The given diagram demonstrates the production of Pu-erh raw tea and ripe tea, by comparing each process with another.
Overall, it is prominent that both tea productions are man-made and linear processes. Another notable point is that while Pu-erh ripe tea is manufactured by using fermentation, aging is used to produce Pu-erh raw tea.
Looking at the details regarding the Pu-erh ripe tea, first and foremost, tea leaves are fried in a pan for inactivation of enzyme purposes, after which, these fried leaves are rolled and put under the sun to dry, resulting in loose raw tea. In subsequent stages, these raw teas undergo a fermentation process by mold and yield loose ripe tea. After that, the products of fermentation are compressed to produce the final product— Pu-erh ripe tea.
In contrast, in terms of vintage Pu-erh raw tea, the loose raw tea that undergo drying phase is go through the compression process to make Pu-erh raw tea. Following that the final product, vintage Pu-erh raw tea, is manufactured by aging the raw tea in the storage.
