- HOME >
- Tea Processing
What is the difference between raw pu-erh and green tea?
Some people often confused between raw pu-erh and green tea. The appearance of these teas looks similar indeed. Actually, the process of making these two teas are exactly the same, the different is merely the drying method: green tea is dried with hot air dryer while raw pu-erh tea is dried by 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 follow.
- Green Tea : Withering (Depending on the type of green tea) >> Pan-frying >> Rolling >> Drying with hot air
- 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 laundries. The odor of the clothes dried under the sunny day or cloudy day is not the same. The raw pu-erh tea dried in sunny day gives a more refreshing flavor with a very clear taste and less astringency. On the contrary, the raw pu-erh tea dried in cloudy day or rainy day gives distinctive odor like dried mushroom and taste is astringent. Once this off-flavor is developed, it will never disappear but to remain in the tea even after many years of aging. The sunshine drying of pu-erh tea is not just about the drying the tea to reduce its moisture content, but it is a more serious matter that affects the quality of tea aging. Nowadays, good manufacturers are using the green room for sunshine drying of raw pu-erh tea. Having this room, they can manage better sanitation and conduct consistent drying process. However, still it becomes less effective once the weather is unfavorable.
The relative humidity (RH) of those villages producing tea is at around 30-40%. The RH is extremely low in Yunnan because of the higher altitude. Once rain comes, the RH exceeds 60%. The difference is significant.
The following photos show the sunshine drying process. After drying for a while, tea is once gathered in center to re-distribute the moisture. They repeat this work a few times in a day in order to dry the tealeaf thoroughly.
We have to make sure select the well-processed tea
The rainy weather accelerates the growing speed of tea and the taste of tea becomes very light. In addition, the rainy weather causes the quality defect on tea on account of insufficient drying during cloudy/rainy day. For us, it is very crucial to monitor the weather during tea production season. Since we produce all Yunnan tea on tailor-made basis, we are requesting tea manufacturer to segregate each production date into different batches. In case there is any day that tea is not properly dried, I can leave out the particular batch of tea.
Related Articles
How to get the latest update on HOJO?
1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO.
- Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
- You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
- New Release of Lan Yun Tie Guan Yin from Anxi
- Lan Yun Tie Guan Yin from Anxi, is not just an ordinary Tie Guan Yin. It has a strikingly delightful flavor re …
- Two New Releases of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong: Ba Xian King and Single Tree Tea
- We are excited to introduce two highly exclusive Phoenix Dancong Lao Cong teas in our latest release. The feat …
NEW ARTICLES
- The Relationship Between Greenness of Tea Leaves and Fertilizer
- For both tea and vegetables, there’s a common misconception that a deeper green colour indicates better …
- Creating Muscatel Black Tea using a Unique Blending Method
- I would like to introduce the unique creation of black tea with a distinctive muscatel flavor profile. Acquiri …
- New Release of Lan Yun Tie Guan Yin from Anxi
- Lan Yun Tie Guan Yin from Anxi, is not just an ordinary Tie Guan Yin. It has a strikingly delightful flavor re …
- The Difference Between Fermentation in Tea and Fermented Foods
- Black tea and oolong tea are often categorized as “fermented teas,” but the extent to which they u …
- Two New Releases of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong: Ba Xian King and Single Tree Tea
- We are excited to introduce two highly exclusive Phoenix Dancong Lao Cong teas in our latest release. The feat …
- Easy Way to Prepare Flavorful and Warm Tea at the Workplace
- Have you ever experienced the transformation of tea stored in a thermos or water bottle at work, turning into …
- The new release of Bao Dao Shan Da Cha Tou Brick 2017, exclusively crafted from Da Cha Tou
- Bao Dao Shan Cha Tou Zhuan 2017 is a ripe pu-erh tea crafted into brick form. Bao Dao Shan is the name of the …
- We released Lapsang Suchong Qi Zhong Classic: Premium Lapsang Souchong
- Lapsang Souchong is one of the earliest known black teas distinguished by a unique production method and flavo …
- Regular Consumption of Umami Seasoning Can Influence Taste Preferences
- Excessive consumption of artificial condiments, such as umami seasonings, is believed to influence one’s …
- Special Release Limited Set of Ancient White Tea from 5 Gardens
- The ancient white tea is a very popular tea in our store. We produced this tea in spring. Following production …
Category
- New Arrival at HOJO Online Shop
- Featured Articles
- Newsletter
- Types of Tea
- Origin of Tea
- Teapot and Tea Equipment
- Tea Column
- How to enjoy tea
- Tea Processing
- How to choose quality tea
- Tea constituents and functional effect
- Safety of Tea
- Foods
- Tea Business Operation
- Hobby and Outdoor Activity
- Ranking of Tea
- Video
- FAQ
- Media Release
Profile
- AKIRA HOJO
- I invite you to experience my tea selections.I was born in Nagano, Japan. In university, I studied agricultural chemistry, and I have the master degree in food science. I worked in Japanese food industry for 10 years. I involved in R&D, QC and QA. As a factory manager, I implemented ISO9000 series and managed the factory.
- The Art of Tea Magazine
- We posted the article on “The Art of Tea Magazine No.9, the magazine is published in Taiwan. We featured …
- New Straits Times
- The Malaysian National Newspaper, New Straits Times featured HOJO Tea on 17-Oct-2007.
Shop Info
Address:Lot No. T-215, 3rd Floor, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2287-4537
Business Hour: 10am to 10pm