Every time I go out to drink tea, I always meet some old tea lovers or tea drinkers I know or don’t know. The big guys like to get together, choose a large purple sand pot, line up their favorite teas, and then brew them all the same. While waiting for the tea to be brewed, there were many topics to talk about. In addition to the footprints of the ends of the earth and the corners of the earth, what is more interesting is the appearance of sentient beings after making tea. Seeing them chirping about the taste, talking about Tang Se’s expert appearance. I can’t help covering my mouth and laughing.
The trivial matter of drinking tea is sometimes really not a simple matter. Among these people, there will always be a few experienced tea masters who can directly judge the quality of tea from the color of the soup. How much tea does it take to do that. Over time, I have finally collected a set of experience by stealing from all kinds of teachers. The quality of the tea can be seen from the color of the Pu-erh tea soup. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you.
what is soup color
Soup color, also known as water color, soup door or water bowl. It is easily affected by factors such as the intensity of light, the size of the tea bowl, the capacity, the arrangement position, the amount of sediment, and the length of brewing time. Mainly evaluate the color and brightness of tea soup. The color of tea soup changes rapidly, especially in winter, as the temperature of the soup drops, the color of the soup will obviously become darker. Therefore, observing the color of the soup within 10 minutes can better represent the original color of the tea. Looking at the soup color also considers factors such as temperature and light in different seasons. In addition, it should be explained that chlorophyll has nothing to do with the color of tea soup, it is fat-soluble. The main body that determines the color of tea soup is tea polyphenols.
Common Pu-erh raw tea soup color
The soup color of raw Pu-erh tea is usually combined with factors such as greening, sun-drying, rolling and drying during processing.
Luyan: clear and bright, light green and bright.
It belongs to the soup color of high-quality sun-dried green hair tea. This soup color is common in early spring tea. With continuous aging, the green color will gradually disappear and evolve into a bright apricot-yellow soup color.
Yellow-green: slightly yellow in green, resembling the color of half-ripe oranges, so it is also called orange-green.
It is the soup color of medium and high-grade sun-dried green tea. It is also a common color in early spring. It must be kneaded and dried in time to have this soup color.
Green-yellow: The soup color is more yellow than green.
Sun-dried green tea from Qingming to Grain Rain is a manifestation of low temperature during processing and untimely kneading and drying.
Light yellow: the soup is yellow and light, also known as light yellow.
It is the soup color of low-grade sun-dried green mao tea that is not rich in material. If the tea with delicate raw materials also shows this kind of soup color, it is mostly caused by the fresh tea leaves being soaked or not dried in time.
Orange-yellow: The soup is yellowish with a slight reddish tinge, resembling orange or orange.
Generally, the old raw tea with a storage period of 3-5 years can show this soup color, but the brightness is very high. If the tea is new, it is mostly a manifestation of tea fission and low temperature for finishing.
Deep yellow: dark yellow, soupy yellow and dull.
The soup color of new tea is mostly caused by combined processing of several days of tea leaves or tea leaves that have not been dried for a long time. Old raw tea will also have this soup color, but the brightness is very good.
Green and dark: the color of the soup is blue and dull.
It is mostly “purple bud tea” with high anthocyanins or sun-dried green tea produced in the soil environment of “high manganese”, or it may be tea polluted by “new iron”. A floating layer similar to an “oil film”.
Muddy: The color of the soup is mixed and dark, which is synonymous with “turbidity”. There are many sediments in the soup, which is not clear and the bottom of the bowl is difficult to see.
This is the performance that the sun-dried green tea is not completely dried during processing, and the tea with humidity is packed in bags or “dry”. The grade of this kind of tea is virtually lowered.
Red soup: the soup brown turns red.
This is a sign of serious deterioration of tea. It is often accompanied by a rancid smell, which is the performance of bad sun-dried green tea. If the old tea appears red soup, it must be crystal clear to be regarded as a rare good tea. Interested friends can also read: How to store Pu-erh tea at home.
