or cooked tea, under good conditions, it can improve the quality and taste of the tea through the post-ripening benefit of several years to decades to make Pu-erh Tea has the characteristics of "more and more fragrance".
So many people will ask, what is the transformation process of Pu-erh tea, and which stages can it be divided into? What are the main factors affecting the conversion of Pu-erh tea? And what are the prerequisites for its transformation?
How is the transformation process of Pu-erh tea divided into several stages?
Generally speaking, the conversion of Pu-erh tea, which is good for the body and very suitable for taste, needs to go through these stages: "The first stage: the new tea period (requires 1-3 years); the second stage: the early stage of transformation (requires 3- 10 years); third stage: mid-term transformation (needs 10-20 years); fourth stage: late transformation (needs 20-40 years); fifth stage: Chen tea period (needs 40-60 years); sixth stage : Old tea period (requires more than 60 years)".
What are the main factors affecting the conversion of Pu-erh tea?
Water content, oxygen and temperature are the main factors affecting the conversion of Pu-erh tea. According to different climatic conditions in different places, the correct storage in different regions will form tea products with local climate characteristics, such as Guangdong warehouse and Kunming warehouse, etc., all of which have their own aging styles due to different regions. Therefore, these three factors directly affect the later transformation of Pu-erh tea.
What are the prerequisites for the conversion of Pu-erh tea?
1. Oxidation condition.
The transformation of Pu-erh tea is actually an oxidation process. After storage for a certain period of time, Pu-erh tea will show a special aroma due to the reduction of tea polyphenols, oxidized esters and catechin, the increase of soluble sugar, the decrease of astringency, the elimination of bitterness and the increase of sweetness. Then, the oxygen at this time plays a role in accelerating the conversion.
For storage and conversion, unlike Tieguanyin, it needs to be kept under vacuum for a long time, so if you want to age good Pu-erh tea, it cannot be placed in a closed space. It needs to be in contact with oxygen and moisture in the air, and it must also be placed. In a ventilated place, so that it can slowly ferment and transform.
2. Hot and humid conditions.
The post-fermentation of Pu-erh tea is essentially the spores and mycelium of fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus trichoderma, and yeast in the finished tea. They rely on tea as a nutrient base under appropriate temperature and humidity conditions. It is able to grow and reproduce.
In places with low temperature and low humidity, not only will the water content of Pu-erh tea decrease, but also the spores of the fungus will grow and reproduce slowly, then the aging rate will be slowed down; while high temperature and high humidity will accelerate the aging process, for example Tea stored in Guangdong will be transformed faster than stored in Kunming. However, whether it is low temperature and low humidity, or high temperature and high humidity, it is not a good thing for the natural aging of Pu-erh tea. The best storage temperature is between 20~30℃ and the humidity should not exceed 75%. Therefore, if you want to store the aged Pu-erh tea, the best benefit must be in an environment with suitable temperature and humidity!
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