丨 This article was originally produced by Xiao Chen Tea
丨 First published in the headline number: Xiao Chen Tea Affair
丨Author: Village Gu Chen
《1》
Over the years, the tea circle has been popular "old tea fever".
The earliest is from the beginning of the ripe Pu, many tea customers say that they are 10 years old to drink, and then to white tea, must be more than 5 years.
In fact, for these extreme pursuits, I can understand for the time being.
After all, cooked pu and white tea are both teas that can be stored for a long time and are more and more fragrant.
Unexpectedly, this boom gradually became morbid.
The prevalence of old tea has spread from ripe pu and white tea to black tea, oolong tea, and even green tea has begun to appear old tea.
Many tea customers have told me that black tea is also as old as possible.
And self-proclaimed, "If you have drunk more than 5 years of old black tea, you know how precious it is!" ”
For a moment, there was no word.
Old tea is of high value, which is true.
But blindly imitating white tea and Pu'er and pursuing "old black tea" is tantamount to dong shi gong and Handan toddler.
Not only has it lost its unique charm, but it has also made black tea a laughing stock.
《2》
Black tea has never had the tradition of drinking old tea.
And the vast majority of black tea, it is advisable to drink new tea.
As for why black tea is not suitable for storing as old tea, it is mainly related to the process.
In the six major types of tea, according to the degree of fermentation and technology, tea leaves are divided into green tea, yellow tea, white tea, green tea (oolong tea), black tea, and black tea.
Ripe Pu belongs to the black tea system, and black tea and white tea actually have no commonality in the production method.
But why are only the two of them stored for a long time?
Next, please focus your attention and let's reveal the answer.
Let's start with white tea.
The process of white tea is simple, not fried, not kneaded, not killed, mainly withered and dried.
Very little human intervention has allowed white tea to retain a large amount of nutrients, the original taste.
Moreover, whether it is withering or drying, we pay great attention to controlling temperature and humidity, and cannot be piled up, cannot be exposed to the sun, and cannot be dried at high temperatures.
Otherwise, it becomes an old tea.
Only careful production can ensure the activity of tea leaves and lay the foundation for future aging.
Moreover, the main purpose of making white tea is, in the final analysis, to dry the tea leaves.
The requirements for finished white tea in the national standard are that the water content is less than 8.5%, and the tea masters who are more demanding on themselves tend to make white tea drier, and the water content is even below 5%.
It can be seen that the process closest to pure nature, as well as keeping it dry, is an important condition for white tea to be stored for a long time.
Black tea, on the other hand, is the only one of the six major tea categories that involves "fermentation" in the true chemical sense.
On one encyclopedia, the term "fermentation" is explained as:
Fermentation is a biochemical reaction that refers to the process of preparing microbial bodies themselves, or direct metabolites or secondary metabolites, by means of the life activities of microorganisms under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
The key process of black tea is Wo Dui, and the temperature and humidity of Wo Dui create an excellent state for microorganisms.
After special post-fermentation, it constantly reacts with oxygen and moisture in the air over the long years.
Led by the flora in your own body, new bacteria and new substances are regenerated.
As a result, black tea has its own flavor characteristics.
However, the process of black tea and white tea is completely different from black tea.
Theoretically, the finished black tea is also extremely dry.
However, because the degree of fermentation of black tea is high, and in order to enhance the aroma, the tea making process must experience high temperature to enhance the taste.
Obviously, high temperature will destroy the activity of various oxidases in tea leaves, and it is difficult to carry out later transformation.
In other words, after the black tea processing is completed, there will be no secondary transformation, and its quality and flavor have been stabilized.
Advocating that black tea be stored for 5 years, or even 10 years, and then drunk again, actually has no meaning at all.
《3》
Black tea has a shelf life.
In fact, not only black tea, most of the tea leaves on the outer packaging, are indicated shelf life.
However, different types of tea have different shelf life.
In general, green tea has the shortest shelf life, about 18 months, and we usually advocate drinking it within 1 year.
The characteristics of green tea are fresh taste and rich sweetness.
Although proper preservation can extend the shelf life of tea leaves, so that they do not deteriorate and do not mold, they cannot guarantee that the aroma and taste will not be lost.
Therefore, we may wish to understand the shelf life as the "best tasting period".
That is to say, drinking tea during this period, the aroma taste is at its peak and most perfect state.
The same is true for black tea.
The shelf life of black tea is about 1-2 years, and it can be tasted in time to feel the good flavor.
It is undeniable that under the appropriate storage method, avoiding light, sealing, drying, cooling, and preventing odors, the possibility of black tea deterioration will be greatly reduced, and the storage time will exceed two years, or even longer.
However, the quality of black tea will not be sublimated with the extension of storage time.
On the contrary, it is gradually moving towards the downhill line.
In particular, the original rich and flamboyant aroma will become weaker and weaker, and the sweetness will gradually become thinner, and the foam resistance will decrease...
All in all, black tea is not recommended to be stored for too long.
But some tea customers also said that the black tea that has been stored in their homes for a year or two has become more mellow and better than the soup in the new tea period.
Note that the "old black tea" we are talking about here refers to black tea that has exceeded its shelf life for many years.
Black tea for one to two years does not belong to the category of "old tea".
In addition, we also asked the local tea farmers in Tongmuguan, and their advice was also not to stay for a long time.
After more than three years, the aroma and taste of black tea have declined, and only good tea will be wasted.
Moreover, how can such a scarce resource as paulownia black tea be left for many years?
《4》
National Day holiday, go out for tea.
Unexpectedly, I drank a bubble of black tea with a distinctly sour taste.
You know, sour black tea is not a good thing.
Either excessive fermentation or improper storage, such as external high temperature and sunlight refraction, so that tea leaves in the case of high temperature and high humidity, fermentation again.
The aroma dissipates, and the tea soup also carries a lingering sour taste, and the taste plummets.
After going back, I felt unhappy, took a bubble of last year's Zhengshan small seeds, and brewed it with a lid bowl.
As usual, boil water to make tea.
In an instant, the faint fragrance of flowers and fruits emanated from the lid bowl, and the surrounding fragrance was overflowing with fragrance and beauty.
Compared with this year's (2021) Zhengshan small seed, the aroma has become calm and restrained, but the soup is obviously thicker.
In fact, due to the unique climatic characteristics of paulownia, coupled with the exquisite traditional production process, the authentic Zhengshan small seeds, the tea soup of that year has shown an extraordinary sense of abundance.
Among the new black teas, it is a leader.
When you drink it the next year, its soup becomes thicker and smoother, more pulpy.
Of course, it is quite popular with tea lovers.
Especially tea customers who like the soup feeling of the pulp, you must not miss it, but you must also drink it in time.
If you miss the drinking period, the flavor does not increase but decreases, and the "flower and fruit aroma, guiyuan soup" is no longer there, but it becomes a clear soup and a lack of water, unremarkable.
Come to think of it, when you encounter such a situation, your heart must be depressed.
It is a pity to eat tasteless and abandon it!
《5》
Old white tea, precipitated over the years, carries the power of healing.
The calm medicinal fragrance, Chen xiang, rice grain incense, rice dumpling leaf fragrance, etc., with a fresh and mellow background color, refreshing the heart.
Old And Mature Pu, under the baptism of time, Chen Xiang Chen Yun is the favorite of many people.
However, the remaining other teas may not be suitable for the elderly.
The so-called "hoarding" in the hands of the tea keeper is likely to be an unsellable product, and the "old tea" is used as a gimmick sales means.
Different processes, different shelf life, different drinking standards.
If all the tea leaves in the world are on the same path, why should they be divided into six major categories of tea?
Old tea has the value of old tea, and new tea also has the freshness of new tea.
Black tea is not left in the middle, and it has become a worry to stay and stay.
Don't let your good tea become a burden and become inferior.
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Xiao chen tea village gu Chen, columnist, tea industry original new media "Xiao Chen tea matter" chief writer, has published a white tea monograph "White Tea Tasting Notes", 2016-2020 has written more than 4,000 original articles.