In the market, we can see that Pu'er tea is divided into loose tea and pressed tea in appearance, while ordinary pressed tea is divided into cake tea, Tuo tea, brick tea and so on.
How to choose whether Pu'er tea is better loose tea or cake tea? Don't be mistaken
In fact, most of the Pu'er tea that ordinary people see now is pressed tea in the form of cake tea, Tuo tea or brick tea, but there are relatively few loose teas circulating in foreign markets. This is because there is a certain difference between loose tea and cake tea, so how should you choose?
Pu'er tea in the form of cake tea, Tuo tea, square tea, brick tea and other forms is called "pressed tea", and the Pu'er tea is made into a pressed form for easy storage. On the contrary, it is loose tea, according to the old saying, one or two grades for loose tea, three or four grades for Tuo tea, seven or eight grades for cake tea, ninety grades for brick tea, and the current Pu'er tea, its appearance has nothing to do with its quality grade for a long time, there was indeed a difference in the past, but that was a long time ago, and now there is basically no difference.
After the tea cake is autoclaved, the tea body is tighter than loose tea, although its air permeability is not as good as loose tea, but it occupies a small tea storage space and reduces the cost of Tibetan tea. In the process of post-fermentation, the pressed tea can play a role in gathering the tea aroma, which can prevent the tea flavor from being dissipated too quickly, so that the fragrance of Pu'er tea can become more and more intense. Moreover, the temperature and humidity inside the pressed tea body are relatively stable, the aging is uniform and long-lasting, and it is more resistant to storage.
Loose tea can be in full contact with air in a short period of time to undergo oxidation reaction, to achieve a more ideal tasting effect, and also retain more original tea properties.
Which is better loose tea or pressed tea?
Loose tea also has its own advantages, the tea strips are complete and less broken, and the quality of the raw materials can be clearly seen. Because there is no reprocessing, it retains the original fragrance and sweetness, and it is easy to use, making it very suitable for daily drinking. After pressing the tea cake tea by autoclaving, into some shapes such as round cake, different sizes of Tuo type, square tea, brick tea, etc., the tea body is tighter than loose tea, although its air permeability is not as good as loose tea, but it occupies a small space for storing tea, which is conducive to a large amount of storage in a smaller space and reduces the cost of Tibetan tea.
In terms of taste, whether it is cake tea or loose tea, tea lovers may not feel much difference. The taste of new tea is fresh, if it is directly autoclaved at high temperature, the tea cake will have a stuffy green taste, but there are better natural post-fermentation conditions, and the taste will be better after a period of transformation, especially for raw tea. Because of the certain shape, the pressed tea has a certain ornamentality, and when drinking, it is more fun to play and appreciate than the loose tea known as "grass tea". What's more, Pu'er pressed tea is mostly in the form of "square" and "round", which cleverly embodies the philosophical idea of "the sky is round and the place is round" in traditional Chinese culture.
Loose tea and cake tea have their own merits, loose tea retains the original taste of tea leaves, and the taste is fresh, while pressed tea is generally suitable for storage, and the effect of drinking is better in the later stage. Tea lovers should choose the tea that suits them according to their personal situation when choosing tea.
As a ration tea, there is good storage and condition, on loose tea. If you want to focus on collecting for a long time, the pursuit of "the older the more fragrant", it is best to choose pressed bricks, cakes, and Tuo tea.