For many newcomers, the world of tea is like a mysterious maze, the face of a wide range of tea varieties and prices, often feel at a loss.
Don’t worry, today to share with you some practical tips for novice tea buyers, even if you don’t know tea, you can easily buy the desired good tea.
Define your needs and choose the right type of tea
There are many types of tea, the common ones are Pu-erh tea, green tea, black tea, oolong tea, white tea, black tea and so on.
Before you buy tea, make sure you know what you want to use it for:
For daily consumption, choose cost-effective ration tea, such as affordable green tea, black tea, pu-erh is very suitable.
If used for gifts, then you have to pay attention to the packaging and brand, you can choose Longjing, Iron Goddess of Mercy, Pu’er tea cake gift box, both face and show intent.
If you want to try different kinds of tea, the tea samples combination is definitely the right choice for you, to satisfy your curiosity about different kinds of tea at one time.
Different types of tea have different characteristics and effects. Beginner tea drinkers can start by choosing the type of tea according to their taste preference and physical condition.
If you like light taste, white tea, green tea and Pu-erh raw tea are good choices; if your stomach is not so good, black tea and black tea, Pu-erh ripe tea may be more suitable for you.
Choose a reliable buying channel
The purchase channel is crucial, which is directly related to the quality and price of tea.
Common purchasing channels include tea stores, supermarkets and e-commerce platforms.
The advantage of tea stores is that you can visualize and taste the tea, and the sales clerks can also provide professional advice.
Supermarkets have relatively fewer varieties of tea and more transparent prices, however, the prices may be relatively high.
E-commerce platforms offer more choices and discounts, but care needs to be taken to recognize the reputation of the merchant and the quality of the tea.
Look at the appearance of the tea leaves
When buying tea, many people tend to fall into the misunderstanding of “judging tea by its appearance”, thinking that the more perfect the appearance of the tea leaves, the better.
In fact, the natural tea leaves are not all rules and regulations, take Zhengshan small species, it allows a small amount of tea stalks exist, if too neat and tidy, may be the result of machine over-processing.
Moreover, the color is too bright, no natural luster of the tea, you have to be more careful, it may be dyed or added flavorings.
What should we do to observe the appearance of tea leaves correctly?
Take green tea for example, high quality green tea dry tea should show emerald green or yellow-green color, buds and leaves intact; black tea is oolong tea with golden hairs; oolong tea is tightly knotted and well-balanced. If you see mold spots or lumps on the tea leaves, it is obvious that the tea storage problems, do not buy.
Smell the aroma of the tea leaves
Smelling the aroma of tea leaves is a technical job, divided into two steps, namely, smelling the dry tea and smelling the tea after brewing.
First pick up the dry tea gently smell, quality tea will emit fresh and pleasant varieties of incense, such as Biluochun unique flower and fruit aroma, rock tea rock bone flower aroma. If you smell rancid, burnt or pungent flavor, you can basically determine that the tea is not good.
Next, brew the tea leaves, the moment you fill the water, the aroma will naturally rise. Good tea leaves have a long-lasting aroma, such as top-quality Puerh raw tea, which has a unique and charming aroma. If the aroma is short-lived, or mixed with odors, smoke, and other odors, it is likely that the tea’s process is flawed.
Be sure to try more than one.
Tasting is a crucial step in the tea-buying process. Don’t be afraid of trouble, and make sure that the merchant brews a sample for you to taste.
Quality tea is smooth in the mouth, full of rich flavor, just like the freshness of Longjing and the sweetness of Dianhong, and the sweetness is obvious after drinking, so you can’t help but take another sip.
If the tea soup tastes too bitter, too astringent, and the bitter and astringent flavor does not dissipate in the mouth for a long time, the tea may be of poor quality, or the process is not up to standard.
In addition, pay attention to the turbidity of the tea. If the tea is cloudy with impurities, it is likely that the tea is dusty, or the quality of the raw materials is not good.
reference price
Price is also one of the factors to consider when buying tea. Generally speaking, the price of tea will be affected by the origin, variety, grade and other factors.
Beginners in the purchase should not blindly pursue the so-called “brand tea”, “master handmade tea”, many “master tea” is just a marketing gimmick. Can not only pursue the “low price”, the real ancient tree tea cost is very high, the low price will be false! You can choose the right product according to your budget.
Although buying tea for newbies may seem complicated, as long as you master these basic methods and techniques, you can easily buy a good tea for yourself.
