How to Identify Good Puerh Tea - Zhi Zheng Tea Shop

„Good quality old tea has a 'matured' fragrance (chen wei). This comes from tea that has been stored well and matured without any adverse effects. (xing wei - a 'fishy' smell that can be detected in old tea that has been stored poorly - should be clearly distinguished from chen wei which is quite different). “

„This process was first developed in 1972 by Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory] to imitate the flavor and colour of aged raw pu-erh, and was an adaptation of wet storage techniques being used by merchants to falsify the age of their teas. Mass production of ripened pu'er began in 1975. It can be consumed without further aging, though it can also be stored to "air out" some of the less savoury flavors and aromas acquired during fermentation.“