The cited diagram exhibits the various stages involved in the production of two types Pu-erh tea: Raw Tea and Ripe Tea.
Overall, both types of tea share the exact same initial stages before diverging into two distinct paths. While Pu-erh Raw Tea requires a long aging period after the compression, Ripe Tea needs an additional fermentation stage before the compression.
The process commence with the pan-frying of fresh tea leaves over an open flame to inactivate enzymes. Once fried, the leaves are rolled and being spread out for drying under the sun, the result is known as Loose Raw Tea. To produce Pu-erh Raw Tea, this loose tea is compressed into a cake. Finally, these compressed tea cakes are kept in a storage for a prolonged time, by completing the aging period they transform into “Vintage Pu-erh Raw Tea”
in contrast, the production of Pu-erh Ripe Tea involves a completely different procedures after making the Loosing Raw Tea. Those Loose Raw Tea undergoes fermentation by mold, which turns it into Loose Ripe Tea. Finally, this fermented loose ripe tea is compressed to creat the final product called “Pu-erh Ripe Tea.”