Tea Knowledge for Better Sourcing

How to professionally evaluate a sample of Gunpowder (pearl) tea

           Applicable to: Regular Pearl Tea / Organic Pearl Tea (3505A, 3505B, 9375, etc.), used together with your Chun Mee evaluation process and record sheet, following a standardized sequence, controlling all variables, and comparing multiple samples side by side.

          Core principle: fix all brewing conditions, evaluate multiple comparative samples at once; do not score purely based on subjective feeling, record each item.

         Evaluation sequence: Inspect dry tea → Weigh samples → Brew uniformly → Observe tea liquor → Smell aroma (hot / warm / cold) → Taste → Check leaves → Fill in record sheet.

Preparation (to ensure reliable results)

Equipment list:

- Electronic scale (accuracy 0.1g)

- Evaluation cups / Gaiwan (uniform capacity 150ml)

- Timer

- Thermometer (to check water temperature)

- Pure water (fixed source to avoid water quality interference)

- White evaluation bowl (to observe liquor color)

- White background tray (to spread dry tea or spent leaves)

- Evaluation record sheet (you already have for Organic Gunpowder samples)

- Aluminum foil sealed bags, labels (to seal samples after evaluation)

Standardized brewing parameters (same as Chun Mee for easy comparison)

- Suitable for pure tasting evaluation (for retail or food service customers; North African mint boiled tea requires separate testing and is not part of this Gaiwan evaluation process)

- Tea amount: 3 g

- Water amount: 150 ml pure water

- Water temperature: 85°C

- First brew steeping: 3 min; second brew: 2 min; third brew: 3 min

- Environment: natural light / standard white light, odor-free room, avoid kitchen, perfume, cigarette interference

Step 1: Inspect dry tea (dry tea appearance evaluation)

Spread the sample on a white evaluation tray, thinly, and observe with eyes; lightly shake the tray to check for small fragments at the bottom. Evaluation items:

1. Pellet tightness: Are the balls compact and heavy? Open a pellet to check inner leaves; classify as solid, moderately tight, or loose. Watch out for "looks tight but coarse old material" fake good tea.

2. Pellet uniformity: Are the sizes consistent? Any oversized, tiny, or flat pieces?

3. Color: Dark green / inky green, is the normal silver frost present? Any yellowing, dullness, burnt spots, or mixed leaves?

4. Impurities & small fragments ratio: How many yellow leaves, stems, grass bits; after shaking, how much dust or broken balls at the bottom?

5. Dry aroma: Lightly smell the dry tea. Record: chestnut, fresh grass, hay, scorched aroma, aged aroma, musty smell, or other off-notes.

6. Recording points: Score the dry tea appearance, note defects (many flat pieces / burnt spots / high amount of broken fragments).

Step 2: Weigh the samples: Use an electronic scale to accurately weigh 3.00g for each tea sample.

         Key point: All comparison samples (e.g., 3505A / 3505B / 9375) must have exactly the same weight; differences in the amount of tea will directly change the concentration of the brew, causing the comparison to be invalid. Place the weighed samples into labeled evaluation cups, numbering different samples clearly to avoid confusion.

Step 3: Brew uniformly

1. Make sure the water temperature is stable at 85℃, and pour water up to the 150ml mark all at once for all samples.

2. Start the timer immediately. The steeping time for all samples must be strictly the same.

3. When the timer goes off, pour the tea into the corresponding white evaluation bowls at once, making sure to drain completely and remove the tea leaves.

4. Operation tips: Pour water and pour out tea simultaneously. Do not brew samples one by one; sequential brewing can cause errors.

Step 4: Observe the tea

Check the tea color in the bowl under white light:

Color: yellow-green, deep yellow-green, yellow, dark yellow

Clarity: clear / fairly clear / cloudy; note any suspended particles or sediment

Concentration: light, balanced, strong (Pearl tea 9375 usually has a deeper color and higher concentration)

Note: Samples with a lot of broken leaves are prone to cloudiness. Record the impact of broken leaves separately; do not directly assume poor quality.

Step 5: Smell the aroma (three rounds: hot, warm, cold)

Pearl tea aroma changes with temperature, so the three-step smell check is important:

1. Hot aroma (just brewed): Smell with the evaluation cup lid on. Most noticeable notes: chestnut, nutty, grassy; check for burnt or rough green notes.

2. Warm aroma (tea cooled to 45–50℃): Aromatic layers are easier to distinguish, assess delicacy, and check for any dull or off-notes.

3. Cold aroma (fully cooled): Off-flavors (aged, musty, hay-like) are more obvious; high-quality pearl tea should still smell clean.

Record: aroma type, intensity, purity, and any off-notes.

Step 6: Taste (evaluate astringency, aftertaste, body, and infusion durability)

Sip small amounts, swirl in the mouth, and spit out (do not swallow large amounts when evaluating multiple samples). Assess in order:

1. Smoothness on entry

2. Astringency / puckering: mild, medium, strong; does it dissipate quickly or linger in the mouth

3. Aftertaste: presence, speed, and strength of lingering sweetness

4. Flavor body: thin, balanced, full

5. Any off-flavors: rough, burnt, musty

      When evaluating multiple samples consecutively, rinse your mouth with water to remove residues from the previous tea.

      Then continue with the second and third infusions, repeating: pour tea → check color → smell → taste, to assess infusion durability.

      Record: how quickly the flavor declines in each infusion. 3505A fades gradually; 9375 usually has high concentration in the first infusion, weakening noticeably by the third.

Step 7: Check the leaf base (the leaf after soaking)

Spread the tea dregs inside the cup onto a white plate, spread them flat, let cool, and observe:

Tenderness: leaf softness; Raw materials with high tenderness have thin and soft leaves; Coarse, mature raw materials have hard, thick, and prominent veins

Color: tender green, yellow-green, dark yellow, mixed flowers; presence or absence of red stems and black leaves

Uniformity: whether the blades are intact and how broken they are

Important clue: The dry tea grains are very tight, but the leaf base is coarse, old, and hard. → The factory forcibly shapes old leaves by long-term roasting, making them attractive on the outside but with poor internal quality.

Step 8: Organize, record results & seal samples

1. Fill in all information in the "Organic Gunpowder Sample Review Record Form": dry tea, liquor color, aroma, taste, leaf base, overall score, and pros and cons.

2. Compare all samples side-by-side (such as 3505A / 3505B / 9375) to evaluate cost-effectiveness and match the target market positioning.

3. Samples that pass evaluation and are prepared as procurement benchmarks: seal aluminum foil bags, label model, supplier, batch, and review date, and store in a dark and low-temperature manner as sealed samples. When bulk goods arrive later, these sealed samples will be used as the acceptance comparison standard.

Supplementary special tests (targeting the North African mint tea market, which cannot be replaced by regular gaiwan judging)

If the sample target is Moroccan mint brewed tea, in addition to the above standard review, additional tea brewing tests are added: Fixed ratio: Gunpowder water, mint, sugar, boil, observe:

1. Cooking coloring speed and final soup color

2. After prolonged boiling, check for a hayy or burnt taste

3. Precipitation after cooling

4. 9375 This type of large-batch pearl tea has a strong astringency when drinking the gaiwan alone, but performs very well when brewed as mint sugar tea; It cannot be dismissed solely based on the gaiwan judging.

Common pitfalls in the review process

1. Score only by the tightness of dry tea particles: ignoring leaf base, aroma, and taste makes it easy to buy "external products."

2. Different samples are brewed sequentially with uneven soaking times: comparison completely fails.

3. Drinking multiple teas consecutively without rinsing: the bitterness residue from one sample interferes with the next one.

4. Only the first batch is evaluated, ignoring the second and third brews, making it impossible to assess the foam resistance.

5. Use tap water: minerals in the water change the color and flavor of the liquor.

Summary of the process (can be placed directly on the homepage of the review form)

1. Inspect the dry tea (firmness, uniformity, color, ground powder, dry aroma)

2. Precise sample weighing 3g

3. Brew under uniform conditions (3g/150ml, 85°C)

4. Observe the color, clarity, and concentration of the tea liquor

5. Aroma is divided into three stages: hot, warm, and cold

6. Divide and taste in multiple brews to assess taste, astringency, sweet aftertaste, and infusion endurance

7. Spread out the tea dregs to check the tenderness and uniformity of the leaf base

8. Fill out the review form and select the reference sample for sealing