散茶
Term · Pressing and forms
loose-leaf
Literal meaning
loose tea
Definition#
Uncompressed pu'er. In ripe pu'er, loose tea is sorted into grades by leaf size before sale or pressing; GB/T 22111 defines ripe loose tea and compressed tea as separate product types.
Translation and usage#
| Language | Use | Alternatives & cautions |
|---|---|---|
| English | loose-leaf uncompressed pu'er translation |
Also acceptable
|
| Deutsch | loser Pu-Erh ungepresster Pu-Erh translation |
Also acceptable
|
| Русский | рассыпной непрессованный пуэр (сань ча) translation |
Also acceptable
|
| 简体字繁體字 | 散茶 | |
| 日本語 | 散茶 |
Common confusions#
- Historical sense: the Song History divides tea into 片茶 (pressed) and 散茶 (loose); 'loose tea' in Song–Ming texts is not pu'er.
- Pinyin: zdic gives 散茶 as sàn chá, while CC-CEDICT gives 散 sǎn for "loose"; the existing sǎnchá needs a dictionary check.
- In GB/T 22111-2008 only ripe pu'er is sold loose; there is no loose raw pu'er category. Loose ripe tea is graded 特级 and 一级 to 十级.