Pu-erh Tea Article - Detecting Bad Pu-erh Tea (2)	Page 1 | 2 | 3

Light rubbing of badly decaying leaves from bad Pu-erh tea will disintegrate into mush.

After brewing examine the wet leaves for quality and signs of decomposition. Many badly produced Pu-erh tea contains high levels of bacteria that causes rapid decay and disintegration of the tea leaves.

Passed off as a 1950s toucha this is one of many fake Pu-erh teas on the market today.

A genuine aged teacake of 30+ years has a natural loose appearance. This is obtained from a lengthy period of oxidation that causes an expansion of the air pockets internally, giving the teacake a fuller, fatter appearance. The layers of compressed leaves within the teacake are no longer holding as tightly together and as a result the teacake becomes easier to prize open. Many recently compressed fake Pu-erh teacakes may appear old but will retain the hard and compact disposition of a newly formed teacake.

Pu-erh tea readily absorb odours and careless storage will easily ruin good Pu-erh tea.

SMELL - The smell of dry tea leaves are sometimes very faint and not very revealing. Ideally the tea leaves should be first flushed with hot water to release their true aroma. The common characteristics found in bad Pu-erh tea are moldy, rotten, and pungent odors with a sour undertone discharging many off notes. continue