Educational Series - Comparative Tasting of Old & New Ripe Puerh Tea

Gong Ting (aka Golden Needle) is a special grade of RIPE that contains a high content of buds. Only select batches of ripe puerh tea is made in this way. The light brown shimmering on the teacake represents small buds that give a unique appearance to this special grade of ripe puerh tea. LEFT: 2010 Golden Needle White Lotus Menghai TF RIGHT: 1990s CNNP Private Production Gong Ting

Tea Session – 1980s Menghai Tea Factory (No Cover)

 

This 1980s teacake was obtained from Taiwan. The period touches on the trade friction between China and Taiwan following the historical conflict that saw both embroiled in a Civil War. Traders in Taiwan resorted to sneaking in Chinese goods by removing any obvious labels that could be traced back to the mainland. This puerh teacake and many others during the period would as a result have their outside cover removed as they were transported.

1980s Menghai Tea Factory productions are rare and the top batches command a small fortune at tea auctions. Whilst this teacake does not represent the best from the period it is a very decent example of an old Menghai tea and is still very expensive. I decided to add this tea to the - Free Tea Samples Catalog - to celebrate the start of 2019 and the launch of the new catalog. The teacake is not overly wet stored and retain sparks of liveliness amidst a dominant dark and age character. Despite its age the tea remains potent, possessing a certain vigor. It is these traits and the proven age worthiness from the lineage that makes the old production under Menghai Tea Factory (before the 2004 takeover) popular amongst tea collectors invested in long term storage.

2019 New Section - FREE TEA SAMPLES

GET MORE TEAS WITH YOUR ORDER

I am excited to introduce the Tea Samples Catalog to the blog. As a tea lover I have always enjoyed having access to new teas and collecting new experiences to cultivate and improve my understanding of tea. I hope to deliver both under this section and add greater value to tea enthusiasts who make their purchases here. The highlights include tea from Menghai Tea Factory, Wisteria Tea House, Yang Qing Hao, Douji, Essence of Tea and many more.

Starting 2019 I am making available these teas that come from a part of my collection. The list below is an assembly of various teas from my many trips to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore in addition to online ventures spanning almost 20 years. There is a wide and diverse range of teas to be found. As I bring more out from storage new installments will appear. There are some real gems in the mix. If you have a sharp eye combine with a good sense for spotting good teas you can add considerably more to your tea order. Have fun discovering new teas!

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Special Offer for the Holidays - Puerh Sale

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Reflections on the Future of Modern Style Puerh Tea

 

Beautifully packaged and engineered by design to be compliant to a wider audience ... but are we seeing signs that the modern style of puerh tea is fraying at the edges. Has the intent to satisfy commercial interests compromised the traditional values of puerh tea?

My first encounter with the modern style of puerh tea came in 2005 at a Chinese tea market in Kunming. During that time such teas were not taken seriously and were treated as a gimmick which often resulted in them being offered to new tea drinkers. The market sentiment was very different during those times. It was a speculative market with fast money and investing in puerh tea provided a roller coaster ride of emotions. The vast majority of buyers were Chinese and there was strong demand for puerh tea that could potentially make future profits. Buyers wanted puerh tea that was age worthy and that would give them a return on their investment. The modern style of puerh tea was an unknown quantity and its docile qualities were so different to the standard puerh tea at the time that some even questioned whether it was genuine puerh tea. The hardcore Chinese buyers were dismissive of the modern style of puerh tea and as a result the more competitive buying revolved around traditional and renowned production batches by established factories like Menghai TF, Xia Guan TF and Kunming TF.

Old Tea – Beyond Taste, Aroma, Flavor

Photo credit goes to www.splendidtable.org

Tea enthusiasts who take the time to appreciate and respect their experience with old tea will find the experience can be deeply spiritual and profound. By paying our respect to the memories and meaning that the tea represents we open ourselves to another dimension of appreciation and enjoyment. Old tea is a representation of their respective era, the state of society from olden times shaped by key historical events and ideology. Furthermore an old tea can also represent something deeply personal and in the instance below a beautiful reflection of a life.

I greatly enjoyed the following podcast/article and wanted to share it with my fellow tea enthusiasts. The account reminisces beautiful memories of a unique life lived by Francis Lam’s grandfather through drinking an old puerh tea that was left to him as an inheritance. Tim Hsu kindly prepares the tea and provides guidance during the course of the tea session.

Podcast (from 15.30 - 30.30min)
Article

Comparative Exploration of the Old & Modern Style of Puerh Gushu - Early Stage of Ageing

 

Gushu raw material is the most highly prized and sought after for puerh tea. The raw material is harvested from big trees that can be well over a hundred and even a thousand years old. Old gushu represents a natural origin of tea leaves that is rich in nutrients, possessing a depth of character and layered in complexity making the characteristics of old gushu very unique and compelling. The transition from the old to modern style of puerh gushu is representative of the changes within the industry shaped by time, the limitation of natural resources against growing demand, changing traits to entice growth into new markets, new technology and the pursuit for quick profits.