How to tell a Pu-erh quality by its wet leaves

A well aged Pu-erh tea is a sought-after product in the Pu-erh community. There are various methods however to make a Pu-erh tea looking like aged, eg high temperature & high humidity treatments, wet storage etc. These largely result in ‘look likes’, but very different in their actual taste from the properly aged ones. 

A careful inspection of the wet leaves can tell part of story. A good quality well aged Pu-erh wet leaves should have the appearance of being ‘alive’ – green or dark green for raw Pu-erh and dark red for ripened Pu-erh, elastic and shining, squeezed with fingers & they largely bounce back. The signs of low quality are: dull, leathery, rag like, lack of elasticity, or partial decomposed (leaves falling apart).

A good quality aged Pu-erh tea requires the following all done well: good quality tea leaves/crops, correct processing method and good storage. 做旧 (making it look old) teas rarely taste right or good.