What's the difference between pre-fermented and post-fermented Pu'er tea?
The question we got asked most often from the new Pu'er tea drinkers.
Pu'er or Pu-erh is a type of tea coming from Yunnan Province, southwestern part of China. It is a kind of "fermented tea," made from the large-leaf tea that is unique to Yunnan province and is made through a special process - sun withering.
What made Pu'er special is that its flavour is changing over time, just like red wine. Time will bring back the magic of nature, and the flavour of Pu'er tea is gradually getting a richer aroma and mellow taste.
Pu'er tea can be divided into two types: "pre-fermented tea" (Sheng) and "post-fermented tea" (Shu) according to its making process and taste.
Pre-fermented tea uses a process that allows the tea leaves to ferment slowly in a natural environment to maximize the preservation of the natural flavour of the tea leaves and allows it to obtain a rich and soft aroma and taste.
The aroma of pre-fermented tea is more abundant and exalted. It is stronger, offering a more dynamic taste, long-lasting aroma. The flavour will continue to change with the passage of time during the storage process, making the tea not only enjoyable but also collectable.
Post-fermented tea, using a special artificial fermentation process-Wo Dui, to ensure the tea leaves quickly gain a soft, mellow taste in a short time.
The aroma of post-fermented tea is more restrained. Compared with the post-fermented tea, the taste is more mellow, and the tea is milder. Having a unique taste and stable flavour, the post-fermented tea is good for daily drinking.
普洱茶，是一种来自中国西南部云南省的茶叶。
普洱茶采用云南省当地特有的大叶种茶叶，经过特殊工艺——日光萎凋（sun withering）加工而成，是一种“发酵茶（fermented tea）”
这种茶的特点是风味会像红酒一样，随着时间的推移而变化，逐渐获得更加丰富的香气与醇厚的味道。
普洱茶按照其加工工艺（making process）及味道特征，可以分为“生茶（fermented tea）”和“熟茶（post-fermented tea）”两种类型。
生茶，利用一种让茶叶在自然环境下缓慢发酵的工艺，最大限度地保存茶叶的自然风味（Natural flavor），最终让其获得丰富柔和的香气（aroma）与口感（tasting）。
生茶的香气更加丰富、高扬，性质更加强烈（strong），味道更具活力，在存放的过程中风味会随着时间推移不断发生变化，极具收藏价值。
熟茶，利用一种特殊的人工发酵工艺——渥堆（wo dui），牺牲（sacrifice）茶叶的一部分自然风味，让普洱茶快速获得柔和的口感与味道。
熟茶的香气更加低沉内敛，口感更加醇厚，性质更加温和（mild），在存放过程中风味更加稳定，非常适合日常品饮。
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