What is the difference between raw pu-erh and green tea?

Some people often get confused between raw pu-erh and green tea. The appearance of these teas looks similar indeed. Actually, the process of making these two teas is almost the same; the difference is mainly the drying method: green tea is dried with a hot air dryer while raw pu-erh tea is dried under sunshine.

The tea making process of green tea and raw pu-erh tea

The process of making raw pu-erh tea and green tea is as follows.

1. Green Tea : Withering (depending on the type of green tea) >> Pan-frying >> Rolling >> Drying with hot air
2. Raw Pu-erh Tea : Withering >> Pan-frying >> Rolling >> Drying by sunshine

The ripe pu-erh tea is produced with microbiological fermentation of raw pu-erh tea

Sunshine drying affects the outcome of aging

For drying raw pu-erh tea, it is purely about sunshine drying. Therefore, the weather is the key factor affecting the quality of tea. For example, please imagine drying laundry. The odor of clothes dried on a sunny day or a cloudy day is not the same. Raw pu-erh tea dried on a sunny day gives a more refreshing flavor with a very clear taste and less astringency. On the contrary, tea dried on a cloudy or rainy day develops a distinctive odor like dried mushroom and becomes more astringent. Once this off-flavor is developed, it will not disappear but remain even after many years of aging. Sunshine drying is not just about reducing moisture; it critically affects the aging quality of the tea. Nowadays, good manufacturers use a greenhouse-like room for sunshine drying. With this setup, they can maintain better sanitation and more consistent drying. However, it is still less effective when the weather is unfavorable. The relative humidity (RH) in tea-producing villages is around 30–40%. This is extremely low due to the high altitude in Yunnan. When it rains, the RH exceeds 60%, which makes a significant difference. The following photos show the sunshine drying process. After drying for a while, tea is gathered into the center to redistribute moisture. This process is repeated several times a day to ensure thorough drying.

We have to make sure to select well-processed tea

Rainy weather accelerates the growth of tea leaves, resulting in lighter taste. In addition, it can cause quality defects due to insufficient drying during cloudy or rainy days. For us, it is crucial to monitor the weather during the tea production season. Since we produce all Yunnan teas on a tailor-made basis, we request manufacturers to separate each production date into different batches. If there is any day when tea is not properly dried, we can exclude that particular batch.

For more on how raw Pu-erh is made, aged, and stored, see What Is Raw Pu-erh Tea?.