In the following weeks I will be posting a number of teas from the Menghai Tea Factory. Before I begin with the teas I feel it is important that I provide a brief introduction on this famous tea factory.
Menghai Tea Factory is the most well known and reputable source of puerh tea in China. They have a long history of production that goes back to the 1940s and a proven track record for producing teas that have aged well and dynamically risen in value. Many famous teas from the Masterpiece Era from the 1950s and later vintages of the 70s and 80s were produced by the Menghai Tea Factory. It is this history that Menghai puerh teas can be sold at a premium, especially their pre 2004 productions (regardless of the fact that their raw materials mainly consists of plantation leaves).
The year 2004 marks a defining transition of ownership and management for Menghai Tea Factory which had previously been operating under the Chinese government. Changes in the quality and style of puerh tea produced before and after the takeover by The Bowin Company is a hotly debated topic. Nonetheless the speculation on a scarce and dwindling inventory has seen market forces transforming teacakes produced in and before the year 2004 into pricey items.
cont. The Tea Market Series this Friday, 9 Jan 2015
Article 2: The Reality of China’s Tea Market – A Big Business Perspective