Selection criteria for tea
The selection and purchase of tea is not an easy task. To obtain good tea, one needs to master a lot of knowledge, such as the grade standards, prices and market conditions of various types of tea, as well as the evaluation and inspection methods of tea. The quality of tea is mainly distinguished from four aspects: color, aroma, taste, and shape. However, for ordinary tea drinkers, when purchasing tea, they can only observe the appearance and color of dry tea, smell the dry aroma, and make it more difficult to judge the quality of tea. Here is a rough introduction to the methods for identifying dried tea. The appearance of dry tea is mainly seen from five aspects, namely tenderness, strand, color, fragmentation, and clarity
1.tenderness
Tea leaves with general tenderness and good tenderness meet the appearance requirements ("light, flat, flat, and straight"). However, tenderness cannot be determined solely by the amount of fuzz, as the specific requirements for various teas vary, such as the excellent Lion Peak Longjing, which has no fuzz on its surface. The tenderness of buds and leaves is judged based on their abundance of fuzz, and is only suitable for "hairy" teas such as Maofeng, Maojian, and Yinzhen. It should be mentioned here that the most tender fresh leaves also need to be sprouted one by one, and the practice of one-sided picking of the bud heart is not appropriate. Because the bud center is an imperfect part of growth, its internal components are not comprehensive, especially the chlorophyll content is very low. Therefore, tea should not be made solely from sprouts just for the sake of tenderness.
2.Strip rope
Tiaosuo Tiaosuo is a certain shape specification that various types of tea have, such as roasted green strips, pearl tea circles, Longjing flat shapes, red broken tea granules, and so on. Generally, long shaped tea is characterized by its elasticity, straightness, strength, flatness, and lightness; Look at the tightness, uniformity, weight, and emptiness of the round tea particles; Check the flatness and smoothness of flat tea to see if it meets the specifications. Generally speaking, if the rope is tight, the body is heavy, round (except for flat tea), and straight, it indicates that the raw material is tender, the workmanship is good, and the quality is excellent; If the appearance is loose, flat (excluding flat tea), broken, and has a smoke or burnt taste, it indicates that the raw material is old, the workmanship is poor, and the quality is poor. Taking the standard of green tea strips in Hangzhou as an example: first level, fine and tight with sharp seedlings; Second level, tight and fine with sharp seedlings; Third level, still solid; Fourth level, still tight; Level 5, slightly loose; Six levels, coarse loose. Visible, with tight, solid, and sharp seedlings as the top priority.
3.colour and lustre
The color and luster of tea are closely related to the tenderness of raw materials and processing technology. All kinds of tea have certain color requirements, such as black tea, green tea, oolong tea, black tea, etc. However, regardless of the type of tea, good tea requires a consistent color, bright luster, oily and fresh. If the color is different, the depth is different, and the color is dark and dull, it indicates that the raw materials are old and tender, the workmanship is poor, and the quality is poor. The color of tea is also closely related to the origin and season of the tea tree. Like alpine green tea, with a green and slightly yellow color, fresh and bright; Low mountain tea or plain tea has a deep green and glossy color. During the tea making process, due to improper techniques, the color often deteriorates. When purchasing tea, it should be judged based on the specific type of tea purchased.
4.Crushing
Fragmentation refers to the appearance and degree of fragmentation of tea leaves, with uniformity being the best and fragmentation being the second. A relatively standard tea evaluation involves placing the tea leaves in a tray (usually made of wood), so that under the action of rotational force, the tea leaves form orderly layers according to shape, size, weight, thickness, and crushing. Among them, the thick ones are concentrated in the top layer, the tight, fine, and heavy ones are concentrated in the middle layer, and the broken and fine ones are deposited in the bottom layer. For all types of tea, it is better to have more middle tea. The upper layer generally has thick and old leaves, a lighter taste, and a lighter water color; There are many broken teas in the lower layer, and after brewing, the taste is often too strong and the soup color is darker.
5.Clarity
The purity mainly depends on whether there are tea leaves mixed with tea leaves, tea stems, tea powder, tea seeds, and the amount of impurities such as bamboo chips, wood chips, lime, and mud mixed during the production process. Tea with good purity, free from any impurities. In addition, the dry aroma of tea can also be used for identification. No matter which type of tea, it must not have any peculiar smell. Each type of tea has a specific aroma, and there are differences in dry and wet aroma, which need to be determined according to the specific situation. Green air, smoky taste, and ripe and stuffy taste are not recommended. The easiest way to determine the quality of tea is the taste, aroma, and color of the tea leaves after brewing. So if allowed, try brewing and giving it a try when purchasing tea. If you have a particular preference for a certain type of tea, it is best to search for some information about the tea, accurately understand its color, aroma, and shape characteristics. Every time you buy tea, compare it with each other, so that you can easily grasp the key points more often. There is a large number of tea varieties in China, and it is not possible for non professionals to judge the quality of each type of tea. They only choose the ones they like. The tea produced in the producing area is generally relatively pure, but due to differences in tea making techniques, the quality of tea varies.
