Infusion coloration is illustrative of the reality {that a} shengcha puer and an precise puer are two utterly different types of teas. The tealeaves for the above two glasses are from the similar producer and are of the similar grade and comparable price. The becoming one is a shu cha and left a shengcha.
what’s a “raw” puer?
Puer ( formally Pu’er, Chinese language language: 普洱 ) teas that have not undergone post-fermentation are usually 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 that had been meant to endure further processing, resembling steaming for compressing or post-fermentation for darkening.
Worker crammed a rack layer with freshly compressed cha bings. This happens to be a shengcha puer from the well-known space Bulang-shan.
shengcha, maocha and crude tea
Inside the work motion of typical tea manufacturing, all leaves which have gone by the use of the vital processing phases nonetheless not however gone by the use of finish-processing, i.e. sorting, re-processing, drying and so forth, are often called maocha ( Chinese language language: 毛茶 ). Maocha is normally translated as crude tea. Nonetheless, the phrase crude is not going to be as descriptive as a result of the thought of maocha, so we count on the romanized time interval is additional acceptable in our tea discussions.
Maocha and shengcha are two phrases for virtually the similar issue throughout the house of puer. The excellence is that maocha defines the tea from the angle of tea processing, whereas shengcha from a consuming view-point. There could also be moreover a fragile distinction: shengcha is likely to be sorted and appropriately dried whereas maocha isn’t.
When people discovered that consuming maocha puer might presumably be marketed, the time interval shengcha is most popular so the product would not sound desire it nonetheless needs additional work for the client.
Tea being sun-dried to make maocha on the roof excessive in a tea farm worker’s residence in Yunnan. That’s clearly for residence use. Uncover how the tea has already become darker coloration upon prolonged publicity to the photo voltaic.
ALL kinds of traditionally produced teas bear a state of being maocha. In most tea manufacturing areas the place tea ingesting can be a neighborhood conduct, maocha is often utilized by the farmers and employees. The place tea manufacturing is additional automated or contained inside a gradual or just about regular manufacturing line, the stage of maocha would not exist for a really very long time.
and “qing” cha?
Inside the case of puer, the time interval “qing cha” ( 青茶 ) is normally moreover used for what’s shengcha. The phrase “qing” is used very steadily 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 often called “shai qing” ( 曬青 ); when a tea is not going to be appropriately 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 generally called “qing” bings ( 青餅 ) (1).
The time interval qing cha can be normally heard in each day Chinese language language dialog. Nonetheless, 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, nonetheless reasonably a way of ingesting, or additional normally, 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 coloration that the majority would take into account inexperienced, however a steadily heard tea class label, qing cha, would not consult with inexperienced tea. Nonetheless oolongs instead. In such context, the time interval qing refers again to the colour blue, as in blue mountain. That is the rationale you could usually see people consult with oolongs as blue ( or teal blue ) teas. Nonetheless, that’s one different matter.
Perhaps it is this difficult thought, even throughout the Chinese language language language, the time interval “qing” for describing shengcha throughout the free or the compressed sorts ceased to be well-liked.
“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 become “cooked” …proceed learning