Why should you wake up tea when you drink Pu'er tea? How do you wake up Pu'er tea?

The so-called awakening tea is to let the tea "wake up". This method is generally only used when brewing those old teas that have been stored for a long time. Because, after long-term storage, especially Pu'er tea, due to the different storage environment, the components in the tea may become unstable, and the aroma and taste will also be weakened. By waking up the tea, the aromatic substances in the tea can be reactivated and restored to the best state, thereby improving the quality and taste of the tea soup.

So, how do you wake up Pu'er tea? Let's take a look at the key points and methods of waking up tea.

1. Why does Pu'er tea need to be awakened?

1. Removes miscellaneous odors

During the production and storage process of Pu'er tea, it may be contaminated with some miscellaneous smells, such as storage taste, earthy smell or other peculiar smells. The tea can be soaked and rinsed with water to remove these miscellaneous flavors, so that the pure aroma of the tea itself can be revealed.

1. Stimulates tea activity

After a long period of oxidation and aging, the internal components of Pu'er tea, especially aged tea, will tend to stabilize, but at the same time, it will also lose some of its activity. The process of waking up the tea leaves can bring the tea leaves back into contact with air and moisture, stimulate the active ingredients inside the tea leaves, and make the tea soup fuller and richer in taste.

1. Enhances aroma and taste

After the high-quality Pu'er tea is awakened, the aroma and taste will be significantly improved. During the storage of tea leaves, the aroma substances will gradually condense, and waking up the tea can effectively release these aromas, making the aroma of the tea soup more intense and long-lasting. At the same time, waking up tea can also make the taste of tea soup softer and smoother.

1. Reduces irritation

Freshly made Pu'er raw tea or some improperly stored ripe tea may be more irritating, resulting in an uncomfortable taste when drinking tea. By waking up the tea, it can relieve the irritation of the tea soup and make it milder in taste, which is suitable for more people to drink.

2. How to wake up tea?

1. Dry awake

Dry awakening refers to taking the tea leaves out of the sealed packaging and placing them in a ventilated, dry, and odorless environment, so that the tea leaves are naturally exposed to the air and breathe for a period of time. The specific steps are as follows:

• Choose a clean, odor-free tea tray or box and spread the tea leaves evenly.
• Place the tea tray in a ventilated, dry place away from direct sunlight.
• The dry waking time varies from a few days to a few weeks depending on the specific condition of the tea.

1. Wet awakening

Wet awakening refers to the rapid rinsing of tea leaves with hot water before formal brewing, so that the tea leaves can initially wake up. The specific steps are as follows:

• Prepare a tea set, generally using a purple clay pot, a gaiwan or a glass pot.
• Put the appropriate amount of tea leaves into the tea set, and control the amount of tea according to the amount of tea leaves and the size of the tea set.
• Rinse the tea set with hot water at 95°C-100°C, soak the tea leaves quickly, control the time at 5-10 seconds, and then pour the water out. In special cases, the tea can be washed twice.
• After waking up wet, the tea can be brewed and drunk.

1. Comprehensive waking tea

For some high-quality aged Pu'er tea, you can combine dry and wet awakening methods to carry out a comprehensive awakening of tea. First, dry wake for a period of time to make the tea fully contact with the air, and then wet wake before brewing to make the aroma and taste of the tea reach the best state.

3. The scientific principle of waking up tea

1. Physiognomy

The process of waking up tea is actually a process of physical action. During the storage period of tea, the aromatic substances and taste components inside the tea will gradually stabilize, through dry awakening and wet awakening, the tea can reabsorb the moisture and oxygen in the air, stimulate the active ingredients inside the tea, and improve the quality of the tea soup.

1. chemical reaction

The ingredients in tea will undergo a series of chemical reactions during storage to produce various aroma substances and taste components. By awakening the tea, the release and transformation of these ingredients can be promoted, so that the aroma of the tea soup is richer and the taste is richer. At the same time, waking up tea can also relieve some irritating ingredients and make the taste of tea soup milder.

1. Temperature effects

Temperature has a big influence on the ingredients in the tea leaves. During the wet awakening process, the action of hot water can accelerate the dissolution of aromatic substances and flavor components in the tea, making the aroma and taste of the tea soup more significant. At the same time, the right temperature can also help remove the miscellaneous flavors in the tea leaves, making the tea soup more pure.

Fourth, the precautions for waking up tea

1. Keep out of direct sunlight

In the process of dry awakening, the tea should be kept away from direct sunlight, so as not to cause the deterioration of the ingredients in the tea and affect the quality of the tea soup.

1. Control humidity

When drying up, the humidity of the storage environment should be moderate, too high humidity can easily lead to hygroscopic deterioration of tea, and too low humidity will affect the effect of tea awakening.

In short, as an important part of drinking Pu'er tea, the role of awakening tea cannot be ignored. By waking up the tea, it can remove the miscellaneous flavor in the tea leaves, stimulate the activity of the tea leaves, enhance the aroma and taste of the tea soup, reduce the irritation of the tea soup, and make the drinking experience of Pu'er tea more pleasant.

Whether it is dry or wet, it is to restore the tea to its best state and release the most mellow taste and aroma. Therefore, in the process of enjoying Pu'er tea, you may wish to spend more time and attention on waking up the tea, so that each cup of tea can bring a better drinking experience.