Tips on Pu'er tea: How does it smell? What does thick mean?

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The production of Pu'er tea can be divided into raw tea and cooked tea, and different processes have big differences in aroma and taste. When we brew Pu'er tea or drink Pu'er tea, different aromas come to our noses, and there are also different feelings in the mouth after entering the tea. Today I simply sorted out two questions: How should the aroma of Pu'er tea smell? What exactly does the “thickness” of Pu’er tea mean? The following content is for reference only: 1. How should the aroma of Pu'er tea smell?


The aroma of tea is a mixture. There are hundreds of aroma substances that have been identified so far. However, although there are many types of aroma substances, their content is very small. The aroma substances in tea account for 0.005%~0.05% of dry tea.

The aroma substances in tea can be roughly divided into four categories according to their structural characteristics: fatty derivatives, terpene derivatives, aromatic derivatives, and oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds.

Identifying the aroma of tea is mainly accomplished by the sense of smell. By soaking tea leaves, the aromatic substances contained in them are volatilized and the olfactory nerves in the nasal cavity are stimulated for differentiation. There are two methods: "dry smelling the tea aroma" and "wet smelling the bottom of the leaves".


Dry sniffing of tea aroma is to identify the aroma of unsteeped tea leaves. The method is to hold the tea leaves with both hands (or one hand), close to the nose and smell carefully. If the aroma is too weak and you cannot smell the tea aroma, you can use your mouth to breathe hot air against the tea leaves. When the tea leaves are heated, the aroma will evaporate. At this time, you should smell the aroma in time to identify the aroma of the tea leaves.

Wet smell the bottom of the leaves, which is to smell the bottom of the tea leaves after the first steeping while they are hot. Because the aroma substances contained in soaked tea leaves can be fully volatilized under the action of heat, and some bad smells can also volatilize with the heat. Therefore, it is easiest to identify the aroma of tea leaves by sniffing the bottom of the leaves while they are hot and wet.

The method is to hold the tea cup (pot or tureen) from which the tea soup has been poured out with one hand, half-open the cup lid (pot lid or bowl lid) with the other hand, approach the cup (pot, bowl) and sniff lightly or deeply with your nose. You can also put your entire nose deep into the cup and close to the bottom of the leaf to increase the sense of smell.


In order to correctly identify the aroma type, aroma level, and aroma duration of tea, the sniffing should be repeated once or twice, but the sniffing time should not be too long each time, because the human sense of smell is easily fatigued. If you smell aroma for too long, the sensitivity of the olfactory sense will decrease, and the smell of aroma will be inaccurate. Generally, it takes about 3 seconds. When smelling incense, the lid of the cup (pot, bowl) should not be opened.

What does the “thickness” of Pu’er tea mean?

What is the thickness of tea? One is the visual thickness of the tea soup when poured into the cup, and the other is the thickness felt in the mouth when the tea soup enters the mouth.


When the tea soup is poured into the cup, you can obviously feel the consistency and cup-hanging thickness of the tea soup. This is the visual thickness of the tea soup. When the tea soup enters the mouth, the organs in the mouth will experience the thick touch and taste.

The visual thickness of tea soup comes from two aspects, one is the pectin substance in tea, and the other is the sugar substance in tea. The thick taste, according to the results of scientific research, mainly comes from the sugar substance in tea.

Why is the tea with strong flavor considered good? According to the sensory evaluation standard of Pu'er tea, it is generally considered that thick ones are better than light ones, which is beneficial to the later transformation of Pu'er tea. The fact isthat it is a reflection of the rich content of tea.



The above content will be shared here. No matter what it is, you can only experience it yourself. Drink different teas, drink more, and accumulate experience. Naturally, you will know how to smell the aroma and what the thickness of Pu'er tea means. Find skills in making tea, continue to learn and accumulate experience in drinking tea, and you will have your own favorite way of tasting tea, which is the best for you.

YuanJia131

Different aromas come to our noses, and there are also different feelings in the mouth after entering the tea.