“Raw” Puer or “Cooked” Puer?

what’s a “raw” puer?

Puer ( formally Pu’er, Chinese language language: 普洱 ) teas that have not undergone post-fermentation are sometimes labelled as “raw” puer.

“Raw puer” is a transliteration of the Chinese language language expression “sheng-cha” ( 生茶 ). As an adjective, the phrase “sheng” means not cooked, not ripened, or alive. The expression “shengcha” initially refers again to the dried tea leaves of the puer choice which were meant to endure extra processing, equal to steaming for compressing or post-fermentation for darkening.

shengcha, maocha and crude tea

Throughout the work motion of typical tea manufacturing, all leaves which have gone via the crucial processing phases nevertheless not however gone via finish-processing, i.e. sorting, re-processing, drying and so forth, are referred to as maocha ( Chinese language language: 毛茶 ). Maocha is usually translated as crude tea. However, the phrase crude won’t be as descriptive as a result of the thought of maocha, so we count on the romanized time interval is further relevant in our tea discussions.

Maocha and shengcha are two phrases for nearly the similar issue throughout the area of puer. The excellence is that maocha defines the tea from the perspective of tea processing, whereas shengcha from a consuming view-point. There’s moreover a fragile distinction: shengcha could also be sorted and accurately dried whereas maocha isn’t.

When people discovered that consuming maocha puer may presumably be marketed, the time interval shengcha is hottest so the product does not sound favor it nonetheless desires further work for the client.

ALL kinds of traditionally produced teas bear a state of being maocha. In most tea manufacturing areas the place tea ingesting will also be a neighborhood conduct, maocha is often utilized by the farmers and employees. The place tea manufacturing is further automated or contained inside a gradual or practically regular manufacturing line, the stage of maocha does not exist for a really very long time.

and “qing” cha?

Throughout the case of puer, the time interval “qing cha” ( 青茶 ) is usually moreover used for what’s shengcha. The phrase “qing” is used very usually throughout the Chinese language language tea commerce referring to the “rawness” of the tea. As an illustration, leaves plucked from the tea bushes are known as “cha qing” ( 茶青 ); sun-wilting of the tealeaves is named “shai qing” ( 曬青 ); when a tea won’t be accurately processed and tastes raspy with grass fashion, it is “chou qing” ( 臭青 ) — “the stink of rawness ( as in grass )”; and so forth. That is the rationale “shengcha” discuses ( or disci ) are sometimes referred to as “qing” bings ( 青餅 ) (1).

The time interval qing cha will also be sometimes heard in daily Chinese language language dialog. However, it actually means plain tea ( Chinese language language: 清茶 ), ie tea with out added parts. It has nothing to do tea choice or categorization, nevertheless moderately a way of ingesting, or further sometimes, a way of life, as in Qing cha dan fan ( 清茶淡飯 ) — Plain tea and non-seasoned rice — implying a humble way of life.

The time interval “qing” refers moreover to a colour that almost all would think about inexperienced, however a usually heard tea class label, qing cha, does not seek the advice of with inexperienced tea. Nonetheless oolongs as an alternative. In such context, the time interval qing refers again to the colour blue, as in blue mountain. That is the rationale you presumably can sometimes see people seek the advice of with oolongs as blue ( or teal blue ) teas. However, that’s one different topic.

Possibly it is this sophisticated thought, even throughout the Chinese language language language, the time interval “qing” for describing shengcha throughout the free or the compressed varieties ceased to be widespread.

“raw” and “cooked” are thus relative

Let’s come once more to the “raw” tea we’ve been discussing. In antiquity, a shengcha puer is meant to bear a “darkening” processing sooner than it is consumed. A well-darkened puer is rounder and rid of the “raw” fashion so comparatively it is not so “raw” — it has grow to be “cooked” …proceed learning

footnote

1. Bing is the pinyin romanization for the Chinese language language phrase for points which could be discus kind. A cookie, a peta bread, a pizza, a discus and so forth are all “bing(s)”. Pretty typically one may even see the English time interval “cake tea” or “tea cake” to seek the advice of with a discus of compressed tea. The Chinese language language phrase for the English idea of “cake” is “gao” ( 糕 ), referring to steamed or baked gadgets which could be light, spongy, moist, jelly or mousse like. A discus of tea in Chinese language language is a “cha bing” ( 茶餅 ). Subsequently, the usually misused time interval of cake tea or tea cake won’t be employed on this web site, and the time interval tea discus or the romanised kind of the distinctive time interval is in place. The English time interval tea cake moreover has its private meaning so the confusion should not be in existence throughout the first place.