From looks alone, Is this Raw or Ripe?

[Charlotte_J]

Based on the look of this tea, do you think it is Raw or Ripe? Any reasoning appreciated. I will give details about the tea after there are some compelling answers!!

Picture of a full leaf here that teachat tells me it hates

[TomVerlain]

ripe or shou

reason - raw tea still looks like tea leaves after twenty years - this is crumbly and black

[Catfur]

My guess is ripe.

[shah82]

The leaves would have to be well cared for and not chopped up too much. Certainly does not look like Dayi shu.

[JakubT]

Hi, have you tried rubbing it? If it is old dry stored sheng, it should not break too much. If it is shu or wet stored sheng, it should break easily.

The wet stored sheng/shu could be probably distinguished by looking for wetness of storage - the shu puerh is different really.

Also, if the tea was sheng, even wet stored, it should feel more intense on the tongue - I have yet to meet a shu puerh with good, cooling mouthfeel.

[Drax]

Jakub, I think Charlotte knows what the tea is... she's just asking our opinions from the pictures.

If it is a shou, then it's possible it wasn't fully fermented, which is why the leaves still have a decent amount of integrity to them. Highly fermented shou tends to be much more scraggly than that, and you almost certainly wouldn't be able to open out a leaf like that extra picture you have without it breaking apart into bits.

If it is a sheng, then it is very old... I would guess earlier than 1980.

So that's my guess -- either younger not-fully-fermented shou, or an old sheng. That's as far as I can get from the pictures alone.

[beecrofter]

Raw or ripe?

Yes

[iovetea]

im a complete amateur, so for me just by looking at the colour of the soup you see in the upper right corner it is sheng.....
also the leaves look more intact than usual shou..
but you can never tell, i thikn it could be both...
well i mean thats what im guessing im a complete amateur....
for me it could also be aged rock tea, or any tea.....

[SilentChaos]

I'm betting shu.

[teaisme]

a Cha Tou blend, with different levels of fermentation (one in first pic looks kinda different then last few pics)

I think the nugget shapes are more a giveaway then anything that it is ripe

[iovetea]

a Cha Tou blend, with different levels of fermentation (one in first pic looks kinda different then last few pics)

I think the nugget shapes are more a giveaway then anything that it is ripe

thank you very much, you opened my eyes. yes buying pu in germany is no good idea.

[Charlotte_J]

Ok, here is the big reveal!!

It was given to me as a sample and listed as a 1980's raw tea, stored in Hong Kong. I am not sure if that is actually what it is or not, but it tasted like wet storage for sure!! I also thought the first picture of the leaf was pretty important, as I never see shu with full leaves like that, and there were many.

Now what!? I am all ears!!

[MarshalN]

Any shots of the dry leaves?

[Drax]

Now what!? I am all ears!!

I guess it depends what you want to do with it?

If you want to get rid of (or lessen) the wet storage, you can store it in a "normal" humidity spot for a few years.

Or you can share more pictures, as MarshalN suggested.

[Charlotte_J]

Ok!! Here are the more pictures that people asked for. I still don't know whether to buy it or not - I do not mind the wet storage taste though

Just want to know what it is! I do not have anymore of the sample, it is gone now


editing, some trouble posting the pics on teachat--