Pu-erh Tea Identification

A pu-erh is judged on bitterness, the return of sweetness, the throat feel and how it changes across steeps. What each signal actually means.

Pu-erh fraud is mostly mislabelled origin and invented age, not adulteration. The three common tricks, what they cost, and the checks that work.

A cake can be assessed before purchase by its face, its edge, its smell, its weight and its sound. The five checks and what each one rules out.