How to distinguish the mountain level of old tea

YuanJia131

Compressed tea stored for over 15 years loses its distinct aroma characteristics of mountain tea. Its quality can only be assessed by the thickness of the tea liquor, flavor intensity, and the strength of sweetness and saliva production, with the latter being the most critical criterion for grading.
The aroma of tea is no longer the key factor in determining the origin of aged tea. After more than 15 years, the changes in aroma and fragrance of aged tea are influenced not only by the grade of the harvested leaves but also by the humidity of the storage environment. It loses the distinctive mountain-origin fragrance characteristic of fresh tea, and the subtle varietal differences in aroma are also dulled by time.

Simply put, aged tea for over 15 years will undergo changes in aroma and fragrance, while other flavor and mouthfeel characteristics remain largely unchanged. For cakes aged within 10 years, the mountain-specific aroma features can still be distinctly perceived, though somewhat diminished.
To determine the origin of aged tea over 15 years, analyze it from four key aspects: first, assess the intensity of the tea's sweetness and saliva production; second, evaluate the thickness and richness of the tea liquor; third, judge the smoothness of the tea liquor; and fourth, assess the overall balance.