FAQs

Green tea has had a consumption history in China for more than 2000 years. The Chinese say "it is Ok to go with food for 3 days, but not without tea for a day".

The premium loose leaf green tea can be infused repeated for up to 5 times. One or two lots of the tea leaves is sufficient to supply one with enough fluid for a day. It is therefore almost impossible to consume 'too much' green tea.

The caution however should be taken by the following two groups of consumers:

1. Pregnant women. Based on the principle of 'drug free pregnancy', we recommend the pregnant women not to drink green tea or drink moderate amount due to the caffeine content.
2. People with iron deficiency anemia. Green tea polyphenols are considered to be inhibiting factors for iron absorption. Studies however have demonstrated that "as long as the absorption enhancing factors such as ascorbic acid and meat are at present, they overcome inhibition of iron absorption from even large amounts of tea". It is however recommended to "consume tea between meals instead of during the meal; simultaneously consume ascorbic acid and/or meat, fish and poultry."

Harvesting time is one of the determinants of green tea quality grade.

For example, the three quality grades (High, Premium and Exclusive) of our Dragon Well green tea are harvested from the exact same plants of the same planation, but during different periods:

• The exclusive grade is harvested during the pre or early Qing-Ming season (early spring of China). The tea leaves grow during the late winter when the weather is still cold. They take relatively longer to grow, thus store up more nutrients and flavonoids. The tea leaves are typically smaller. The tea brew is smoother, with more delicate aroma and flavour and longer and more powerful aftertaste.
• The High grade on the other hand is harvested during the late spring when the weather is warmer. The leaves typically grow faster and bigger, but do not have enough time to cumulate as much nutrients and flavour as above.
• The premium is harvested in between.

The ultimate quality of a green tea is of course still determined by many other factors discussed in the tea quality page, such as tea plants, plantation location and environment, seasonal factors such as the weather condition of year and the harvest season and tea making skills etc.

It is hard to tell ‘which is the greatest.’

This is how the green teas (in fact all teas) used to be consumed in China for a long time before the rapid development of modern transportation: teas were produced and consumed locally. For example, XingYang Mao Jian was the local tea of XingYang and almost all tea drinkers in the XingYang area drank Mao Jian. This is why we end up with 300+ green teas in China and only the locals know best about how to make their local teas, as a result of fine tuning the cultivation and processing skills for many generations. Different green teas have different appearance and taste differently. All Chinese teas are also quality graded, eg the top quality Dragon Well (Long-Jing) can fetch a market price 1000 times of a low quality one (not taking into account of the tea dust used for tea bags). As mentioned earlier, all green teas have their distinctive shapes, colours and tastes. Every tea drinker would has a different taste preference, like with all other foods, it is therefore hard to tell which one is the ‘greatest’.

Green tea the only class of teas that are unfermented

Teas (especially premium loose leaf teas) are categorised according to their degrees of fermentation/enzyme involved oxidisation during their processing. As a result, they all have their special post-production characteristics and require special consideration regarding their storage and preservation.

Green tea is the only class of teas that are unfermented and most of the premium green teas are made of tender tip leaves. The freshness of the green teas and its preservation is thus more crucial than any other categories of teas. I have witnessed a top grade Dragon Well green tea being stored inadequately (in a normal kitchen cabinet for years) - the quality was so severely reduced that it was really no value left for consumption.

At Valley Green Tea, we:

• Vacuum seal the teas at the sourcing location
• Air freight our supplies
• Refrigerate green teas at our local storage

The difference is evident:

• There is a clear difference in the appearance as demonstrated in the image (left - Dragon Well supplied by Valley Green Tea; right - a Dragon Well from a different supplier)
• The aroma of the dry leaves is fresh, elegant and potent
• The brew is filled with pure and fresh aroma, liquid clear and refreshing with a lingering after taste.

Question:

I am a 6-7 large-mugs-a-day Green Tea drinker, and after visiting your marvellous website, fear I am missing out - as I am currently only a Green Tea bag drinker :( I am therefore greatly interested in the loose leaf, and was considering trying the An Ji White Tea, yet the Dragon Well and Mao Jian also sound appealing. Can you perhaps recommend a Green Tea to me – as I am clearly new to loose leaf teas?

Answer:

The reason that the tea bags are rarely of good quality is that the broken leaves are heavily and rapidly oxidised when they are extensively exposed to the oxygen in the air (please note: this oxidisation is different from the enzyme triggered oxidisation during the Oolong and black tea processing). When the teas leaves are oxidised, they become bitter and tea brew rough in texture. The tea sorting process is in the sequence of: whole leaves -> fanning -> dust. The teas then are graded within each category based on their quality grade. Tea bags are made of the tea dust only and the whole leaves are never crushed into dust to make tea bags.

Generally speaking, loose leaf teas (including green tea) are of higher quality, although there are some exceptions:

• There are low quality loose leaf teas due to all the variants contribute to high or low quality teas: cultivation of the plants, harvest time, processing skills, adequate storage etc.
• There have been new technologies developed to manufacture whole leaf teas into tea bags, such as pyramid tea bags. The quality of these tea bags are close to the loose leaf teas (with small variations).

The differences in summary:

• Loose leaf teas are generally less bitter with smoother texture
• Loose leaf teas are more refreshing, lingering and aromatic
• Nutrients wise, fresh loose leaf teas contain higher level of anti-oxidants

Recommendation of green teas to loose leaf tea beginners

We would recommend to start from some Chinese classic green teas, such as the Dragon Well (Long Jing), Bi Luo Chun (spring snail) or Mao Feng. There are subtle differences and everyone has a different preference. The only way to find out what is yours is by trying.

Green tea is a beverage that has been consumed in China for more than 2000 years. From a culture point of view, green tea is the Chinese people's daily fluid intake, male or female, pregnant or not. From medical point of few, drug free pregnancy is the principle. Since green tea does contain 1/4 of a cup of coffee's caffeine, we therefor recommend to drink in moderate amount - not more than 2 cups a day.

Herbal tea is classified as teas made of all other ingredients apart from Camellia sinensis leaves. They can be any plant parts such as leaves, flower, fruit, bark or roots. Herbal tea do not normally contain caffeine.

Green tea is made of Camellia sinensis leaves. The difference between a green tea and a black tea is that green tea is unfermented while black tea is fully fermented. Green tea therefore is not classified as a herbal tea.

Similar to all other teas, green tea contains about 1/4 of caffeine of the equivalent amount of coffee. The dynamics of caffeine contained in green tea is somehow different from coffee: tea drinking (moderate amount) gives a clear mind and a calm body, without causing agitation like coffee.

Question:

I have heard that drinking green tea is good for health. I purchased some tea bags from the supermarket, and I did not like the taste at all (bitter and rough). Are all green teas like that?

Answer:

Premium green teas should not be bitter at all, or if slightly bitter but quickly turns into a sweet and refreshing aftertaste (回甘). The reason most of the tea bags taste bitter is because they are mostly made of low quality teas and severely oxidised due to the increased surface of the broken leaf edges

The general understanding is that it is almost impossible to drink too much green tea.

Based on average daily fluid intake, however, anywhere between 3-8 cups is a reasonable amount.

Tea consumers new to Oolong tea might get confused between the An-Xi Tie Guan Yin and Taiwan high mountain rolled Oolong. Following are some of the similarities and differences.

Taiwan Oolong tea making is similar to An-Xi Tie Guan Yin in many aspects

• Relatively green compared to some other Oolong teas, such as Wuyi rock teas or Oriental Beauty
• Rolled into tight pearl shapes
• Refreshing aroma and smooth texture

The differences

• Different growing conditions: being on an island, the premium Taiwan Oolong tea plantations are situated on high-altitude mountains with relatively cold temperatures, heavy mist, and short sunshine. The Fujian An-Xi Tie Guan Yin, on the other hand, is grown in the An-Xi area of the Fujian province on mainland China. The weather condition is classically 15-18°C on average with humidity above 78% and soil pH 4.5-5.6.
• Different plant species. The Taiwan Oolong tea leaves are bigger, fuller, and stronger compared to the An-Xi Tie Guan Yin varieties.
• Taiwan Oolong teas are more fermented than An-Xi Tie Guan Yin. The upfront taste of Taiwan Oolong is less floral compared to Tie Guan Yin.
• An-Xi Tie Guan Yin has more of a floral aroma, while Taiwan Oolong is well known for its intense lingering aftertaste.
• Taiwan high mountain Oolong has more repeat steeping potential – it can be repeatedly steeped up to 6 times (by simply topping up with hot water), instead of 3-4 times for Fu-Jian Tie Guan Yin.

Oolong tea originated from the Wu Yi area of the Fu-Jian Province in southeastern China over a thousand years ago. It has since been adopted and modified into various local specialties outside of Fu-Jian, such as the Phoenix Single Bush of the Guang-Dong Province and the Taiwan high mountain Oolong of Taiwan.

Tea production is a multi-factor art, and elements such as tea plant species, area of cultivation, altitude of plantation, annual rainfall, sunshine, and soil condition of the area all affect the production of the crops. The next stage of tea production is then determined by the skill put forth in the tea processing.

Taiwan high mountain Oolong is defined as Oolong teas produced in Taiwan on plantations at least 1000 meters above sea level, rolled into a semi-ball/pearl shape, and vacuum sealed. 

The classic conditions of these plantations are low temperature, heavy mist/fog, and short sunlight periods. The tea leaves produced are typically low in catechin (the source of bitterness and astringency), soft and thick, with a high level of pectin. The dry leaves are rich dark green in color. The tea brew is bright yellow, aromatic with a silky and mellow texture, and has an intense refreshing aftertaste.

Absolutely!

The Chinese say it is OK not to have food for 3 days, but not to be without tea for a day. 

Like all other Chinese teas, green tea, yellow tea, Oolong tea, Pu-erh tea, or Hei Cha, and white tea consumption is their daily life in certain parts of China, especially in the Fujian Province. 

Over and above the fluid provision part of the white tea consumption, white tea also offers numerous health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory properties and reducing the risk of coronary cardiovascular diseases. 

White tea is a time-tested healthy beverage. 

The challenge is to find a good supplier.  Due to its high demand and limited production, it seems all tea merchants are supplying white teas these days. The quality, however, varies greatly.

Absolutely.

Jasmine tea has been consumed in China for nearly 800 years, especially in certain regions such as the Fuzhou area of the Fujian province. Tea is food in China. They value their teas more than some other essentials - "It is OK to go without food for 3 days, but not without tea for a day."

Teas, including Jasmine tea, are a great way of getting daily fluid with additional health benefits. The loose-leaf Jasmine teas can be repeatedly infused up to five times; 5 cups is about the amount of fluid one needs a day.

Not all Pu-erh teas age well. 

Following are the three elements that play crucial roles in a Pu-erh tea's conversion, especially at the late stage: 

• The quality of the tea leaves. Most of the Pu-erh tea consumers would have heard of Pu-erh hills (山头茶). Different areas of the Yunnan Province produce different tea trees. The crops harvested vary in their qualities. A low quality tea can never turn into a premium one no matter how much it is aged. 
• The processing of the tea leaves. A good method will maximize the potentials for the late conversion/aging. 
• Storage conditions. Bad storage conditions can damage Pu-erh teas permanently. (eg, moldy conditions) 

I have a client who recently asked me to put a Pu-erh tea 'profile' sample pack together for him, as he is trying to self-educate. I had to point it out that it is an almost impossible task: the exact same product can display completely different characteristics under different storage conditions after a certain period of time; the teas harvested in the same area/hills in the same year can taste very different if made by different manufacturers or stored under different conditions (eg Yunnan vs. Malaysia) or of different ages.

There are many factors that can affect the nature of a Pu-erh product at any point in time. The only way for a consumer to find out if it is a tea for him/her is to try it out, by free sample or purchasing a small amount if there are sample packs. Once a tea is considered to be value for money for one's taste, stock some. You might find a product that was exactly the same when produced, but rarely the same after many years stored under various conditions.

There is a tradition to attach a piece of paper called Nei-Fei (内飞) to a Pu-erh tea cake/brick with some brief information about the making of the cake. The Nei-Fie is normally superficially embedded on the top of a cake under a thin layer of the tea leaves (as shown in the image). The paper is often difficult to remove, as it has been compressed under a thin layer of the tea leaves when the cakes were made and glued to the cake by the tea glue released during the steaming and compression (which also glues the tea leaves together into a cake).

A quick and easy way to remove the paper:

• Do NOT attempt to remove the paper when it is dry
• Break up the Pu-erh cakes as usual and break off the amount of the tea leaves you would normally use for a tea section
• Put the piece/pieces with the Nei-Fei attached in the tea vessel for brewing, a pot, a mug, or a Gaiwan, add hot water to it, and sit for about 10 seconds.
• Remove the tea from the hot water and leave it on a plate to cool down.
• The paper now can be easily removed with a sharp object, such as a fork or a Pu-erh knife.

The different scents of a ripened (Shou) Pu-erh

Ou-Dui (渥堆) scent: a scent left from the speed fermentation of a ripened Pu-erh tea.

Wet storage scent: to accommodate the popular interest of highly aged Pu-erh tea in certain areas, such as Hong Kong and Guang-Dong, certain Pu-erh vendors use wet or semi-wet storage to further ‘speed cook’ ripened Pu-erh. They then store these Pu-erh in dry storage for a couple of years for the ‘wet storage scent’ to evaporate, but they are still left with a strong wet storage scent.

The difference between a Ou-Dui scent and a wet storage scent

The Ou-Dui scent is strong when a ripened Pu-erh is first produced but fades with time. It typically has a dry and burning sensation when consumed, with a soil-like, fishy smell.

Wet-storage Pu-erh scent, on the other hand, is typically stuffy and rancid. It may weaken with time, but it will never be completely gone. Some describe it as a mushroom smell.

It is a common practice to Ou-dui Pu-erh tea leaves and store the fermented leaves in the loose state for 3-5 years before compressing them into a cake or Tuo Cha. The main reason for this is that the air space in loose teas facilitates the evaporation of the Ou-dui odor, which is considered to be a major negative factor for a ripened Pu-erh tea.

The age factor is the main consideration when purchasing Pu-erh tea today. Remember, the date on the back of the package (production date) is not always the harvest year.

Bad taste of a Pu-erh

When a ripened (shou) pu-erh is freshly made, most of the quality is covered by the sense and taste left from their quick fermentation, Ou-Dui (渥堆).

Timeline for consumption

The first part of a ripened Pu-erh's aging is therefore to allow the Ou-Dui taste and odor to evaporate. Following is a timeline for their conversion and consumption:

• After 2-3 years most of the Ou-Dui odour would have evaporated
• 3-5 year, the OU-Dui residual taste disappears almost completely
• A ripened Pu-erh would reach its ageing peak at around 10-15 years after production
• Ageing value starts declining after the peak

The unique characteristic of Pu-erh - ageing

Unlike all other categories of Chinese teas, Pu-erh tea's quality and value increase with time. This is mainly the result of the plant species used in Pu-erh: arbor tea trees instead of tea bushes and their processing methods.

A minimum period of 2 years after production is recommended for both raw (Sheng) or ripened (Shou) Pu-erh before their consumption.

Conditions required for the long-term storage of Pu-erh teas

To achieve the optimal results of the long-term Pu-erh aging, the storage environment needs to meet the following conditions: dry, ventilated, and absence of light and foreign odors. Bamboo leaves are not only in abundant supply in the local areas (the Yunnan Province), but they also offer a natural protection to the Pu-erh teas while meeting all the above conditions. These protective effects are not matchable by any man-made materials. 

Bamboo plants have played an irreplaceable role in the civilisation of Chinese history. Pu-erh tea wrapping is just one of many.

Pu-erh Mao Cha (毛茶) is a term used to describe the harvested tea leaves that have gone through the basic processing such as withering, rubbing, Sha-Qing (killing green), drying, and sorting, but before the final staging of fine-tuning such as steaming, compressing, and packaging.

Pu-erh loose tea is effectively Pu-erh Mao Cha.

It is well understood among the Pu-erh tea drinkers now that the older a Pu-erh tea is, the better the quality.  

Like many other foods, maturity is part of their quality; however, such as red wines, they have also all got their quality peak; some are right now, and others are way in the future, especially for a plant product such as Pu-erh tea. Once the peak has been reached and passed, the quality will start deteriorating.

An example of this is that some pu-erh teas (can be of any age) are first sweet and aromatic but become flat and plain with time.

Suo Hou (锁喉) is a sign of poor quality pu-erh. It is a sensation of 'sandy,' 'tight,' or roughness in the throat when drinking. It is more likely to happen to ripened Pu-erh, often caused by inadequate fermentation (Ou-Dui 渥堆) or storage (eg. wet storage). The Suo Hou sensation of a Pu-erh could be reduced through aging but is most unlikely to be eliminated.

Understand the very basics of Pu-erh shapes

To understand the difference, we need to start from understanding the teas were compressed into different shapes initially as a means for convenient transportation, but not to achieve different tastes. The different pu-erh tea-producing areas of Yunnan have different local traditions regarding the shapes to compress, eg Xia Guan is known to produce Tuo Cha, although it also produces cakes and bricks.

The differences:

With this understanding, the following are some end result variations:

1. If we say we used exactly the same crop for loose, Tuo Cha, bricks, and cakes, the strength in flavour from light to strong: loose -> Tuo Cha -> cake and brick. This is largely due to the fermentation level affected by the surface areas in contact with the air and oxygen. (Loose most and cake/brick least.)
2. Big manufacturers, such as Da Yi and Xia Guan, these days compress cakes using leaves/crops from different sources and areas. Some relatively cheap cakes even use lower-grade leaves inside and ‘cover’ the surface with a layer of higher-grade leaves for the purpose of appealing to the consumers.
3. The traditional bricks are made of a greater proportion of twigs and tea dust than cakes or Tuo Cha.
4. Regardless of the shape, all high-quality Pu-erh should own up to a high-quality Pu-erh’s characteristics.

There are six main categories of Chinese teas, classified based on the degrees of fermentation. The first five categories are more or less clear-cut: Green tea, white tea, Yellow tea, Oolong tea and black tea.

There are, however, some confusions around the 6th category. As we know by now, the Chinese Red Tea (红茶) is equivalent to the black tea in English, and the Chinese Black Tea (Hei Cha 黑茶) is referring to a group of teas that are compressed and fully fermented, typical examples being Fu Brick (Fu Zhuan 茯转) and Liu Bao tea. So where does Pu-erh tea sit?

I have come across different tea books with various definitions for the sixth category:

1. Compressed tea. By this definition, Pu-erh tea and Chinese Black Tea (Hei Cha 黑茶) should all belong to this sixth category, as they are mostly compressed, and any other tea that is compressed.
2. Chinese Black Tea (Hei Cha 黑茶). With this definition, technically only the fully fermented ripened (Shou熟) Pu-erh belongs to this category. The newly produced/unfermented raw (Sheng生) tea is more of a green tea, and the aged raw (Sheng生) Pu-erh may even be part of the Oolong tea group (classified as semi-fermented).

The next question is therefore, do we really need to know what tea category Pu-erh tea belongs to? By the end of the day, the only thing really matters to a tea consumer is to discover his/her cup of tea, regardless of what categories they belong to. 

Please join us for a discussion or shared experiences at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/puerhtealovers

The answer is not necessarily. I have always assimilated this to wines. A good premium wine, as we know, can have aging potential due to the biochemical changes that naturally occur. A low-quality wine can only turn into vinegar.

The sample principle applies to Pu-erh tea. Like all classes of Chinese teas, Pu-erh tea has many quality grade depending the plantation where the leaves are harvested, the tea-making skills of the processors, storage, etc.

The changes of a premium Pu-erh tea with age include:

1. Reduction of the rough texture caused by the raw and big new leaves—from rough to mellowing
2. Yielding a unique pu-erh aroma and flavour, described as earthy and woody, yet not muddy with a trace of fruit or nut flavour depending on the variety
3. The tea brew colour gradually turn darker into bright amber

A few hints:

1. A raw pu-erh has better aging value than a ripened pu-erh
2. Compressed form of Pu-erh tea, should it be cake, brick or Tuo-Cha, facilitate the post-fermentation
3. A raw pu-erh will not turn into a ripened Pu-erh with time (misconception)
4. There is no maximum time for aging, but it is generally believed a tea should be consumed within the 20-30 years of its production

Question:

Also, what method was used to process the Pu-erh teas eg. sun dried or oven cooked or pan fry for the raw teas? As I understand, this affects aging.

Answers:

This is weather dependent during the harvesting season. The Pu-erh leaves are sun-dried when the weather is fine and the sun is out, but they are oven-dried under the rainy weather conditions. 

Question:

I would like to know the aging potential of the raw and cooked stuff (Pu-erh) that you have (premium only).

Answers:

A raw Pu-erh has a rather different aging direction from a ripened one: 

1. The raw (Sheng) pu-erh tea definitely has more aging/quality improvement potential than the ripened pu-erh teas. The green tea leaves are unfermented after production and age/ferment with time. Both the dry leaves and tea brew will become darker, and the tea normally becomes more aromatic, mellow, and smooth. 
2. The ripened (shou) pu-erh tea, on the other hand, however, is already fermented at production. The main purpose of its aging is to allow the Ou-Dui (speed fermentation) odor to evaporate with time, thus only the natural Pu-erh aroma is preserved. The fermentation potential is therefore not nearly as big as a raw pu-erh tea. 

We offer various grades of Pu-rh teas as listed on our online store. 
Pu-erh tea's grading is somewhat different from other categories of Chinese teas, as there are more variations in the following area:

• plantation location and altitude 
• Pu-erh tea tree age
• harvesting time
• processing skills
• raw (sheng) or ripened (cooked, Shou) Pu-erh
• storage conditions
• age

With the combination of all the above, Pu-erh tea quality grades sometimes can be confusing even for longtime consumers. 

We strongly advise starting with small amounts, samples, or small packages. Only start collecting once you have gained certain basic knowledge about Pu-erh tea and know what your preferred Pu-erh teas are. 

Please join our Facebook Pu-erh tea group for further discussion: https://www.facebook.com/groups/puerhtealovers

Question: We are currently enjoying our loose Pu-erh tea both raw and ripened as a lighter refreshing alternative to Oolong tea in the warmer weather. We are keen to try the traditional cakes of Pu-erh but seek your advice as to whether we should start with the Pu-erh mini tuocha (raw) and the Pu-erh mini tuocha (ripened), or whether we should start with Pu-erh tea petite raw cake (100g) and Pu-erh Tuocha Ripened (100g).

Answer: Pu-erh tea was originally made into cakes to facilitate its transportation and post-fermentation. I personally prefer the traditional cakes; therefore, I would recommend the 100g petite cake and Tuocha. The mini Tuocha (and loose pu-erh tea), however, has the advantage of being smaller in volume and convenient to prepare.

Question: I have also read your Pu-erh tea preparation and storage guide.
Does the "quickly and thoroughly rinse the tea without soaking" advice apply to the loose tea as well, or only to the cakes?

I have been preparing the loose Pu-erh the same way I prepare Oolong, Dragon Well, Yellow, and White teas and have not experienced the "tea colour being too dark (like soy sauce) and taking on a medicinal-like flavor."

Answer: This is very much an experiment and improvement process. Rinsing is strongly recommended as pu-erh tea is an aged tea and has normally been stored for a long period regardless if it is in the loose, tuocha, or cake form. Both raw and ripened teas have the potential to be quite strong if brewed for longer than what is needed. Only reduce the brewing time or the tea leaf volume used when you find your tea brew to be too strong.

Question

'I am in China at the moment and trying out some of their teas as I usually do when I'm here. I am sampling some of the green Pu-erh tea, and I enjoy it. Was wondering what grade your Pu-erh tea was... ie. tips only, or leaves? twigs? I'm looking forward to ordering more of your tea in the future as it is of the finest quality that I have tried thus far. thanks.'

Answer

Different leaves for different teas

The tea leaves used for Pu-erh tea are somehow different from the others:

1. Good quality green tea and white tea are made of very young top tip leaves (not more than top three leaves). The quality decreases with including leaves further down the branches. These teas are light, refreshing with exquisite complex aftertaste.
2. Oolong teas (semi-fermented) on the other hand, are made of more mature tea leaves. They are richer in color and brew and tend to be more aromatic with smoother texture.
3. Pu-erh tea is different again. The tea leaves are harvested from tea trees, other than shrubs (even though they are from the same group of plants, Camellia sinensis) and the tea leaves are much bigger, up to 25 cm (compared to 2-3 cm for other tea leaves).

Pu-erh tea leaves

Pu-erh teas that are made of young tea leaves and mature tea leaves often head to different directions:

1. Very young tip leaves are often made into lose leaf tea. The appearance will be: very fine tip tea leaves covered by glossily gold color down. The description used for the taste of these teas is 'mellow with depth', sometimes these teas could be slightly bitter, but very refreshing. These teas are often quite expensive, it is scarce in China, and even rarer overseas. (Caution: not all loose leaf pu-erh tea is of high quality. )
2. The Pu-erh tea cakes (or balls & bricks) are often made of mature leaves. The description used for these teas aged are 'mellow and smooth'. The mature tea leaves, event twigs (adequate amount) contain certain fragrant substances that play an important part during the post-fermenting process to produce the aged Pu-erh tea’s richly aroma and mellowing taste.

In summary, Pu-erh tea made of mature leaves is not necessary of low quality like the other teas. It is one of the teas that it takes time and patience to experience the different varieties and choice that one you prefer.

The difference between raw and ripened pu-erh tea

The difference between raw (生 Sheng) and ripened (熟 Shou) pu-erh tea is that the ripened pu-erh has gone through a speed fermenting process (Wo Dui), and raw pu-erh has not. The health benefits of the two are similar; the main difference is in the taste: the raw pu-erh tea is more refreshing (more like green tea to a certain degree), while ripened pu-erh has a smoother texture.

Recommendations

We recommend the tea drinker who prefers a cup of refreshing green tea to purchase raw pu-erh tea and the one who enjoys a pot of smooth, full-bodied black tea to purchase ripened pu-erh tea.

There are various stages of Qian Liang Cha and Bai Liang Cha's aging. 

The taste starts turning sweet and mellow after 5 years and shows a unique aged woody flavor after 10 years. 

For weight loss: 3-5 tea bags a day in between meals.

Herbal health tea: Our lotus herbal slimming tea is made of 6 herbal ingredients, all with their own individual health benefits, such as reducing blood cholesterol levels, enhancing the body's immune system and cancer prevention, regulating the neurological system, and many more. Many of our long-term consumers use this herbal tea, 1-2 tea bags a day, as a means of fluid intake (instead of coffee or sugar-rich beverages) and daily cleansing.

Certain fermented teas, such as the semi-fermented Oolong tea and post-fermented Pu-erh tea, have been reported to have slightly higher efficiency in assisting in weight loss. The difference is, however, minimum. The one we recommend most is the Lotus Leaf herbal tea - Natural Shape. It contains Oolong tea together with 5 other herbs recorded in Chinese medicine to be used to treat obesity. It is equivalent to a herbal weight loss recipe with a higher level of efficiency.

Question: There is a lot in the media about how tea drinking helps to reduce weight. I am sure some are excessively exaggerated.  Is there any truth in it, and how much do I need to drink to be able to see the effect?

Answers: There is enough scientific evidence to suggest teas, from the unfermented green tea to the fully fermented black tea, are all beneficial for weight control.  (This site has many research results: PubMed.) The mechanisms are not fully understood. The suggested ones include reducing appetite for fatty food, increasing metabolism rate, and increasing energy expenditure. There is weak evidence indicating the fermented teas such as Oolong tea (semi-fermented) and Pu-erh tea (post-fermenting tea) are slightly more effective than unfermented green teas when it comes to weight control. I personally would not select the teas based on this principle. I would suggest trying a selection of teas and choosing the ones you like most. Teas are to be enjoyed first. If you enjoy drinking your tea(s), 2-5 cups per day is a normal intake, and the weight benefits will come with it. Remember, tea is a beverage but not medicine.

For those who wish to lose more than a few kilograms, we recommend a herbal tea that is designed for the slimming purpose: lotus leaf herbal slimming tea. This is a tea that is made of a few herbs (including Oolong tea) that are used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat obesity. It is a herbal recipe to reduce body fat deposits.

For those who are visiting this page, I expect you have experienced what is in the image – tea stains. Tea stains are inevitable for the regular tea consumers, especially for those who like dark teas, such as some Oolong, black tea, Hei Cha or Pu-erh tea.

Following are some quick, economic, and safe ways to remove the tea stains:

• Bi-carb soda is the cheapest and safest cleaning agent around. Apply a small amount and rub with a sponge or brush with a toothbrush if inside a teapot. The stains are gone in no time without causing any harm to the tea vessel.
• Sault. Apply a small amount and rub with a sponge.
• Lemon peel. Soak the tea vessel with the stains in warm water with lemon peel in it for a few hours before brushing.
• Coke or soda water are good cleaning agents due to the acidic nature of the solution.
• Powder detergents such as Jif in Australia are extremely effective. Use the unscented ones and avoid using them on unglazed and porous materials such as Yixing Zisha.

Question:

We have seen it at the tea demonstrations and ceremonies where hot water is added and then disposed of. Is this ceremonial or does it have a purpose?

Reasons for tea rinsing:

There are valid reasons that loose tea leaves should be rinsed, and the Chinese have been practicing this for a long time. The reasons are:

1. All loose-leaf teas are hand-handled at some stage. 100% handmade teas are still considered to be the best in China now. Tea rinsing with hot water eliminates, or at least significantly reduces, the potential contamination from hand handling and storage after their production.
2. For aged teas such as Pu-erh tea, we recommend rinsing the tea leaves with hot water at least a couple of times before brewing. These teas have been conventionally and intentionally stored in a storeroom for a long time, with the notion the more aged they are, the better the quality as a result of their post-fermentation nature. The potential for dust contamination increases with time.
3. The peak of a tea flavor lies at the second or third infusion for teas made of young leaves (eg green tea or white tea); the 2nd-4th infusions for teas made of mature leaves such as Oolong teas; and the 3rd-6th for aged teas such as pu-erh tea. The rinsing water is almost flavorless if done as recommended—infused for about 10 seconds only.

How to rinse tea:

Simply add hot water to the tea vessel where the tea is to be brewed, leave it for about 10 seconds, and dispose of the water. You can then add hot water to start the tea brewing process.

Question: They say loose-leaf tea is always better than tea bags, but tea bags are convenient. Could brewing loose-leaf tea be made easy?

Answer: Convenience is important, especially for the busy contemporary working class. There are a couple of ways of making a cup of loose-leaf tea with almost the same level of convenience as the tea bags:

1. For certain teas, for example jasmine pearl tea, it takes only a tea mug to brew the tea. Put the pearls in the mug, and add hot water until the 'pearls' open up and the leaves sink to the bottom.  Drink the tea from above and keep adding water to it until the flavor no longer exists.
2. A tea infuser is ideal for both home and office. It has an upper component where the tea is brewed (equivalent to a tea bag).  When the tea is brewed, release the valve and either drink from or serve using the outside glass cup. The advantage of this infuser is that not only is it a teapot and cup all in one, but it also allows the control of tea brewing time (to avoid the tea leaves being soaked in the liquid unnecessarily).

Questions: What are the quality grades of your Yixing pots, and what proportion of them are handmade? I love these pots, and from my experience they make the best tea, but I'm so tired of seeing good fakes passed off as the real thing or badly made pots sold as "premium." I am more than happy to pay for a good pot, and I am more than happy to pay the right price for an average pot.

Answer: Depending on the teapots you are interested in. All our Zi Sha teapots are made of genuine Zi Sha (purple sand). The handmade proportion ranges between 20% and 90+%, which correlates to the prices to a large degree. I am very aware there are doggy ones on the market labelled as genuine handmade Zi Sha teapots. We offer high-quality images taken from the products, and you can have an idea of the Zi Sha grains and texture from the images. And if you are not happy with the products (I can honestly say we have not had one single return on these teapots, but we have had positive feedback) after their purchase, we will refund upon the safe return of the product. 

The direct translation of Yun (韻) to English is rhyme. It is, however, definitely not talking about music in teas.

Yun is used to describe certain sensations in teas, different from aroma or flavor. Following are some classic tea Yuns:

• High mountain Yun (高山韻)
• Wildness Yun (山野韵) 
• Rock Yun (岩韻) 
• Honey Yun (蜜韻) 
• Aged Yun (陈韵) 
• Yun of Elegance (雅韵) 
• Rock sugar Yun (冰糖韵)

Where do Yuns exist

Not all teas have all the above Yuns.  High mountain Yun (高山韻) is to describe the pure, elegant, and refreshing sensation existing in teas grown in high-altitude mountains, such as green teas, Taiwan high mountain Oolong, certain white teas and Pu-erh teas; Rock Yun (岩韻) is a unique Yun associated with premium Wu Yi rock teas (a sub-category of Oolong grown in the rocky mountains of the Wuyi area) that is dry, floral, and refreshing; Aged Yun (陈韵) is to describe the woody/earthy/medicinal sensation developed with time, unique to the aged teas, such as Pu-erh, aged white teas, or Hei Cha; Honey Yun (蜜韻) is typically found in high-grade Oolong, white teas, and Pu-erh teas.

Final note, when "yuns" are used to describe the different sensations in teas, they are pleasant, elegant, refreshing, lingering, and soothing. Eg, I would not call the sensation of walking into a herbal clinic ‘aged Yun.’

Teas are classified as alkaline foods, even though tea brews are slightly acidic. 

The classification of an alkaline or acidic food is based on the substances produced after they have been digested and metabolized in the human body. The ones that produce more cations, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, are considered alkaline foods. The ones that produce more anions, such as sulfur or phosphorus, are considered acidic foods. 

With regard to the tea brew, oolong teas and black teas are slightly more acidic than green teas. 

Question: Do different drinking cup materials (plastic, China, metal) affect the taste of the tea?

Answer: Yes. Premium teas are very delicate in their aroma and taste. It is very easy for them to be contaminated by the odors and tastes in their environment, eg plastic and metal. The flavorless, odorless, and high-temperature-resilient materials such as glass and ceramic tea cups are the best. With regard to the teapots for brewing, the unglazed clay teapot, such as the Yixing Zisha teapot, can significantly enhance the flavour if done properly. Cautions are, however, needed to clean thoroughly and season with the tea that the teapot is intended to use for if the teapot is new, as the ‘new clay’ can also contaminate the tea taste.

Bubble tea is a milk tea drink believed to have originated from Taiwan.

The tea is typically made of teas with relatively strong flavors such as black tea or jasmine tea, with milk and the jelly pearls added. These jelly pearls offer the tea a unique texture. The drink is extremely popular among the young sector of the population.

There have been, however, recent health concerns regarding the drink, for example, the sugar content and a ‘clouding agent DEHP’ a few years ago.

There are various ways to use up these marvelous plant leaves, even after they are consumed in a beverage.

1. Combined them and dried them in the sun thoroughly. For green tea, white tea, Oolong tea, black tea, Pu-erh tea, or jasmine tea, there is no need to separate them.
2. Stuff them for a tea leaf pillow; not only does it produce a nice dry tea aroma, but it also makes an excellent air purifier as it absorbs all the odors of the bedroom.
3. Put them in a fridge to absorb the unwanted odors and moisture
4. Excellent as organic compost for the garden
5. You can combine the above, eg 2 and 4.

The recent increased interest in teas

There has been a recent surge in the interest in premium teas both in China and worldwide. Regulated by demand and supply, the tea industry in China has gone through some significant changes as a result. One of these changes is to resume harvesting from certain abandoned tea gardens.

Reason of tea gardens being abandoned

Many tea gardens have been abandoned in various parts of China in the past, mainly due to not being profitable. These tea gardens were left in the wild to take their natural course without being visited and attended for decades.

An increase in demand causes price hike

As the result of the recent increase in tea prices, for example:

• white teas recorded a 10-20% price hike in 2018 after a 10-35% increase in 2017.
• Pu-erh tea rocketed from a traditional folk tea to a shining star—a kilogram of Lao Ban Zhang fetched 50,000 USD in 2017

The tea farmers have resumed harvesting from these ‘abandoned’ tea gardens.

Differences between the normal cultivated teas vs abandoned tea garden teas

The crops harvested from these ‘abandoned’ tea gardens are believed to be of better quality than the conventionally cultivated tea garden teas due to the following reasons:

• The tea plants have gone through the natural selection of the natural environment, with only the strong ones surviving.
• No fertilizer or pesticides have been used for a long time (many decades)
• The tea trees/bushes are of a certain age, older than the newly cultivated tea gardens. They therefore have stored up abundant nutrients from many years of growing in the ‘semi-wild’ environment.

The tea produced from these tea gardens is of higher market value/price:

• They are believed to have the benefits of both wild-grown tea trees (strong, potent, and robust, but can be bitter and astringent) and cultivated teas (aromatic and soft, but thinner and lacking internal depth).
• Difficult to harvest due to the ‘semi-wild’ environment, therefore lower production rate.

The ‘abandoned tea gardens teas’ are practically on a hot boil for two teas currently, both of which age and increase in value with aging: white tea and Pu-erh tea.

This is a question that I have been asked repeatedly by both experienced and naive tea drinkers.

Fermentation is the key

The answer to the question is probably simpler than what is expected: teas are categorised largely based on one crucial aspect during the tea processing, which is fermentation.

Teas have been consumed in China for more than 2000 years. The traditional tea-producing areas have all developed their own skills to process their local teas: cultivate and harvest the teas under the local environmental conditions, and produce the teas that are suitable for consumption with the local diet and climate. Thus, a big variety of teas have been created. For example, there are more than 300 green teas alone produced in China.

Chinese teas on a scale

Tea processing is a highly skillful process with many steps and crafts, and mastering them is crucial to producing the quality end products. There is, however, one aspect that differentiates the various classes of teas, which is the level of fermentation. Tea fermentation can be viewed as a scale:

• The scale starts from one end where the teas are not fermented at all—this includes all the green teas
• The other end of the scale includes teas that are fully fermented - all black teas
• In the mid is the class called Oolong tea. Oolong teas are semi-fermented. There are many teas in this family and different Oolong teas are fermented to various degrees. For example, Tie Guan Ying Oolong tea is less fermented than Wu Yi Oolong.
• The in-between categories: White tea: lightly fermented but least processed; there is no rubbing, pressing, or rolling of the tea leaves during the tea making. Yellow tea: lightly fermented with an additional step called ‘Wo Huang' - a deliberate prolonging of a green tea leaf sitting stage to turn the leaves into a deeper yellow color. Pu-erh tea (compressed tea): the teas are partially fermented when made and continue to ferment after their production.

The level of fermentation has a profound effect on a tea’s appearance, aroma, brew color, texture, and taste.

Question: Which of your teas would be especially good for iced tea when the weather warms up?

I'm still enjoying the Big Red Robe, Keemun, and Ripe Pu-erh teas, which you sent earlier. So a stronger-tasting iced tea would suit me, I think.

Answer: All teas can be made into iced teas. The trick is not to soak the leaves in it: make the tea in a pot -> Remove the leaves. -> Chill the tea in the fridge. -> Serve.

It is therefore more a task of picking the tea with the flavour that you like to have for your iced tea. (The only difference being one is served hot and the other chilled.)

It all depends on how often you drink your tea and how strong you like your tea to be. The consumption speed of someone who only drinks two cups a day and prefers weak teas would be very different from that of someone who drinks 6 cups a day and likes strong teas.

The variation is therefore too big for the above question to be generalised. The best way to find out is to order a small package (eg 50g) and use ½-1 teaspoon of leaves per person depending on the tea type and your preference of the tea strength. Once you have worked out how much you use per day, the answer to the above should be quite clear.

A couple of hints:
1. The amount of tea leaves used per cup/per person is not fixed. Adjust the amount of the leaves to suit your personal preference.
2. The loose leaves can be used repeatedly until the flavor is gone. For example, one lot of green tea leaves can be used for up to 3 infusions, and Oolong tea leaves up to 4-5 infusions.

Question: 'Someone told me about the loose-leaf tea and being able to make several cups from the one brewing.'

Answer: Unlike tea bags, loose tea leaves can be used repeatedly for 3-30 times depending on the tea type. The teas made of young leaves and unfermented (green teas) or lightly fermented (white teas) can be used up to 3-4 times, while the teas made of more mature leaves and more fermented (oolong teas and black teas) and be used for 5 times or more. The longest-lasting tea leaves are Pu-erh teas, made of leaves from tea trees instead of bushes, fermented post-production for a long time; some premium tea leaves can be used up to 30 times.

Rule of thumb: keep topping up with hot water until the flavour is no more.

Question: I just ordered some things online, and I just realized it's going to be quite a hot week here in Melbourne. Will the transit in the heat compromise my tea?

Answer: I do not believe the transit heat will have much significant impact on your teas. When we talk about optimal conditions/temperature for storage, we talk about intermediate-term storage. For example, we import teas immediately after the spring harvest (in China) and store the products for up to 12 months until the next harvest. We store all green teas and certain temperature-sensitive Oolong teas under refrigeration and all others under cool and dry conditions to preserve their quality. The shipping time to Melbourne is 2-3 working days, which is not longer than the interstate shipping time within China. To a large extent, this is inevitable, unless the tea is consumed locally immediately after the harvest.

Drinking fresh teas

Most of the premium loose-leaf teas need to be consumed fresh, with the exception of the post-fermenting Pu-erh, Hei Cha, and aged white tea. 

Fresh tea means the teas are produced seasonally, adequately packaged and stored, and consumed ideally within the 12 months of their production. 

Tea is a very fragile product. Even the top-quality teas could deteriorate rapidly when exposed to light, high temperature, moisture, and foreign odor. Once the tea quality is diminished, it is not reversible.

Some downfalls of the teas on the current market

• Tea bags: Most of the tea bags are made of low-quality tea dust, which is the lowest on the tea grade scale
• Loose leaf tea: Most of the packaged loose leaf teas currently on the market are not adequately packaged or stored under optimal conditions (eg refrigeration). The teas are continuously exposed to tea damaging factors to cause the rapid decline of quality. 

Our approach 

At Valley Green Tea, we import only teas that are seasonally produced, except for those aged Hei Cha and white teas. We use the latest techniques for storing high-quality loose-leaf teas—vacuum seal, refrigeration, and small satchel packaging. The small satchel packaging (10-25 g) allows teas to be consumed gradually without affecting the quality of satchels that remain sealed. We also air-transported the teas to Australia to minimize the time under room or high temperature.

The determinants of the caffeine level in a tea

Many tea drinkers are interested in the caffeine levels in various teas. The caffeine level of a tea is determined by the following factors:

• The tea plant species: various tea plants can have various levels of caffeine
• The tea leaves: young tea (green tea, white tea and some black tea) leaves tend to have higher level of caffeine than the mature leaves (Oolong teas and some black tea)
• Level of fermentation: the fermented teas (black tea and Oolong tea) tend to have higher level of caffeine than the unfermented teas (green tea and white tea)
• The tea baking time: the longer a tea is baked, the more the caffeine is evaporated (some Wuyi Oolong and some black tea)
• Matcha has the highest level of caffeine, as the entire leaves are consumed instead of the tea brew.
• The longer a tea is brewed, the more caffeine is resolved in the water

The caffeine levels of various teas:

Following are the average caffeine levels of various teas in comparison to an equivalent amount (1 cup) of coffee:

• Coffee: 80 mg (range from 40 to 170 mg)
• Black tea: 40 mg (range from 25 to 110 mg)
• Oolong tea: 30 mg (range from 12 to 55 mg)
• White tea: 6-55mg
• Green tea: 20 mg (range from 8 to 30 mg)
• Pu-erh tea: 2 mg (very low)

Thumb of rule

It is generally believed a normal cup of tea contains about one quarter of the caffeine contained in the equivalent volume of drip coffee.  

It is also recommended to consume teas in such a sequence based on the caffeine level if feasible:

• Morning - black tea
• After lunch - green tea or white tea
• After dinner - Pu-erh tea

How to reduce caffeine level if needed

Since caffeine infuses early, there is a procedure available for those wishing to minimise their caffeine intake:

• Rinse the tea leaves with hot water
• Dispose this liquid which contains the most of the caffeine
• Brew the remaining tea leaves (0.5-1 minutes before drinking).

Some relevant articles:

Caffeine: http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2006/04/27/1829125.htm