Translation: Tea Classification and Processing Confused by the Term "Fermentation"

[poptea711]

In China, the definition of the term "fermentation" in tea classification and production is, in the vast majority of cases, confused.

First, let's discuss the traditional concept of fermentation. So-called fermentation must involve the decomposition of internal substances in the base material under the action of external microbial colonies (microorganisms). This is defined as fermentation in the traditional sense.

However, in tea production and classification, the term "fermentation" is used to refer to the oxidation of internal substances in the tea by the tea's internal oxidase enzymes. Therefore, in China:

Green Tea is called Non-fermented Tea (不发酵茶)

White Tea is called Lightly-fermented Tea (微发酵茶)

Oolong Tea is called Semi-fermented Tea (半发酵茶)

Black Tea is called Fully-fermented Tea (全发酵茶)

This raises a question: How should we define the names of teas that genuinely undergo microbial fermentation, such as Yunnan Ripe Pu-erh (云南熟茶), Anhua Dark Tea (安化黑茶), and Anhui An Tea (安徽安茶)?

In fact, the only teas that truly deserve to be called Fermented Tea (发酵茶) are the three types mentioned above (and others like them) that utilize a tea-making process involving the decomposition of internal tea substances by natural or artificially cultivated microbial strains. These processes are truly analogous to the making of products like cheese, preserved bean curd, or natto.