Broadening Our Experiences with the Aging Process

The magical influence of time in connection to the aging process is a topic that has long captivated me. For those who share the same interest and have the passion and drive to willingly pursue information and knowledge I would suggest considering additional avenues to broaden your experiences. The process of aging and its benefits extend far beyond the subject of tea. It covers various items of food and drink that have become a part of human consumption for many centuries from cheese, to pickled vegetables, cured meats, vinegar, soy sauce and a great assortment of alcoholic beverages. The aging process forms an integral part of our relationship with food, satisfying a need within our bodies beyond fresh produce.

i) Cheddar from Hookscheese, aged for 20 years, ii) Jamón Ibérico Bellota Gran Reserva, aged for 64 months, iii) Famous Yuan soy sauce from Hong Kong, aged for 1 year. iv) Traditionally made kimchi ripened in clay jars buried in the earth

1980s Bamboo Wrapped Melon - NA

This well aged puerh melon is estimated to be from the 1980s. The tea comes in a simple bamboo tube consisting of 5 pieces, bare and unadorned by labels. For an unlabeled puerh tea there is no hype, no marketing and no brand premium. As a result such a tea can be good value, adding a little excitement and mystery to our tea sessions. However at the same time unlabeled puerh can be a risky proposition for buyers as the quality of the tea greatly varies and is an easy way to pass off fake tea by dishonest merchants. With no written information to clearly reveal the production and origins of the tea an unlabeled tea is judged solely on the quality of the tea leaves and our experience from drinking them.

1997 Loose Leaf (Dry Storage)

This 1997 loose leaf is an intriguing puerh tea. What caught my attention was that this tea represents one of the few very clean dry stored puerh teas of the 1990s going against the trend of traditional (wet) storage which was the general norm at the time. The character of this tea reminds me of the famous Menghai 88 Qingbing dry stored teacake. It is my belief that the combination of dry storage and leaf material made to the standard of Menghai Tea Factory are key contributing factors to this resemblance.

 Earthenware containers are slightly porous and make great containers for storing and aging puerh tea.

1990s Menghai Green Label

For a long time I drank tea rather indiscriminately without understanding how to optimize the benefits of this wonderful drink to match the lifestyle and constitution of my body. After encountering my own health challenges and improving my lifestyle I became very interested in health and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), often testing ideas by conducting experiments on myself. By being mindful of my body’s reaction throughout the day I have learnt to become more in tune with my body. The changes become very noticable during times when I am consuming food and drinking tea especially the after effects when the body is reacting to what has come in. As a tea enthusiast I enjoy drinking tea on a daily basis and I am always keen to observe how my body reacts to a certain tea under different conditions and environments. As someone who has a Yin constitution I find warming food more suitable towards maintaining my sense of well being.

The 1990s Menghai Green Label was stored under mild wet storage conditions. The tea is warming and grounding in nature.

1990s Menghai Orange Label (HK Private Commission)

These dark tea leaves possess both potency and stamina. A tea session can last upwards of 10 steeps delivering a deep and full bodied brew that is rich in taste and revealing soft layers of nuances and complexity.