Common Pu'er Myths: Better With Age? Does Ripe Tea Smell Moldy?
There are lots of claims floating around about pu'er. Some make sense; some are only half right. Sorting them into a few groups makes it easier to remember what each claim really amounts to.
About Vintage
"The Older the Pu'er, the Better"
More accurately: only tea with good raw material, good processing, and good storage grows more fragrant with age, and "better" also depends on what you like.
Raw (sheng) tea transforms over time. A good raw tea kept for 10 or 20 years softens in bitterness and astringency, turns redder in the cup, and develops aged and woody aromas. But tea made from thin raw material just gets weaker with age, and tea stored somewhere too damp or smelly goes off course. New raw pu'er has lively floral notes and the character of its mountain, flavors that old tea doesn't have. Ripe (shou) pu'er loses its pile taste and gets smoother after a few years out of the factory, but there's no need to chase decades the way you might with raw tea. To learn where this idea came from, read Where "Better With Age" Comes From.
"The Recipe Number Is the Vintage"
7542 isn't a tea made in 1975; it's a recipe code (maihao) first used in 1975 that can be produced year after year. For the vintage, look at the production date or batch number. See How Recipe Numbers Are Coded.
"Qizi Bing Have Always Weighed 357 g"
The tradition of seven cakes to a tong goes back to the Qing dynasty, but each cake weighed something different back then. The most common explanation for 357 g is that after the switch in 1959 to a market jin of 500 g, it was worked out from export cases of about 30 kg, 12 tongs per case, and 7 cakes per tong. Details are in Qizi Bing and 357 g.
About Processing and Smell
"Ripe Tea's Smell Is Just Mold"
More accurately: new ripe tea may have a "pile taste," and pile taste and mold are two different things.
Ripe tea goes through wet-piling fermentation, and when freshly made it often has a smell a bit like straw or damp earth, called pile taste. It fades after some time in a clean, ventilated spot, or with an extra 1–2 rinses when brewing. Mold, on the other hand, comes from tea absorbing moisture in storage and growing fungi it shouldn't. It smells pungent and dank, and you may see threads or spots on the tea. Good ripe pu'er smells of aged, jujube, woody, or sticky-rice notes. More in Is Pu'er Moldy Tea?
"Ripe Tea Is Raw Tea That Went Bad"
Ripe tea is fermented by a division of labor among microbes such as Aspergillus niger, yeasts, and Bacillus, under controlled temperature, humidity, and pile-turning schedules, and researchers can measure clear pile-temperature curves and compositional changes. It's a craft that matured around the 1970s. See Wet Piling.
"White Spots on a Tea Cake Are Always Mold"
You need to look carefully. White specks on new raw tea are often the white down on the buds: fine, lying flat against the leaf, and smelling like normal tea. The fine white frost on the peel of a small green mandarin tea (xiao qing gan) is mostly essential oil from the peel. Mold, by contrast, appears as clumps of threads or spots that can be white, yellow, green, or black, and smells musty. If you can't tell, don't drink it. See How to Identify Mold.
"If the Brew Turns Cloudy as It Cools, Something's Wrong"
A strong brew that turns hazy as it cools is called "cream down" (lenghou hun). It's a natural phenomenon in which compounds in the brew bind and come out of solution at low temperatures, common in teas rich in compounds, and it usually clears up once the tea warms. What you really need to watch for is sourness, viscosity, or an off smell.
About Brewing
"Pu'er Needs Several Rinses Before You Can Drink It"
More accurately: 1–2 rinses are enough; the point is to let the leaves unfurl and wake up the aroma.
Rinse raw pu'er 1–2 times and ripe pu'er 2–3 times, about 5 seconds each. Rinse too many times or too long and you pour the good flavor away with it. The first infusion of new raw loose-leaf tea has a lovely aroma, and some people drink it straight with no problem. See Rinsing and Awakening Tea.
"Pu'er Has to Be Brewed in a Yixing Clay Teapot"
A gaiwan, a Yixing (zisha) clay teapot, or a mug with a tea bag can all brew delicious pu'er. Yixing teapots suit ripe pu'er and aged tea, a white porcelain gaiwan shows a tea's true character most clearly, and tea bags are the most convenient.
"The Darker the Tea, the Better"
Judge the liquor by its clarity, not just how dark it is. Deep red for ripe pu'er, amber for aged raw tea, and yellow-green for new raw tea are all normal; whether dark or light, a good brew is clear and bright.
About Price
"Pu'er Is Cheap" or "Pu'er Is Expensive"
More accurately: pu'er prices span a very wide range, and both impressions see only part of the picture.
Under the same name "pu'er," everyday terrace tea, loose ripe tea, and tea bags are affordable, while spring tea from famous-mountain ancient trees and well-known aged teas can be astonishingly expensive. Price is driven mainly by mountain and tree age, season, vintage and storage, and brand and rarity, as explained in What Drives Pu'er Prices. For everyday drinkers, a tea that's reasonably priced, consistent in quality, and enjoyable to you is a good tea.
"Famous-Mountain Ancient-Tree Tea Is Always Better"
Famous-mountain ancient-tree tea has its own unique flavor, but whether it tastes good also depends on processing and storage, and on your own taste. Beginners get more out of starting with affordable, convenient teas and building their own tasting experience than chasing famous mountains from the outset.
About Labeling and Storage
"Pu'er Has No Expiration Date"
Pu'er's national standard GB/T 22111 says it is suitable for long-term storage when storage conditions are met, so traditionally a lot of pu'er shows only a production date. Packaged foods sold in Taiwan must show an expiration date under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation; when buying tea, go by what's on the package and store it as recommended. Finely broken tea like tea bags is best finished early, within the date, for the best flavor. See Does Pu'er Expire?
"Pu'er Should Be Kept in the Fridge to Stay Fresh"
Fridges are humid and full of mixed odors, and taking tea in and out causes condensation, so pu'er is better off in a dry, cool, odor-free cabinet. See Can You Keep Pu'er in the Fridge?
FAQ
Does pu'er get better the older it is? Only raw tea with good raw material, processing, and storage grows more fragrant with age; new tea has its own flavors, and ripe pu'er doesn't need to be very old.
Is ripe tea's smell mold? New ripe tea may have a pile taste like straw or damp earth, which fades with time or an extra rinse; mold smells pungent and dank, and if it smells moldy, don't drink it.
Does pu'er need several rinses? Rinsing raw pu'er 1–2 times and ripe pu'er 2–3 times, about 5 seconds each, is enough.
Is pu'er cheap or expensive? Both. Everyday ripe pu'er and tea bags are affordable, while spring tea from famous-mountain ancient trees and well-known aged teas can be very expensive. Price depends mainly on mountain, tree age, season, vintage, and brand.
Can I still drink a brew that turned cloudy as it cooled? That's cream down, and it usually clears up once the tea warms; as long as there's no sourness, viscosity, or off smell, it's fine to drink.