Pu'er Tea Knowledge

2026/10/01

How to Brew Dragon Pearls: One Pearl, One Session

One dragon pearl is exactly one brewing session's worth of tea. With a gaiwan or small teapot, boiling water, and a single rinse, steep a little longer for the first few infusions and then extend each one. Here's how to open up an 8 g raw pu'er dragon pearl.

2026/10/01

Tea Slang: Domineering, Layers, Empty Mouth, Dissolving, and Base

Slang you'll hear often at the tea table: domineering, gentle, layers, dissolving, empty mouth, having a base, a good foundation, guabei, and zuobei. These aren't in any evaluation standard, yet they're what tea lovers say most when they talk tea. The meaning and usage of each, with examples.

2026/09/30

Negative Terms: Sour, Moldy, Stuffy, Coarse, Throat-Prickling, Throat-Locking, Lingering Bitterness

Knowing how to describe good tea also means knowing how to name its flaws. Sour, moldy, stuffy, coarse and mature, throat-prickling, throat-locking, and bitterness that won't dissolve: what each negative term feels like, where it may come from, and whether it can fade with storage, all in one place.

2026/09/30

Terms for Appearance and Spent Leaves: Tight, Downy, Plump, Soft, Lively, Carbonized

Terms for reading dry leaf and spent leaves: tight and firm, downy, plump and tender, even, uniform, soft, lively, red stems and red leaves, scorch marks, carbonized. What each looks like, which teas you'll see it in, and whether it's good or bad, explained one by one with examples.

2026/09/29

Terms for Liquor Color: Yellow-Green, Orange-Yellow, Chestnut Red, Deep Red, Bright, Cloudy

Liquor color terms in evaluation reports describe either color or brightness and clarity: yellow-green, orange-yellow, golden, chestnut red, deep red, bright, cloudy, dull. What each color looks like, which teas it appears in, and which ones are flaws, explained with comparison tables.

2026/09/29

Bingdao Old Village: The Sweetness of Mengku

Bingdao isn't in Scandinavia; it's in Mengku, Lincang, in Yunnan. Learn the geography, history, and flavor of Bingdao Village and Bingdao Old Village, and see why Bingdao tea is famous for its sweetness.

2026/09/29

Terms: Glutinous and Silky, Smooth, Full, Thin, Coarse

Mouthfeel terms describe the texture of tea in your mouth. Glutinous and silky, smooth, and full are compliments; thin and coarse are flaws; and full isn't quite the same as thick. What each term feels like, which teas it commonly describes, and how it differs from similar terms.

2026/09/29

Terms: Mellow, Mellow and Thick, Strong, Fresh, and Sweet and Smooth

Mellow, mellow and thick, strong and intense, fresh and brisk, sweet and smooth: these are the five terms used most often for pu'er's taste, and they appear in the evaluation descriptions of national standards too. What each feels like, which teas it suits, and how they differ, with examples.

2026/09/28

Terms: Pile Aroma, Glutinous Rice, Sweet, and Caramel Notes

Ripe tea has its own set of aroma terms: the pile aroma of tea fresh out of fermentation, the glutinous-rice note, warm sweet and caramel notes, and the occasional "fishy smell." How each one forms, whether it fades, and how to judge good from bad, all explained.

2026/09/28

Buying Pu'er for the First Time: How to Choose

Raw or ripe? Tea bags or whole leaf? How much to spend? A pu'er buying guide for beginners that starts from your own taste and tea-drinking habits.

2026/09/28

Terms: Floral, Honey, Fruity, Fresh, Downy, and Orchid Aromas

Young raw pu'er mostly has bright, lifted aromas: floral, honey, fruity, fresh, downy, and orchid. Which flowers, what kind of sweetness, where each usually appears, plus the most commonly confused pair of terms: fresh aroma versus grassy taste.

2026/09/27

Terms: Aged, Camphor, Lotus, Jujube, Ginseng, and Woody Aromas

The aroma terms for aged pu'er mostly borrow familiar things from everyday life: aged, camphor, lotus, jujube, ginseng, herbal, and woody. What each term is like, which teas it usually appears in, and how to tell it apart from storage taste, one by one.