Types of Pu erh tea (Raw pu-erh and Máochá) and (Ripened pu-erh)

Raw pu-erh and Máochá

After picking appropriate tender leaves, the first step in making raw or ripened pu-erh is converting the leaf to máochá (青毛茶 or 毛茶; literally, “light green rough tea” or “rough tea” respectively). Plucked leaves are handled gingerly to prevent bruising and unwanted oxidation. Weather permitting, the leaves are then spread out in the sun or a ventilated space to wilt and remove some of the water content^[3]. On overcast or rainy days, the leaves will be wilted by light heating, a slight difference in processing that will affect the quality of the resulting maocha and pu-erh. The wilting process may be skipped altogether depending on the tea processor.

Relatively young Raw pu-erh. Note the grey and dark green tones.

The leaves are then dry pan-fried using a large wok in a process called “kill green” (殺青; pinyin: shā qīng), which arrests enzyme activity in the leaf and prevents further oxidation. With enzymatic oxidation halted, the leaves can then be rolled, rubbed, and shaped through several steps into strands. The shaped leaves are then ideally dried in the sun and then manually picked through to remove bad leaves^[3]. Once dry, máochá can be sent directly to the factory to be pressed into raw pu-erh, or to undergo further processing to make ripened pu-erh.^[4]. Sometimes maocha is aged uncompressed and sold at its maturity as aged loose-leaf raw pu-erh.

Raw pu-erh tea (Chinese: 生 茶; pinyin: shēngchá or Chinese: 青 茶; pinyin: qīngchá), also known as “uncooked pu-erh” or “green pu-erh,” is simply máochá tea leaves that have been compressed into its final form without additional processing.

Ripened pu-erh

Ripened pu-erh. Note the orange-brown tone of the lighter leaves due to oxidation/fermentation.

Ripened pu-erh tea (Chinese: 熟 茶; pinyin: shoúchá) is pressed maocha that has been specially processed to imitate aged raw pu-erh. Although it is more commonly known as “cooked pu-erh,” the process does not actually employ cooking to imitate the aging process. The term may come about due to inaccurate transliteration due to the dual meaning of “shoú” (熟) as both “fully cooked” and “fully ripened” .

The process used to convert máochá into ripened pu-erh is a recent invention that manipulates conditions to approximate the result of the aging process by prolonged bacterial and fungal fermentation in a warm humid environment under controlled conditions, a technique called wòdūi (渥 堆, “wet piling” in English), which involves piling, dampening, and turning the tea leaves in a manner much akin to composting^[5].

The piling, wetting, and mixing of the piled máochá ensures even fermentation^[5]. The bacterial and fungal cultures found in the fermenting piles were found to vary widely from factory to factory throughout Yunnan, consisting of multiple strains of Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., yeasts, as well as wide range of other microflora. Control over the multiple variables in the ripening process, particularly humidity and the growth of Aspergillus spp., is key in producing ripened pu-erh of high quality^[6]. Poor control in fermentation/oxidation process can result in bad ripened pu-erh, characterized by badly decomposed leaves and a flavour and texture reminiscent of compost. The ripening process typically takes anywhere from half a year to one year after it has begun. As such, a ripened pu-erh produced in early 2004 will be pressed in the winter of 2004/2005, and appear on the market between late 2005 or early 2006.

This process was first developed in 1972 by Menghai Tea Factory and Kunming Tea Factory^[7] to imitate the flavor and color of aged raw pu-erh. This technique was an adaptation of “wet storage” techniques that were being used by merchants to falsify the age of their teas. Mass production of ripened pu-erh began in 1975. It can be consumed without further aging, though it can also be stored to “air out” some of the less savory flavors and aromas acquired during fermentation. The tea is often compressed but is also common in loose form. Some collectors of pu-erh believe that ripened pu-erh should not be aged for more than a decade.