ChnTeas - wo dui
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link: https://chnteas.org/tag/wo-dui/
items: Are Fermentation and Oxidation the Same Thing in Tea? – A Definitive Breakdown
items: What Does "Fermentation" Mean in Tea? – Site Owner Investigates: It's Not What You Think

Are Fermentation and Oxidation the Same Thing in Tea? – A Definitive Breakdown
type: item
date: 2026-02-12T12:12:36+00:00
description: Tea friends, this is the Site Owner.After our last deep dive into "What does fermentation mean in tea," my inbox exploded. Many of you asked: "So fermentation IS oxidation, right?" "If black tea relies on enzymic oxidation, why do we still call it 'fully fermented'?"These questions hit the bullseye. They touch on a scientific truth that has been buried under a century of convenient terminology.Today, let's pick up where we left off. We're going to tear down the paper screen and formally grant "fermentation" and "oxidation" a divorce in the world of tea.The Site Owner's core conclusion is crystal clear: Among the six tea categories, with the sole exception of dark tea (hei cha), what the industry calls "fermentation" is, in essence, "enzymic oxidation." They are not the same thing, and we must understand the difference.1. First, Hard Definitions: These Two Words Come from Completely Different FamiliesTo determine if they are the same, we must return to etymology.What is oxidation?Oxidation is a chemical reaction between a substance and oxygen. A sliced apple turning brown, an iron nail rusting, autumn leaves changing color – these are oxidation. In tea, it is the tea leaf's own polyphenol oxidase, activated upon cell rupture, that catalyzes the reaction between polyphenols and oxygen, generating theaflavins and thearubigins.Keywords: Self-enzymes, oxygen, chemical reaction.What is fermentation?Fermentation is a metabolic process of organic matter decomposition carried out by microorganisms. Yeast converting sugar to alcohol, lactic acid bacteria turning sugar into lactic acid, Aspergillus breaking down starch into amino acids – this is fermentation.Keywords: Exogenous microbes, metabolism, biological transformation.Thus, in the dictionaries of biology and food science, "oxidation" is a chemical reaction; "fermentation" is a life process. They have never been synonyms. They were forcibly "married" in the tea industry over a century ago.Site Owner's Straight Talk: This…

What Does "Fermentation" Mean in Tea? – Site Owner Investigates: It's Not What You Think
type: item
date: 2026-02-12T12:03:33+00:00
description: Tea friends, this is the Site Owner.Every time we talk about black tea, oolong, or Pu-erh, one word is unavoidable: fermentation. Some say black tea is fully fermented and gentle on the stomach. Others say dark tea is post-fermented and gets better with age. Still others say oolong is semi-fermented, with green leaves and red edges.All true.But if you ask further: "What does 'fermentation' actually mean?" – Is it like dough rising with bacteria? Is it like wine bubbling with yeast?Even seasoned tea drinkers often pause.Today, let's dissect the most frequent and most misunderstood term in the tea world. By the end, you'll realize that tea's 'fermentation' is fundamentally different from the fermentation you know.1. Cold Truth First: "Fermentation" in Tea Is a Historical MisnomerThis might surprise you, but it's true: Modern tea science has long confirmed that what we commonly call tea 'fermentation' is, in the vast majority of cases, not microbial fermentation at all – it's "enzymic oxidation."What does that mean?Take a green apple. Bite into it – it's sour and astringent. Leave it on the table for half a day; the flesh turns yellow, the taste becomes sweet. That's not bacteria working; it's the apple's own enzymes reacting with oxygen in the air.Tea's "fermentation" works exactly the same way.When tea makers roll the leaves, cell walls rupture. The tea's own polyphenol oxidase is released, meets the polyphenols, and encounters oxygen – an invisible oxidation reaction begins. Chlorophyll breaks down, theaflavins and thearubigins form, grassy aroma dissipates, floral and fruity notes emerge.This is what "fermentation" really means in the six tea categories. It's not foreign microbes doing the work; it's the tea leaves "ripening" themselves.That's why in academic English literature, scholars carefully note that this so‑called "fermentation" is actually enzymic oxidation – a historical misnomer.Site Owner's Take: You've been drinking "fermented tea" for twenty years, bu…