A detailed guide to the evaluation method of red mao cha (rough tea), mastering the key points of quality judgment

Compare against the mao cha standard sample to sensorially evaluate the appearance and internal quality of the finished product from the initial processing of black tea, judging its quality grade and level.

The evaluation method is to evaluate tea against the sample, divided into dry evaluation of appearance and wet evaluation of internal quality. Appearance comparison assesses four factors: the tightness of the twisted strips, tenderness, wholeness, and cleanliness; tightness and tenderness (including color) are the main factors. When evaluating, take 250-500g of sample tea, pour it into a round bamboo sample tea tray, and shake the tray with both hands so that the mao cha roughly separates into three layers. The coarser, longer, and looser mao cha floats on the surface, called the upper segment tea or surface tea; the tightly fine and heavy solid tea gathers in the middle layer, called the middle segment tea or waist tea; the short fine strips and broken pieces settle in the lower layer, called the lower segment tea or bottom tea. First evaluate the color, tightness, cleanliness, and evenness of the surface tea; then push aside the surface tea to look at the tightness and tenderness of the middle segment tea; finally compare the degree of breakage and the content of flakes and dust in the bottom tea. Tea with tightly fine, straight strips, abundant hairs, sharp buds, even and clean appearance, black and glossy, with the three segments connecting to each other and the middle segment tea accounting for a large proportion has a high yield and good quality. The aroma, liquor color, and taste are required to be normal. Red mao cha below grade four is only dry-evaluated for appearance and dry-sniffed for aroma; grade four and above is brewed to evaluate internal quality. Use the thumb, index finger, and middle finger to insert into the tea sample and take out the upper, middle, and lower segment teas, weigh 5g and put into the evaluation cup, brew with 250ml boiling water for 5 minutes, and filter the tea liquor into the evaluation bowl. First smell the aroma for intensity, duration, purity, and whether there are any off or foreign odors, then look at the depth, brightness, and clarity of the liquor color, then taste the strength, body, mellowness, and astringency, etc. For red mao cha of grade four and above, the aroma, liquor color, and taste are required to be normal, with emphasis on evaluating the leaf base. If the leaf base has good tenderness, evenness, and color, its color, aroma, and taste are generally also good. Leaf base tenderness is evaluated by softness or hardness, thickness, and evenness; many buds, thick and soft, and neat is good; coarse and hard, thin and lean, and mixed is inferior. Evenness is evaluated by tenderness, size, thickness, color, and wholeness; consistent and even is good: red and dark, with brown, and with dark strips is inferior.