Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Educational Series – 20 Year Old Puerh / A History of Different Storage Conditions

4 Samples, 4 Experiences and a historical journey through the development of age puerh tea under different storage conditions.

The Educational Series is a genuine opportunity I am offering to my readers to learn about the different aspects of age tea. You have read the descriptions. Now you can share in the experience!

Part of the thrill and enjoyment of age puerh tea is from following its development and changes with time. Storage conditions influences the speed that a puerh tea matures. Traditional (wet) storage acts as a catalyst that speeds up the ageing process whilst natural (dry) storage is a slow development. Under these different storage conditions puerh tea that has been age for 20 years will develop very different characteristics and present a diverse range of taste, aroma and feel. Old fashion tea connoisseurs from Hong Kong will tend to drink wet stored tea comparative to dry stored puerh. The dark brew offers more mature qualities that is smoother, mellow and more grounding. Wet stored puerh provides a heavy and substantial brew that offers comfort to the body. Unfortunately good examples of wet stored and old puerh tea are rarely exported and sold outside of Hong Kong. As a result tea enthusiasts have limited opportunities to experience and learn about old puerh tea and the different storage conditions.

This sample pack brings you that opportunity combining 3 Wet Stored Samples + 1 Dry Stored Sample. All 4 tea samples are from the 1990s. Experience the age characteristics of traditional (wet) storage in the classic Hong Kong style. It is the old way, the traditional way that was widely practiced for multiple decades and left its mark on the majority of old puerh tea from the 1950s all the way to the early 2000s.
Drinking old teas like this can be like reliving a bit of history. The passing of time brings change and new trends. For many decades the Puerh world has seen the practice of traditional (wet) storage. This has gradually transitioned to a lighter style of wet storage and to today’s practice of natural (dry) storage. These changes in puerh tea storage is captured by the article “Changing Attitudes Toward Quality Puerh Over the Years – From Hong Kong Wet Storage to Light Wet Storage to Naturally Aged Tea”, by Chen Ganbang. 
 
 20 Year Old Puerh Tea Sample Pack
2 Sizes - Small / Large

1) DRY STORED  1997 Loose Leaf (Dry Storage) ... see more
2) LIGHT WET  1990s Private Production (Light Wet Stored) ... see more
3) MILD WET   1990s Menghai Green Label ... see more  
4) MEDIUM WET  1990s Menghai Orange Label (HK Private Commission) ... see more 

The samples are numbered according to their level of maturity in a progressive order from 1 to 4. Despite all the samples being in the vicinity of 20 years the different storage conditions means that each tea has progressed at a different pace towards maturity. Sample 1 (Dry Stored) represents the youngest in maturity whilst Sample 4 (Medium Wet) represents the most mature in the group.

Contact for availability and price
varatphong@yahoo.com