GLOBAL EA HUT & Tao Magazine 國際茶亭 May 2017

老A Guide to Aging Puerh化 Tea 茶

“Breakthrough” Mengku Maocha as a Storage Candidate Deciding on an Yixing GLOBAL EA HUT ContentsIssue 64 / May 2017 Tea & Tao Magazine

Breakthrough精神突破

There is a vast encyclopedic body of folk wisdom surrounding aged and aging puerh that goes back centuries. It’s a topic worth every Love is couple years, discussing how to age tea as we check in on our own stash and see how it’s faring, changing the world and also decide if we want to store a tea like this month’s tea long term. bowl by bowl Features特稿文章 13 Introduction to Aging Puerh Tea 17 The Changes of Time By Huang Chanfang 03 21 Superior Puerh Liqour is Rich & Substantial By Lian Jianxing 31 Storing Puerh Tea By He Jingcheng 35 Perspectives on 35 25 Aging Puerh By Huang Haoran 41 Storage Techniques By Zhan Shunqian 45 Puerh Storage in Malaysia By Qiu Jinquan 49 Storing Puerh at Home By Chan Kam Pong

傳統文章 Traditions 31 03 Tea of the Month 精 “Breakthrough,” 2015 Sheng Puerh Tea © 2017 by Global Tea Hut Mengku, Yunnan, China 神 All rights reserved. 突 No part of this publication may be 25 Gongfu Teapot reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- “Deciding on an Yixing Teapot,” 破 tem or transmitted in any form or by By Han Chi Lo any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other- wise, without prior written permis- 57 TeaWayfarer sion from the copyright owner. Lauren Stern, USA n May, theFrom year’s harvests start rolling in andthe the tea ter will wax sentimentalEditor about the “glory days” when things lover starts to wonder what kind of weather she’ll be were smaller. Still, I understand the merits of moving to a drinking this year, since the differences in tea from course schedule, for the benefit of everyone in this glob- year to year have much to do with changes in the cli- al community, and those yet to come. Imagine receiving a Imate. We try new and compare them to the old, find- catalogue of the coming year’s courses with your Decem- ing much joy in tasting new teas like puerh alongside their ber Global Tea Hut and leafing through it, choosing from elders—examples from previous years. This offers us the week-long to intensive ten-day courses on Cha Dao, various chance to understand the mystery of age in tea. We return brewing methods taught at multiple levels (like Gongfu Tea now to lighter teas: occasionally a lightly-oxidized , I, II, III and IV, for example), linear courses on Oolong Tea, young sheng puerh and more rarely a white or as or even The Seven Genres of Tea, and of course, gatherings and retreats… As we turn potential guests away due to the well. The weather in Taiwan is beautiful this time of year, fact that the Tea Sage Hut is constantly over-booked, the and these light teas herald the change in season, as they have pressure to create the new Center grows. We are therefore since ancient times. going to find a way to incentivize your help in spreading the We have just returned from the largest-ever Annual word. As you help us find new members who subscribe to Global Tea Hut tea trip, which reminds us to take the time Global Tea Hut, you will be eligible to receive Light Meets and celebrate all the marvelous connections that have hap- Life teas, , rarer teas we enjoy here at the Hut, paint- pened through this magazine-experience. I travel around ings, books and ultimately, even a free trip to the Center! the world, “making friends through tea,” and seeing how We are currently working out the logistics of tracking this. those friendships are the seeds for others to meet, the com- Stay tuned to our social media for more details. munity grows and grows. We have come a long way from This is an exciting issue, as the new maocha arriving twenty members and a black-and-white newsletter! As the from Yunnan allows us some perspective on elder teas, like new teas come in, and I am tasting the potential candidates our Tea of the Month this time. Drinking these new teas for our annual Light Meets Life fundraiser, I feel a dreamy, also has sparked interest in exploring the aging of sheng poetic grace for the abundance surrounding and flowing puerh a bit more in depth than we have before, including through our global efforts to awaken tea spirit. Returning some articles on the changes in puerh during its infancy to the tea, I remember how many more bowls and cups through its youth, middle and old age. We have devoted there are to share and smile, invigorated and inspired to much of this issue to aging puerh—sourcing good tea, how work hard again. And we have some great teas coming this and where to age the tea, and much more! This issue is a year for you, including one I call “the dream,” as I have been testament to our goals of including more and more perspec- working with a farmer in Yunnan for several years to get it tives in each issue of Global Tea Hut, offering articles by a right and have finally done so! greater variety of authors and translating more. Once again, Some of you may not know this, but I have begun study- we have to thank Wuxing Publications for all their support! ing photography in my quest to express tea spirit through these pages—hoping that some of the sentiments of being at the Hut or in are displayed to those who haven’t yet attended a session, and inspiring those that have to put another kettle on and serve some more tea. I know I have a long way to go in achieving those aims, but I have devoted some time, love and energy to improving the imag- Wu De es in this magazine. It therefore brings me great joy to an- nounce one of my favorite times of year, and an inspiration for this magazine and for me personally: the beginning of our 2017 Annual Photography Contest. Any of you, and even those who are not Global Tea Hut members, can sub- –Further Readings– mit one photograph that you feel expresses tea spirit, and we’ll choose winners later in the year, who will receive many wonderful prizes. This month, we will have some extra articles As Global Tea Hut gathers momentum, we feel more translated on the topic of aging puerh tea, as there of a pressure to build the new Center, Light Meets Life. I is really much more than we can include in this personally do not feel compelled towards “more” and am issue. The September 2014 Extended Edition on content with the Center we have, Tea Sage Hut. I know that Puerh is good background reading as well. once we do move, those of us who enjoyed this smaller Cen- *Further Readings are posted on our blog.

2 of the

ver the course of this month, hone your understanding. Reviewing regions: India’s Darjeeling and Assam, we are going to be discuss- is fundamental to proper study hab- and China’s Yunnan Province. After 茶ing one of the questions we its, and is a very important method of the Himalayas cross the border into Oget asked the most often: “How do I learning and retaining information so China, they become the Hengduan store my puerh tea?” And this com- that you can pass it on to your guests, Mountains: several parallel mountain plicated question actually unravels or whomever asks you about the topic. ranges running from north to south. into many other questions, as well, Furthermore, not everyone has been Together they form a U-shape, facing like where to store your tea or which sitting in this Hut for the same amount towards the Indian Ocean. Warm, hu- tea to choose in the first place. Actu- of time—some are new here. For these mid winds blow across from the Indian ally, this topic exceeds the parameters reasons and more, it is important for Ocean to meet the majestic Himalayas of this issue, and we may have to have us to review basic material before mov- and Hengduan mountains, creating a some more discussions on the topic in ing on to a discussion of aging. warm current in the surrounding area later issues as well, but we hope to offer and forming an excellent biological some different perspectives on storage environment. The world’s top tea-pro- that will help you navigate the tricky, Trees & Gardens ducing regions are all located within island-strewn waters of puerh storage. this U-shaped area. And what would Global Tea Hut be Large-leaf tea varietals in Yunnan There is a lot of confusion sur- without a tea to help explore the issue Province are concentrated in two main rounding the kinds of trees in Yunnan, with the senses as well? Our Tea of the areas: western Yunnan and southern and it can be difficult to navigate with- Month, Breakthrough, is a 2015 mao- Yunnan. The Western Yunnan Tea Re- out standards. This means that differ- cha that we enjoy drinking and have gion includes the three prefectures of ent publications and vendors will have just made the decision to move into Lincang, Baoshan and Dehong, en- their own terms, categories and ways of long-term storage. This is poignant, as compassing 19 towns and counties. explaining the trees. Furthering the it allows us to discuss the motivations It’s the largest tea-producing region in problem, much of the information for that decision. After all, we all have Yunnan, making up 50.14% of the to- is dishonest, since it is controlled limited space for long-term storage, so tal area of tea-producing land, and ac- by merchants. The label “old- it is important to choose the right teas counting for 55.58% of Yunnan’s year- growth,” for example, not to age. Breakthrough is the perfect tea ly tea output. The Western Yunnan Tea only does not refer to any to sip as we discuss puerh aging and Region has also been recognized as the standardized age of fermentation, choosing the right tea most suitable area for growing Yun- tree, but it also for aging and also the very early stages nan’s large-leaf varietals. is often untrue. of fermentation, since it is around two Asia is the center of global tea pro- years old now. duction and accounts for 81.79% of Before we turn to aging, though, we the world’s tea output. Overall, the should get our review of some puerh areas where tea production is most basics out of the way. These reviews are concentrated are found in a band of important as they help contextualize latitude between 16° south and 23° our discussions. Also, it is important north of the equator. Within this area, to return to the fundamentals, refining the Himalayas connect the world’s them as you uncover new layers and two most important tea-producing

3 Breakthrough Mengku, Yunnan, China 生 毛 2015 Sheng Puerh Tea 普茶 Bulang

~2500 Meters 洱 Tea of the Month

There are way more cakes labeled “old- from either, but if the leaves are left on of large-leaf that branch lower down, growth” than there is genuine old- the tree, the large-leaf trees will pro- there is still always a thick trunk, so growth raw material in the world, and duce much larger leaves, which can be the separation can be useful. Small- by an order of several thousand times. bigger than a person’s hand. leaf tea branches immediately, like a At the Hut, we call tea “old-growth” The issue is complicated, however, bush. (Again, the “dancing” varietals when the trees are one hundred years by certain so-called “dancing” varietals of large-leaf tea trees are an exception, old or more, and “ancient” when they of large-leaf tea in Yunnan that branch though their trunks are still thick just get up near a thousand. right above ground into several trunks. beneath ground level.) It is important to know that the size It is also complicated by the fact that To determine the age of a large- of the leaf does not help to determine some farmers pollard their large-leaf leaf, chou mu tea tree, you have to look if the tea is old-growth or not. Old trees. Pollarding means cutting the at the thickness of the trunk, not the trees still produce tiny, fresh buds, and trunk so that it produces more trunks height. Tea can grow tall very fast. small plantation trees also have large and then, the idea is, more leaves. Even in ten years a tree can be several leaves. Tea in Yunnan is, after all, large- There is, however, some research that meters tall. You determine the age by leaf varietals. This means that the trees proves that this doesn’t really increase the thickness of the trunk. The girth of are single-trunk, with roots that grow yield. Pollarding is obviously not the the trunk is also relative to the varietal, downwards; as opposed to small-leaf healthiest option for the trees. It is also but, in general, real old-growth trees varietals, which evolved as tea moved done sometimes to make picking more have thick trunks. If the trunk has a north, naturally or carried by man. convenient, but we would choose to diameter of two hands, you can be sure Small-leaf varietals have several trunks, refer to that as “pruning,” to differenti- it is more than one hundred years old, with roots that grow outwards. Why ate it from pollarding. and certainly old-growth. Over time, the two categories are called “small- Another way of categorizing large- as you see more trees, you will get bet- leaf” and “large-leaf” is because the leaf tea is to call it “chou mu (喬木),” ter at determining their age based on leaves that are allowed to grow on the which means there is a single trunk, appearance alone. trees will be very different in size. In which grows up around a meter before But every shop owner in China other words, you can pick small buds branching. Though there are varietals who sells puerh has photos on their

5/ Breakthrough (Jing Shen Tu Po, 精神突破) Living Tea

Living tea has six characteristics: 1. Living tea is seed-propagated, as op- posed to cuttings. 2. The tea trees have room to grow upwards to produce large crowns, and between trees, allowing the plants to or- ganize themselves. 3. Living tea is grown in full biodiversi- ty, surrounded by natural ecology. 4. Living tea is, of course, grown with- out the use of any agrochemicals (the “Terrible Trio”: pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers). 5. The relationship between the farmer and trees is one of respect and rever- ence. Within the character for tea is the radical “human,” as Tea is a relation- ship between Nature and human. 6. No irrigation or fertilizer of any kind (even organic fertilizer) is used. This allows the trees to be independent, developing strong and deep roots, and connecting to the energy of the moun- tain. A lot of tea and other agricultural products produced these days are like goldfish or poodles, in that the trees cannot survive on their own. Because they are irrigated, they never learn to grow deep roots and drink the moun- phone of genuine old-growth trees tain water; and because they are fed by that they are happy to tell you are the fertilizer shipped in by humans, they very trees that their tea is made from. are not grown on the mountain min- Sometimes they even hang signs with erals and nutrients so important to the their logos on the trees for the photo. quality of tea (and the health of any This is very rarely genuine, however. organism). The health and quality of a Sadly, there is an ocean of plantation 野 tea is more in its terroir—environment, tea and only a small stream of genuine soil, climate, etc.—than any other fac- old-growth tea. Learning to taste and tor. feel the difference will be paramount When the tree is grown sterilely in your tea journey. and not permitted the breadth to grow After the distinction between small- strong and independent, so much of the and large-leaf, it is important to under- 生 quality and characteristic uniqueness stand the three kinds of tea gardens in of the tea is lost to sterile, industrial- Yunnan. Again, there is no standard- ized uniformity of cloned, flat and life- ization in this, so we have to create our less tea leaves and liquor. own. Different authors and vendors, That said, there is also a need for however, will describe and label these agriculture that compromises some of kinds of gardens in their own way. But 茶 these characteristics to increase yield, once you have a basic understanding of not out of greed but because there are these three, you will be able to navigate more tea lovers than healthy tea trees. any discussion you have with a puerh Still, whatever compromise we make to lover or tea vendor about the kinds of increase yield, we cannot do so in an gardens in Yunnan. We call the three unsustainable way or future tea lovers kinds of gardens: plantation, eco-arbo- 道 won’t have tea. For that reason, agro- real and forest. chemicals are out of the question.

6 Tea of the Month Plantation tea is grown in rows, tea there; and, of course, the rich ab- The final kind of garden is a forest with tea propagated by cuttings all original cultural and spiritual heritage garden. These can be wild or planted by planted close together, usually in low- surrounding puerh tea. But all these people. These are gardens in the forest, er altitude, more accessible places, factors are absent in plantation tea, often protected parks. The tea grows though plantation tea can be grown which is made from smaller, younger naturally, and in a full and natural anywhere. The dangers of plantation trees, rarely in the forest, etc. ecosystem. Obviously, this represents tea are that this is where conventional The second kind of garden, which the best of what puerh tea has to of- farming is most predominant, which we call “eco-arboreal,” is composed of fer. Sadly, almost every puerh vendor means the tea often is not organic and living tea planted or wild right near in the world gives the impression that grown industrially. As such, this tea is the edge of the village. The trees grow all his or her tea is of this variety, when rarely as healthy for people, and most up in biodiversity and live in a healthy very little of this kind of tea actually certainly not for the environment. It environment, but not in the forest. exists anymore. Many times you could also lacks sustainability. Such tea is not These trees are just outside the village, hike into the forest and pass right by what we call “living tea.” Living tea has and sometimes surrounded by other such a garden, if you didn’t know what six characteristics. (See the sidebox on agriculture. These trees are more con- to look for, since the would the previous page.) venient to care for and harvest, since look just like all the other jungle you The other issue with plantation the farmers do not have to hike to had passed by on the way there. These tea, as far as puerh goes, is that it is get to them. They are still quite hap- natural, forest gardens are what “bring missing much of what makes puerh py and healthy, and, as of now, small Nature to society.” This is where the tea unique. There is little by way of Yunnanese villages aren’t so bad to live sounds of the forest can be found in processing that defines puerh (a low- just outside of, as many are still clean the bowl. er temperature/lighter de-enzyming, and in healthy balance with the envi- Getting to know these kinds of sha qin (殺菁), and sun-drying, both ronment. Not all eco-arboreal tea is tea and learn how to tell if the tea is of which contribute to fermentation). clean, though. There is rarely ever any really old-growth, and what kind of Puerh is more defined by the rich bio- pesticide used with such tea, but some garden it comes from, is helpful, but diversity of the forests of Yunnan; the farmers do use weedkillers around the also remember that, in this tradition, glacial water that flows there from the trees and/or chemical fertilizers to in- we have a saying, “as the person seeks top of the world (the Tibetan Plateau, crease yield. In areas where these trees the Leaf, the Leaf seeks the person.” which extends into northern Yunnan); are surrounded by other crops, they Much of what kind of tea finds us the old tea trees which live longer and can also be cross-contaminated, if the will have to do with our approach have deeper roots than most all tea, local farmers are using agrochemicals to tea, our relationship to the Leaf changing the medicinal qualities of the on those plants. and how we serve it to others as well.

This is an eco-arboreal tea garden. While the trees are at the edge of the village, and not as healthy as forest trees, there is still plenty of biodiversity in these gardens and the trees can also be old. This compromise is actually wonderful, as it allows for a higher yield of tea, but doesn’t compromise environmental integrity or tea quality. And many of these gardens have been handed down for generations, and are therefore treated with the utmost respect. From pictures like this, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between forest and eco-arboreal gardens.

森 林 村 莊 同 一

7/ Breakthrough (Jing Shen Tu Po, 精神突破) Our heart will guide us to the right teas, just as the right teas will find the people with heart. When you respect Tea as medicine, and are committed to protecting the aboriginal culture and environment old-growth forest tea grows in, such tea will find you. Like we say, “as the person seeks the Leaf, the Leaf seeks the person.”

Processing

All puerh comes from Yunnan, the birthplace of tea. There are two kinds of puerh: sheng and shou. Sheng is the more traditional, greener kind of puerh. It is picked, withered, fired and sun-dried. Sheng tea is then natural- ly fermented over time, and the old- er the better. It miraculously mellows from green, powerful, astringent tea to deep and dark elixirs. It also changes from “cool” to “hot,” in the Chinese medical sense of the words. Shou tea goes through an additional step, af- ter the ordinary steps listed above. It is piled under thermal blankets, in order to artificially ferment the tea. Traditionally, aboriginals in Yun- nan had many ways to turn their tea to warm (again, in the TCM sense),

The Processing The two stages that really distinguish puerh processing from other kinds of tea are the firing and sun-drying. The de-enzyming (firing) is done at a lower tempera- of Sheng Puerh ture for a shorter duration so that the heat-resistant spores survive. The sun-drying then reactivates the fermentation. It is amazing that aboriginal wisdom incorpo- (maocha)毛茶 rated this long before the microscopic world was discovered!

Plucking採摘

Withering萎凋

De-enzyming殺菁

揉捻 Rolling

Sun-drying晒干

8 Tea of the Month including baking, roasting, or even frying and the sun-drying. The fry- some clarity on these issues, at least in burying it in bamboo. However, the ing of sheng puerh is done at a low- terms of what we are writing about in modern method of piling the tea was er temperature and for a shorter time the pages of Global Tea Hut. As for the developed and then commercialized in than other kinds of tea. This leaves first issue, there are great blended teas 1973 by big puerh factories, in an at- some of the bitter, astringent enzymes from the Masterpiece (1949–1972), tempt to reproduce the amazing effects alive and active, which aids in the fer- Chi Tze (1972–1998) and Newborn that time, and natural fermentation, mentation of the tea over time. The (1998–present) eras of puerh. Some- have on tea. Of course, they only suc- sun-drying also helps activate the fer- times, teas from different regions, or ceeded in inventing a new genre of tea, mentation, exposing it to the bacteria even the same region, enhance each rather than actually achieving what that will help in that process. In fact, other beautifully. All teas are techni- nature does over such long periods of the relationship that puerh has to mi- cally blends, since different sides of time. Succinctly, the difference is that crobial life is one of the main charac- the same tree will produce different sheng puerh is left green, which means teristics that define this genre of tea. At leaves, let alone different parts of the it ages naturally over time (which this point, the tea is called “rough tea same forest. Still, there is something takes seventy years to reach full matu- (毛茶, maocha),” which means that to be said for single-region puerh since rity) and shou puerh is artificially fer- it is essentially unfinished. Such tea that was the way that all puerh tea was mented in piles (which takes forty-five is then pressed into cakes, sometimes traditionally produced. All the teas to sixty days to fully ferment the tea). blended with teas from other regions. from the Antique Era (pre-1949) were This month’s tea is a sheng tea: picked, In modern times, this is done at facto- single-region. The terroir of a place, withered, fired and sun-dried. It dates ries rather than at the mountain where including the culture of how to process to the year 2004 and is from the Yiwu the tea is harvested/produced, but tra- the tea, will then be homogeneous. mountain region. ditionally the compression and finish- This includes the genetic heritage of The most distinguishing steps in ing was also done on the mountain, the trees, the climate and soil, the mi- puerh production are the sha qing (kill- using the same water to steam the tea crobial environment so important to green) and sun-drying phases. The fir- into cake form as it drank when it was the tea’s fermentation, and ideally also ing, or “sha qing,” comes after wither- a part of the old tree, which is obvious- the spiritual/cultural rituals that sur- ing. It is done to arrest the oxidation ly ideal. This also means that, as it is round harvest and production. As for begun in the withering and to “kill” being compressed, it will be exposed to what we mean when we call a puerh certain enzymes in the tea that make its native bacteria. “old-growth,” for us it means that the it bitter, which is why it may also be Puerh processing is a very old and tea leaves were harvested from trees translated as “de-enzyming.” In puerh simple methodology. Different genres that are at least one hundred years old. tea, the de-enzyming is done at a low- of tea have different measures of qual- We think that when you start talking in er temperature for a shorter duration, ity, based on a ratio of raw material to centuries, it’s definitely “old-growth.” because some of these enzymes are im- processing skill. Cliff Tea, for example, When drinking fresh-from-the- portant for the fermentation of the tea, is measured at least as much in the farm maocha, there are many criteria which happens post-production (ei- processing as it is in the trees/leaves. for finding the right tea to make into ther naturally or artificially). This also But puerh is different. With puerh, cakes: you can drink with an eye to- ensures that heat-resistant spores will the quality is much more in the trees/ wards aging the tea (in which case, you survive and flourish, as the bacteria leaves, with tea from older trees having will have to have had a lot of experi- and mold are the source of the fermen- more breadth, wisdom and medici- ence drinking aged and aging teas at tation. The sun-drying also facilitates nal juju. Mountain, location and age various stages), learning about regions and encourages fermentation by reac- of the trees will all play a large role in or creating cakes that can be enjoyed tivating the microbial worlds that live the price and quality of a puerh. Be- young. The best of teas will be great in the leaves, going about their days in cause of that, there is a lot of confusion when young, middle-aged or vintage. Horton Hears a Who style. and dishonesty surrounding regions Sheng puerh made from old trees is and age of trees in the puerh market, typically only harvested in the spring, with young, plantation-tree tea (tai di with the occasional buds in autumn as cha) being mixed into old-growth raw well. Old trees need to be left to their material, or tea from one region being own devices to produce living tea. Us- brought to another and sold under Living tea trees are teem- ing fertilizers or hormones to increase false pretenses. This means that you ing with a rich ecology of production will upset the natural equi- have to have some experience tasting their own: moss, mold, fun- librium of the tree’s ecological relation- teas, knowing if it is organic or not, gus, orchids and insects all ship to the soil, mountain and weather, young or old-growth, and from which cohabitate within a wild tea and the trees will eventually die from region (at least relatively). It also helps tree like this one. This rich such farming. to have trusted sources, like we do at environment of microor- The harvested leaves are withered, the Hut. ganisms plays a major role indoors and out, fried to kill green en- Nowadays, there is also a lot of in the fermentation of puerh zymes and arrest oxidation, rolled and confusion about blended versus sin- tea post-production and is then sun-dried. The two identifying gle-region tea, as well as what defines one of the magical qualities features of puerh production are the “old-growth” puerh. It is good to have that makes puerh unique.

9/ Breakthrough (Jing Shen Tu Po, 精神突破)

Tea of the Month

Breakthrough You may be wondering what Breakthrough has to do with aged or aging puerh. This tea is actually a wonderful opportunity to explore the issue. In Wu De’s article on how to choose a sheng puerh for storage, he talks about which sheng tea to start the journey and also about tasting the tea at different times to make the final decision. For us, the two most important times to determine whether or not a tea is a good candidate for long-term storage are when the tea is new, and when it is two or three years old and starts showing the first signs of aging. Sometimes, this stage is more important for the final decision than the new tea. Breakthrough is an autumn 2015 tea from Mengku (勐庫). Mengku is located in the Lin- cang city area, on the banks of the Lancang River, in Yunnan Province. The area is crisscrossed by mountain ranges, with a unique climate and abundant natural resources. Since ancient times, it has been famed for producing exceptional tea. The community of wild tea plants that grow at the Mengku Garden on Daxue (Big Snow) Mountain in Lincang form the highest altitude and most densely growing community of large-leaf trees discovered to date. The main peak of Daxue Mountain rises to 3233 meters above sea level; the community of old tea trees are distributed over an area of around 800 hectares, situated halfway up the mountain, between 2200 and 2750 meters in altitude. Here, the average annual temperature is below 11 °C, with yearly rainfall averaging around 2000 millimeters. These heaven-sent natural conditions create a veritable paradise for tea plants. For a long time we have intended to store some loose-leaf autumn sheng puerh for ten to fifteen years to see what happens. We have some autumn cakes in storage, but no autumn maocha that we know conclusively to be autumn tea. As we will discuss later in the issue, autumn tea is not usually as strong or vibrant, and is therefore not often the best candidate for long-term storage. Break- through was a great, rich and vibrant tea from nice, organic eco-arboreal gardens and available at the right price as well. But would it age well? This bright tea is a kind of test for us all to do together. As you progress in your understand- ing of puerh tea, you must learn to also evaluate sheng puerh in terms of its ageability. This is, of course, important when choosing a fresh sheng tea, but also after two or three years, and then again around seven years. Just because a tea is nice for drinking doesn’t mean it is a great candidate for long-term storage. Breakthrough is a wonderful tea to enjoy, but the question is whether or not you would continue to age Breakthrough. Is it a good candidate for long-term aging? What do you think? Let us know via email or through social media. Whether or not you choose to participate in this experiment, and learn how to judge the ageability of a puerh, you should still take the time to enjoy Breakthrough as well. This tea is rich, hovering between fresh, green sheng and slightly aged tea. It was stored pretty dry so far, so it is on the greener side of a two- to three-year-old Sheng.

Gongfu Leaves in a Bowl Sidehandle

Water : spring water, gathered or bottled Sheng puerh can take Fire: coals, infrared or gas heat better than other Heat: hotter, fish-eye, roughly 90-95 ° C greener, lighter teas. Brewing Methods: gongfu or Amount is import- sidehandle (gongfu, if testing for storage) ant, as this tea can Steeping: long or short, to taste* be astringent. *long, one flash, then progressive, if gongfu Patience: fifteen to twenty steepings

11/ Breakthrough (Jing Shen Tu Po, 精神突破) Brewing Tips f you are going to try to evaluate this tea for aging, we As this topic is bigger than this section of the magazine I would recommend gongfu brewing. Otherwise, this tea allows, we want to focus specifically on a puerh tea like our will be nice as either leaves in a bowl or in a sidehandle as Tea of the Month. Puerh actually responds better when the well. We have filled the can a bit higher this month, so if water is poured quicker and from lower down, with as large there aren’t too many guests at your session, you could even and fast a stream as possible. If you are brewing Break- try more than one method—perhaps evaluating the tea for through gongfu, we recommend taking the time to experi- aging in one session and just drinking for pleasure in an- ment a little. Try steeping one brew in which you attempt to other. fill the pot more quickly and from lower down, and another This month, we want to hone in an aspect of tea brewing where you pour a thinner, slower stream from higher up, that is so subtle, you may not have thought too much about and see if you can tell the difference. If you wish, you can it before now: the height and speed of your pour. Of course, use the Ten Qualities of a Fine Tea to evaluate the two cups. the differences in how quickly you fill the pot and from how Of course, the height and speed of your pour from the high the stream pours will be more influential and easily kettle also affects the temperature at which the leaf steeps, recognizable in gongfu tea. Also, bowl tea is more about cer- and so a lower, faster pour results in hotter water, which is emony and meditative space, and not really conducive to ex- conducive to mostly all puerh tea, since it has thicker, tough- perimentation. That said, how you fill a sidehandle pot, and er leaves that can take a stronger heat. As we have often dis- from how high, also can change the experience of the tea. cussed in previous issues of this magazine, your journey in And while we wouldn’t recommend experimentation or fo- tea brewing is one of understanding heat, water and leaves, cus on quality in bowl tea—since it is about creating sacred not to mention the other elements. Tea brewing is an alche- space, that doesn’t mean the brewer cannot apply some sim- my of all five elements (earth, water, wood, fire and metal) ple techniques to also improve her guests’ experience of the as well as a concordance of all our senses with Nature, uti- tea on a sensual level, including the way the water is poured. lizing each sense to prepare and enjoy the tea. 一 明 日 千 的 寶 杯 島 A Guide to Aging Puerh Tea –老化茶 – he aging of tea is a magical thing. ing puerh, it is important to note that of molds, bacteria and fungi. These tea T Fermentation is the least under- experience in drinking lots of mature trees are teeming with life, covered in stood of all aspects of our food pro- puerh, and in watching puerh change molds and insects. This relationship duction and consumption. The word over long periods, is necessary. With- makes this tea much more conducive “ferment” literally means “to boil,” the out this, those who are writing about to post-production fermentation. As bubbling of fermenting liquid. Our how to store puerh aren’t really quali- we discussed, the low-temperature fir- ancestors believed this was a gift from fied to teach. These days you can find ing and sun-drying facilitates this fer- the gods, and surrounded the transfor- a lot of information circulating online mentation further. mation of fermented foods and drinks about the aging of puerh tea that is It is very important to distinguish with ceremony. More than a third of written by enthusiasts or vendors with- between short-term and long-term ag- what we eat and drink is fermented by out experience drinking a lot of ma- ing. We would define short-term aging microbes, and, by number, most of all ture puerh, which means they haven’t a as keeping the tea while you consume the cells in our bodies are also bacteria. clear understanding of what represents it, storing the tea in a jar and then The microbial world is vast, and our well-stored puerh (the goals of storage, drinking it. The main topic of this journey into it is relatively recent, even in other words), nor do they have ex- issue, however, is much more about though humans have fermented things perience storing tea for long periods long-term aging, which means inten- long before there was even a concept of time, and therefore haven’t learned tionally aging tea for long periods. of “microbe.” And as we do explore from all the mistakes one makes over This could include oolong and other fermentation more, learning about time or how to correct them. teas, but in this issue we are going to the science of microscopic anaerobic Any genre of tea can be aged, and focus on puerh. The criteria for short- change, we shouldn’t forget that un- if a fine tea is kept for a long period term versus long-term aging are very derstanding how something happens it will be marvelous, no matter what different. For short-term aging, which doesn’t make it any less awe-some, kind of tea it is. Oftentimes, the mer- is essentially just storing the tea while magical or mysterious. The alchemy chants of lighter teas, like lightly-oxi- you drink it, it is best to keep it in a of transformation through aging tea dized oolong, green, white or yellow jar, broken up if it is in cake form. As leaves will always be magical, no mat- tea pressure the tea lover to drink the for long-term aging, this issue will ex- ter how much research is conducted tea fresh, as though it has an expiry plore that topic, and, as we mentioned, or how much we learn about how the date. There is a magic in the fresh- we will most likely have to continue to process works. ness of such tea, and that is lost when discuss it in future issues as well, since There are a lot of ideas out there on aged, but such teas can technically be it is such a vast topic, and one with how to age puerh tea, what “wet” and aged. That said, they take longer to many different perspectives. “dry” storage refer to and what condi- reach maturity and will pass through In this issue, we will have several tions produce the best aging process, a longer, awkward stage as they dry discussions on puerh aging from how- including artificial means. We plan to out, since they have a higher moisture to guides from several perspectives to expose you to some different perspec- content. Still, space is limited for all of the science of change within the leaf, tives on the issue, learning from the us, not to mention the investment of or what we understand about it so far. experience of various puerh lovers who time and energy spent aging anything In this introduction article, we want to have stored tea for some time. Though for a long period of time. Therefore, focus on some of the more important their opinions differ, they all have ex- such teas are rarely ideal candidates for questions that come up all the time via perience drinking mature puerh tea long-term storage and the examples email, at Wu De’s workshops and here and in watching it age over time. Our around were not intentionally stored, at the Hut, answering them as best we goal over the coming years is to pub- but rather left behind. can. Let us know via email or social lish more and more perspectives on While aged oolong is magnificent, media if you enjoy this question-and- the topics we cover, including trans- no tea ages like puerh. This is due to answer format, as we are discussing lations of Chinese articles. It is never the microbial diversity found in the including one section of such Q&As enough to learn from just one source, rainforests of Yunnan, where authen- in some of our coming issues. If your and important for us to cover varying tic puerh trees are found. Long before question isn’t answered here, it is most perspectives to offer a more holistic puerh tea is even picked, the leaves and likely because it is covered in one or understanding of tea. In the case of ag- trees are covered in hundreds of species more of the coming articles.

14 Aging Puerh Tea Why age tea at all? Master Lin always says, “If you want to be abundant, age tea.” As you progress on your tea journey, your own passion and taste will lead you to darker, traditionally processed, skillfully made or aged teas. Puerh transforms so powerfully over time, becoming a much more delicious brew, but also, more importantly, a deeper medicine for the soul. No tea is as conducive to meditation, ceremonial space or inner healing as aged puerh tea. It is as if the tea accumulates wisdom in that jar, as if the leaves and the species of microbes build temples in there and start sitting together. If you don’t age tea, you will pay someone else to. This is one of the reasons aged tea is so expensive: it requires a lot of time and energy to age it. You have to pay for the space and electricity. Also, puerh is a large investment these days. It used to be that young sheng puerh was very, very inexpensive and you could therefore store it simply, but since it is so costly these days, the storage facilities have also been upgraded with charcoal (to remove impurities from the air), and sometime controlled ventilation, proper shelving, etc. And all of that gets expensive. If you want to have lots of aged tea to share and not feel like it is a very rare tea only for very special occasions, then you have to age it for yourself. Doing so allows you to be generous with such powerful medicine, sharing it freely and every day, which is the spirit of tea. Also, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, aged puerh slows down senescence if you con- sume it daily, so having lots of it around when you are older might just grant you more longevity, tea gods willing.

What are the main factors of storage? What are the stages of transformation? There is a lot we don’t understand about puerh fermen- Puerh transforms in five- to seven-year cycles, depending tation scientifically, as there have not been enough studies. on the environment it is stored in. Some of the early shifts, Based on the experience of those that have aged it for gener- after five and then ten years, can be what we call “awkward ations, the most important factor is humidity. The microbes stages,” since the tea can sometimes taste strange, often of in puerh can defend themselves from foreign colonies to spices. At around fifteen and then twenty years, the liquor some extent, but they need airflow, comfortable warmth and starts to turn more brown and the tea starts to really feel humidity to thrive. As you will see in the articles throughout aged. The longer the aging, the more the process slows this issue, the right humidity is a debated topic. Our expe- down. In other words, everyone can tell the difference be- rience at the Center is that a humidity of 60 to 70 percent tween a one- and three-year-old tea, and same with five and is ideal, with natural fluctuations. This is referring to the ten. A ten-year-old and a fifteen-year-old are a bit harder to humidity in the room the tea is stored in, not outdoors, tell apart, and may require some experience with aging and/ which may or may not be different, depending on how or drinking various vintages. Eventually, the tea is measured much air-conditioning and/or heating you use. in decades.

When does puerh reach full maturity? Can I store puerh where I live? Traditionally, puerh was thought to reach full maturi- The only place to have successfully aged puerh tea to full ty at seventy years. This is the point at which the physical maturity is Southeast Asia, mostly Hong Kong, Taiwan and appearance of the tea liquor will not change anymore. It Malaysia. Traditionally, places like Jinhong in Yunnan were has become a dark black that fades into brown, maroon and also used. light brown with a golden ring at the edge. The tea will con- If you are aging nice, expensive cakes or aging in large tinue to change, especially in the way it stimulates Qi in us, quantities, we would suggest choosing a traditional location. as well as flavor, but does so at a very slow rate so that you However, in small quantities, it may be nice to see what tea really have to wait decades to have a noticeable difference, aged in your home is like over time, and even if it doesn’t unless you are sensitive and focusing on very subtle changes. turn out well, you won’t have lost much. Also, check the All astringency is now gone from the tea, which has become humidity in your storage room over time. If it is too dry, the sweet, deep and dark with flavors of ginseng, medicinal tea definitely won’t age well. herbs, sandalwood, plum and other analogous flavors. Should I store puerh as loose-leaf or a cake? Puerh tea ages much better in cake form. We have participated in many experiments tasting the same tea in cake and loose-leaf form after it has been aged to different degrees. The cake tea always ages better, which may be due to the fact that the steam during compression makes an ideal environment for the microbes to live and thrive in a cake. This also explains why teas with looser compression age better than those which are too tightly compressed. Loose-leaf tea tends to age quicker and becomes too wet very easily. It is much more difficult to maintain a clean storage in a jar than in a cake. Puerh for drinking is the opposite: it is better to break it up. We have discussed this, and the results of our experiments, in a few past issues. After aging puerh for some time, the inside has not been exposed to oxygen and needs to breathe, so it is always better to break your cake up and store it in a jar, leaving it for a month or so before you start drinking it. As you may or may not know, puerh lovers traditionally buy cakes they like in eight pieces (a tong and a cake). The bam- boo skin wrapping of a seven-cake tong protects the tea from humidity and too much air, and once again we find bamboo to be the long-term friend of tea. Like most plants, the bamboo in Yunnan is huge, and as it grows it sheds its skin in large pieces that are then used to wrap the tea. Since the tea is better drunk all broken up and better aged in a cake, having a tong and a cake allows the puerh lover the best of both worlds. The extra cake then becomes a tester, which you can drink from every few years to determine when the tea has fermented enough that you’d like to start enjoying it. At that point, you can break up a cake from the tong and carefully reseal it, putting the broken cake in a jar. Sometimes, we keep the tester, as we may want a gap between the cakes we break up to enjoy, and can then return to the tester to decide when to dip back into the tong for a second cake. What if my tea has mold on it? Mold is not necessarily bad for puerh tea. All puerh tea has spores in it. The trees in Yunnan themselves are covered in mold. Most of us have been raised with some degree of germaphobia and will react to some mold on our puerh. But steeped in boiling water, all the mold spores will die anyway. As for the quality of the tea and its aging, it is natural for there to be annual frosting of some white mold. We want to make sure this doesn’t get too strong, as it is a symptom of the fact that the tea is being stored too wet and therefore fermenting too fast. The mold is, in other words, a symptom rather than the problem. Some kinds of mold definitely can damage puerh tea. The traditional wisdom is that all white mold is okay, some yellow and gold, while black, orange, blue or green are bad signs that mean the tea has spoiled. If you find mold, separate the affected cakes and brush them off. You can also leave them out in the morning sun before it gets too hot at noon. Make sure the mold hasn’t spread to the nearby cakes. You should also move all your cakes to a drier location for some years, as the mold is a sure sign that your tea is being stored in a location that is too damp.

What about artificial storage? How do I test the tea as it ages? We participated in some blind tea tastings for a couple Every few years, try the tea and see if it is aging properly. different Chinese magazines, in which tea stored in such You can look at the cake and smell the dry leaves, drink the controlled environments was compared to that which was tea and also examine the wet leaves. This allows you to shift naturally aged. The difference was huge enough for us to the tea to drier or wetter conditions, if need be. Remember warn against this. Find natural ways to increase humidity, that storage is long term, so most imbalances can be cor- like storage jars or different locations in the house. Tradi- rected over time, especially if you check on the tea regularly tionally, so-called “wet storage” in Hong Kong rarely used (every two to three years) and thereby quickly correct it if it artificial means to speed up or increase fermentation. More is heading down the wrong road. often, these merchants would simply choose warehouses or rooms that naturally had higher humidity, like basements or buildings by the sea. The same is true for keeping tea drier when you live in a place that can be too humid, like Taiwan. We store the Center’s tea on the third floor of the office, which is a bit drier. Aging Puerh Tea The Changes of Time

茶人: Huang Chanfang 黃傳芳 時 Master Huang is an important teacher we 間 love. Over the years, he has shared lots of tea and tea wisdom with us. He has a very kind heart and down-to-earth way of 的 communicating even complex ideas. His experience drinking aged tea, storing puerh and also processing newborn puerh 改 tea for aging is invaluable to this issue. In this article, he shares his experience, as well as some of the science of what 變 happens as the cell walls of puerh collapse over time. Our first two articles in this issue are about the experience of aging puerh, what happens along the way and some of what makes aged puerh so special.

n general, most people would year as fewer cakes exist in the world. its taste bitter and puckery. Except for prefer to buy fresh, new tea over Still, the financial opportunity avail- the highlanders of the Tibetan plateau, aged ones. Consumers sometimes able through storing puerh attracts who use raw puerh to aid digestion of Iregard old tea as bland, tasteless liquor new collectors and investors, and sets their all-meat diet, very few consum- that has lost its original fragrance. In market prices. Whether for collection ers have interest in drinking young some periods and places, aged tea was or investment, it is important that qing pu. The aboriginals of Yunnan regarded as a kind of herbal medicine. one has a basic understanding of tea would roast it before drinking, calling In Taiwan, however, oolong tea farm- and its fermentation when buying it “slab stone-roasted tea” (“石烤茶, ers’ tendency towards greener oolong tea; knowing about the aging process shi kao cha”). The Tibetans tradi- and has too often disap- itself will help inform one’s purchas- tionally mixed it with butter before pointed connoisseurs, who then began ing decisions. There is a common drinking. These methods are done to turning to other kinds of teas, like saying amongst tea experts that “age change its cold essence to warm, and puerh. Puerh had been known to many doesn’t mean quality” (lao bu she hao, get rid of the negativities, like bit- Chinese as “the smelly tea.” But now, 老不是好): poor-quality young tea be- terness and astringency, in the liquor. puerh and other kinds of aged teas comes poor-quality old tea. Of course, Although many of these people might have found there way into mainstream aging can make any tea better than it not have understood the theory be- tea circles—teas like Hao Ji, Yin Ji, Chi is, and we forgive many problems in hind why they roasted or mixed the Tze Bing (Seven Sons), Jin Cha, Tuo aged tea nowadays as quantities are tea, their ancestors passed down to Cha, brick teas, aged Liu An and Liu scarce, but with more varieties of new them their experience and wisdom. Bao, and aged . The increased tea available than ever before, we must popularity of these aged teas has led to take care when buying tea for storage. a surge of puerh tea production and Investing in aged tea requires knowing appreciation. Over the last few years, how to appreciate a good tea, recognize this growth has been like an army quality and have at least a basic under- sweeping the tea world, on its way to standing of the aging process itself. From the top, these conquering all other kinds of tea. The tea that has risen most in price sheng puerh liquors are: Few collectors of old tea are will- and become so famous is aged qing pu 2016, 2015, 2010, 2000, ing to sell the better vintages, even at (清普, raw, sheng puerh). These are 1992, 1980s and 1970s. the exorbitant prices teas like Hong mostly the famous Chi Tze Bing of thir- This quite clearly shows Yin fetch nowadays. They know that ty to fifty years’ age. However, when the changes in puerh liquor the price will continue to grow each qing pu is new, its essence is cold and as it ages.

17

Aging Puerh Tea

The owners of in Hong walls in plants are very thin and frag- Temperature, humidity and oxygen Kong came up with their own solution ile, like those of most vegetables, fruits levels play a significant role in the de- to the problems inherent in new qing and cereals. Just cooking it releases composition of tea. If any of these fac- pu: they stored the puerh tea cakes for the valuable nutrients inside the cells, tors is slowed or sped up too much, the some time in hills and basements where and these plants rot quickly and easily. tea will not be as good. The same qing the humidity was high, and fermented Some cell walls, on the other hand, are pu that has been aged in a way capable it through wetter storage. They found not so easily broken down. Some herbs of attracting attention and investment, that this method of storage removed and spiral algae must be treated using can turn people away if it is stored the bitterness and improved the flavor a high-tech process in order to get the improperly. Collectors must study and liquor dramatically. If the “storage most out of consumption. Another the proper procedure for storing their smell” was too strong, they mixed the way for firmer cell walls to break down tea, to ensure that it will maintain its tea with chrysanthemum flowers, cre- is time, and aging of puerh occurs this quality over time. More is understood ating another way to enjoy puerh, to- way. Over the course of many years, about storage than ever before, and an day called, “Ju Pu Cha (菊普茶).” the plant will oxidize and decompose, increased amount of information is be- The craze for aged puerh in Taiwan resulting in cellular breakdown. When coming available to the consumer. has been qing pu. This is the tea that the cell walls of puerh leaves break People often ask what makes puerh has become famous for its enjoyment down, the material inside the cells is tea so different than other teas, like and financial appreciation. Of course, released. The more of this “vegetable Long Jing, or oolong tea, as its value is, in part, determined by the fat” released, the smoother the tea will far as its “ageability” is concerned. One fact that there is less stock each year, be. The more sugars that are released, of the major differences between puerh but, nonetheless, the more important the sweeter the tea will be; and the and these other kinds of tea is that they reason vintage puerh is worth so much more scented oil is released, the more are all single-breed. No matter how is because of its mellow, thick, soft and obvious the fragrance will be. Besides long these other teas are stored, it is elegant flavor that is beyond any other these flavor enhancements, amino still easy to distinguish which kind of kind of tea. Its liquor is deep ruby and acids and other trace elements are re- tea they are and from where they came. shimmers as such, attracting any tea leased from the broken down cells, One might even be able to predict lover’s attention. But how did the tea all of which benefit the human body. their flavor in the future. But puerh change so drastically? Once a cold, bit- Likewise, harmful ingredients found in tea is not nearly as simple; it is vari- ter tea that puckered the mouth, it has tea, like and tannic acid, are ant and difficult to ascertain. The fla- become smooth and deep. How did volatized by the decomposition. The vor of puerh may change the next day. this miraculous transformation occur? jerky taste and pucker is gone, and Sometimes every steeping is different While qing pu ages, it is almost the bitter coldness has turned into soft than the previous one. A cake of puerh constantly in a state of change caused warmth. As the tea ages, the molecules will have completely different flavors by cellular breakdown. All cells are shrink, making it smoother and more two years from now, and again in five protected by a cell wall. Some cell pleasurable to drink. and so forth. Why? Well, a big part of

19/ The Changes of Time From right to left, you can see older and older vintages of puerh tea leaves—the same as the cups of liquor shown on the previous page. The first is a 2016, then 2015, 2010, 2000, 1992, 1980s and, finally, a 1970s tea. The changes over time are powerful. The leaves turn brown, the buds orange; and what was a bitter, astringent green tea becomes a dark, rich tea, with flavors and aromas of ginseng, Chinese herbs, sandalwood, mushrooms and other dark, earthy mysteries.

this mystery is answered in the origin a blend of raw materials. Tea masters process called “wo dui (渥堆),” which of puerh tea. Puerh tea comes from a choose different raw materials, some artificially ferments the tea leaves in different type of tea plant than other with strength of fragrance, some of a relatively short period of time. One teas: arbor trees. These trees have big- flavor and some of sweetness, perhaps, needs to be careful that the process ger leaves, with more variation in size, and blend them together. Not only do was done hygienically, as poor-quality even on the same branch. Puerh tea they compliment each other, they also shou tea can have harmful microbi- is propagated sexually, rather than by bring a kind of consistency to the pro- otic activity. Still, determining which cutting, which means that every single duction that is not otherwise there. shou tea is good and healthy is a rel- tree is a unique breed. Whether blended or not, it is very atively easy endeavor, especially when Although some genetic reproduc- difficult indeed to predict what kind of compared to the job of determining tion via cuttings is found on modern changes will occur in a cake over time, which qing pu to store for later con- plantations, this isn’t the way higher though blended cakes are even more sumption. Since qing pu is not really quality puerh teas, past or present, have difficult. Even if all the storage factors healthy or enjoyable when it is too new been made. Much of these plantations are perfect, the differences from cake (one should wait until it is ripe) and began as a result of the rising demand to cake make any prediction near im- so difficult to purchase given the tidal and price index of the material used to possible. Generally, if tea is composed wave of low-quality tea that has flood- make puerh tea cakes. in a skillful and knowledgeable man- ed the market recently, it is important In the traditional way, tea is picked ner, using higher quality raw material, that beginners buy in small quantities from a garden and placed together in its essence will get better and better as they develop their palates. a pile. The average qing pu cake may over time, as long as the storage envi- Knowing how and why vintage contain about 1000 leaves. Combined ronment is relatively healthy. Puerh tea ages helps inform the con- with the fact that every tree is an in- The difficulty in ascertaining sumer about how to purchase tea dependent and idiosyncratic breed, what in fact will be a good tea years for storage. The increased interest in this means that a cake could have any- down the road has flooded the mar- Puerh has caused a rise in information where from one to one thousand dif- ket with tons of very poor-quality and research globally, and we can only ferent breeds in it. If one tea garden qing pu. Producers take advantage of hope that this trend will continue. As produced 9000 cakes, it would be im- this difficulty and lack of consumer we learn more about aged and aging possible to find two cakes identical in knowledge, selling large quantities of Puerh tea, this genre of tea will con- flavor or fragrance, though they would poor-quality puerh tea. This is also tinue to improve, ensuring that future share the common characteristics of leading to a degradation of the environ- generations are left excellent quality tea from that area. Only if all the raw ment, that is similar to what occurred teas to inspire them—just as we inher- material was taken from a single tree with Taiwanese oolong. Consequent- ited the great teas of our ancestors. would the cakes be truly identical. ly, many tea masters recommend that However, to help maintain regulari- beginners start by learning about shou ty in production, many cakes contain puerh. Shou tea is produced using a

20 Aging Puerh Tea Superior Puerh Liquor is Rich & Substantial 上 茶人: Lian Jianxing 等 There are many reasons puerh tea has been able to achieve 茶 today’s level of prosperity. Those old tea hands, with their unique skills at tasting and appreciating tea are, however, 湯 undeniably the source of puerh’s rise to fame. If we wish to 豐 see puerh continue to develop, we must elevate the tasting abilities and standing of these numerous tea drinkers. We 富 must also continue to build upon our accumulated tea cul- 質 ture. Understanding what makes a fine puerh tea helps one to appreciate puerh, navigate the complicated puerh market 優 and also make decisions about what puerh to store long term.

n many tea magazines, we find first, that these descriptions are related Thickness & Mouthfeel reviews of aged and new puerh to the experience of the person doing teas. And the tea friends who are the tasting; and second, that these dif- Looking at the words “rich and Iup to the task of evaluating teas cer- ferent descriptions have similar mean- substantial,” we would expect them to tainly qualify as old tea hands. If we ings, or at least describe relative degrees be the opposite of “thin and empty.” In could analyze and rank their opinions, of a similar experience. this light, what kind of tea liquor can we could infer some commonly agreed All of these descriptions are of the be considered “rich and substantial?” upon standards for judging tea, and form “noun + adjective.” Consider the From a scientific and logical perspec- perhaps also discover previously unex- precision and richness of these descrip- tive, it seems that we should first estab- plored areas of dispute. Establishing tions. If they refer to the “tea’s charac- lish an objective procedure for judging such criteria could naturally raise the ter” or “tea’s base,” they are excessive- tea. Everyone will perhaps approach standards for judging teas. ly general and don’t necessarily refer this procedure differently, but when Among the terms often used to to judgment that took place during judging teas from the same group there evaluate tea, “rich and substantial . Using words like “quality” or must be some uniform, standardized liquor” would seem to be among the “liquid” is too vague and does not spe- and objective evaluation. Only in this essential aspects of superior grade tea, cifically refer to tea. Because of this, way does saying that a tea’s liquor is but to what exactly does this refer? we choose to refer to the “tea liquor,” rich and substantial have meaning. Through what kind of concrete stan- since this is a term which should be Following this line of scientific dard can we confirm whether a certain relatively clear and appropriate. thinking, we say that “tea liquor” re- tea possesses this “rich and substantial As for the adjectives that follow, fers to the result of infusing tea leaves liquor?” This question seems to be “dense,” “dense and thick” and “thick in high-temperature water and those somewhat complicated. and heavy” are relatively similar in chemical compounds that have dis- First of all, it seems that the lan- meaning to the idea of being rich in solved into the water. Then, saying that guage used by our fellow tea tasters is substance. “Deep and ample,” “thick the “tea liquor is rich and substantial” quite varied. For example, all of the and straightforward,” “thick and rich” ought to refer to tea whose portion of following descriptions have been used: and “thick and substantial” not only these chemical compounds is objec- “its character is thick and heavy,” “its refer to a rich degree of substance, they tively judged to be higher than other character is thick and rich,” “the li- also imply a great variety of contained kinds of tea when an equal amount quor is dense,” “the liquid is thick and substances. We choose to use the de- is steeped for the same duration of straightforward,” “the base is deep and scription “rich and substantial” to ex- time. The questions that follow from strong,” “the liquor is dense and thick,” press these meanings. We hope that this ought to be handed off to experts etc. We could offer two hypothe- this discussion and our terms resonates involved in food science research. Ex- ses concerning these descriptions: with other tea lovers. actly which substances are contained

21 厚 如 蜜

in tea requires scientific analysis, using content is abundant, meaning it pos- Rich Tea Liquor instruments to extract, analyze and ex- sesses ample fragrance, stands up to amine. multiple and possesses vari- We believe that thickness of tea li- In reality, however, tea tasting ex- ous charms. The opposite of this is a quor is caused by more than one factor. perts rarely have backgrounds in the tea whose character is empty, meaning However, if a certain tea contains high field of food science research. Their its flavor is weak, it does not stand up amounts of thick substance, it will most common methodology is still well to multiple infusions and its ap- most likely provide a sense of thick- based on drinking the tea. When a peal is one-dimensional. ness. type of tea is said to have “rich and sub- Substantial character is a necessary This thick content visually resem- stantial liquor,” the meaning is likely a condition for quality tea, but tea with bles a sticky, frozen, congealed sub- kind of feeling in the mouth and not a substantial character is not necessarily stance. This substance perhaps best re- chemical composition. In other words, quality tea. Quality tea must also avoid sembles a soup that has been thickened it is an experience that a person takes problems during the production pro- with corn starch or wheat flour; or the from the tea. It is not based on data cess, must be properly stored as it is surface of a cooled soup made from analyzed from scientific instruments. aged and must be brewed with water large bones boiled over a long period; It is artistic or aesthetic, rather than and utensils at appropriate tempera- or smooth and cooling midsummer scientific or logical. Because of this, we ture. Furthermore, it should be con- products, such as vegetarian gelatin, are drawn into the realm of tea as art. sumed when the external environment agar or jelly. and the spirit are in balance. All tea leaves possess a thick com- Rich and substantial tea liquor im- ponent. According to Taiwanese tea Substantial Tea Liquor plies a number of things. The specific farmers, Taiwan’s high altitude teas sensory experience includes: fragrance, possess relatively ample thick content. According to individual subjective bitterness, astringency, flavor, the over- The reason for this is that higher alti- sensory experiences, rich and substan- all harmony of the tea liquor (called tude teas grow slowly, so they are able tial tea liquor should likely be further “yun (韻)” in Chinese, which literally to accumulate high levels of thick sub- divided into saying “the tea liquor is means the tea “rhymes”), Qi, etc. Each stances. Sampling tea, in practice, indi- rich” and “the tea’s nature is substan- of these details should be analyzed in cates that spring tea buds possess high tial.” Saying a tea possesses a rich li- detail, if we are to provide a thorough levels of thick substance. This is likely quor indicates that it provides a full discussion of the tea’s numerous char- stored up by the tea trees over the win- and satisfying feeling as it enters the acteristics. However, we have decided ter, concentrating higher nutrient lev- mouth. The opposite of this is thin tea to begin with perhaps the most im- els in the spring buds. It is perhaps also liquor, which is hard and sharp. A tea portant factor of richness in tea liquor: related to relatively high concentration with substantial character is one whose thick content. in these teas, compared to volume.

22 Aging Puerh Tea Yet another observation technique multiple observations, we have reached the stomach. A complete tea tasting is to place an appropriate amount of the following conclusion: if the gluti- experience is a journey of the whole tea leaves into a . If nous content is relatively weak, this body and mind. Only this level of ex- a tea possesses sufficiently high thick saponin froth will be relatively coarse perience is able to truly move a person. content, from the first on- and easy to disperse. It will also easi- To this day, we have maintained the ward the leaves will appear to stick to- ly slide to the sides of the cup. If the belief that tea that feels smooth in the gether and will unfold at an even and glutinous content is relatively high, the throat ought to be rich in thick sub- slow pace. If observed, this indicates created saponin broth will be relatively stance. A tea that is rich in thick sub- relatively high thick content and most fine and may stay fixed to the surface stance will, likewise, reduce the feeling likely a quality tea. From a reverse per- of the tea in the center of the cup. of astringency on the surface and base spective, what happens when we knead If a tea’s liquor has high thick con- of the tongue. At the very least, it pro- withered tea leaves? If the thick con- tent, shaking the tea cup will only vides a buffer of time and space, allow- tent is sufficiently high, the leaves will slightly change the position of these ing the tannins in the tea to transform. easily roll into long and slender stripes, bubbles in the brewed tea. The entire Some people say “if it isn’t bitter and the hands rubbing the tea will also cup of tea has a thickness similar to a and it isn’t astringent, it isn’t tea.” Oth- feel quite sticky. thickened soup and still feels this way ers amend this to say that good tea’s Some people believe that this thick after numerous infusions. If we use “bitterness has hui gan (回甘), and its content refers to the transparent layer light to analyze the surface of the tea astringency dissolves into the mouth.” floating on the surface of the brewed liquor, we notice that the surface of Others further amend this to say “wait- tea. If this thick material is a transpar- the tea rises and falls in irregular form. ing for the bitterness and astringency ent layer, though, then the tea and the This is due to capillary action of the to be transformed is not as desirable as thick layer should be clearly separated saponin foam and fine hair on the sur- modifying tea production and brew- like oil and water. Pouring the tea into face of the tea leaves. ing techniques, and thus reducing the a transparent glass container, however, If we calmly let a cup of highly unpleasant sensation caused by the we found that the color and luster of thick tea cool, we will discover that bitterness and astringency of the tea.” the tea was uniform throughout. In even after one or two hours the sapo- None of these viewpoints are incorrect, other words, the thick substance must nin froth maintains its original appear- and we can see that the wording is be- have dissolved into the water. Looking ance. It will not significantly dissipate ing revised and made more accurate. at the levels in tea liquor and the so- or change position. We can also see the manifestation of called “thick, transparent top layer,” Some tea drinkers are accustomed the continuous refinement of the art we can still say that high-grade puerh to using the first infusion to wash the and culture of tea. produces a clear and transparent brew tea leaves. If one follows this meth- Holding a mouthful of tea, let it ,with plentiful layers and a good level od, we suggest allowing the water to gently rest on the surface of the tongue of transparency. slightly overflow from the top of and then slightly lift the tip of the the teapot. The tea, carrying a large tongue, allowing the tea to follow the amount of saponin froth, will flow surface of the tongue into the throat. Qualities of Thickness over the edges of the teapot and into If it is rich in thick substance, the tea the tea tray. If the tea possesses high feels like a continuous column stick- That sticky, as if frozen, congealed levels of thick content, the saponin ing to the base of the tongue and slid- substance can be more concretely foam will also appear to stagnate on ing down the esophagus and into the observed through the appearance of the surface of the tea tray. stomach. It leaves a sticky and thick saponin in the tea liquor. This so-called feeling in the mouth and throat, which “saponin” refers to the tiny, pure, white is not related to salivation. It is simply frothy substance that is created as wa- Experience of Thickness the thick quality of the tea adhering to ter is poured over the tea leaves. Some the mouth and esophagus, and leaving tea drinkers believe the saponin re- Observing the tea’s saponin, as well them feeling warm and moist. Perhaps leased along with the first infusion is as the appearance of these linked pearls, this is so-called run hou (润喉, moist- very desirable and drink this first in- can give us a handle on a tea’s amount ening of the throat). fusion of the tea. Other tea drinkers of glutinous substances. These are vi- As the tea moistens the throat, the are more concerned with hygiene and sual perceptions of beauty. In terms of thick substances are able to interact use the first infusion to wash the tea drinking tea, the sensory experience of with a greater portion of the body’s leaves. As a result, they place relative- tasting tea remains the most important sensory organs. Other substances ly less emphasis on the appearance of factor. found in abundance in the tea also saponin. Tea drinking relies on more than have a greater chance to undergo a fol- To more easily observe the saponin, simply cou gan (口感, flavor or feeling low-up transformation. For example: we lift the teapot when pouring into a in the mouth), as this is restricted to hui gan, dissolving of the astringency, . The lengthened column of wa- the mouth and ignores the sensory ex- fragrance lingering on the lips, return- ter stirs up a greater amount of sapo- perience of the throat, upper jaw and ing fragrance in the throat, etc. nin. When the pour is completed, its nasal cavity. It is also naturally unable Good tea should be richly thick. distribution over the surface of the tea to express the reaction of other parts This quality is maintained as a tea ages. can be observed in real time. Based on of the body, such as the esophagus and There are admittedly many factors that

23/ Superior Puerh Liquor is Rich & Substantial 醇 厚 豐 富

allow for top-grade, old puerh to reach nents is increased. However, if the tea substantial liquor when brewed. Early the sublime level in which it melts in is only high in thick content and weak puerh materials were mainly from large the mouth and feels as if a spring is in other areas, the brewed tea may trees that benefited from the protec- bubbling up from beneath the tongue. provide a satisfying sensation but have tion of a pristine natural environment This thick quality, however, is likely a very one-dimensional change. and very little human interference or key element. Rich and substantial tea liquor is destruction. This has caused these trees Experience indicates that thickness essential for top-quality tea. This is es- to retain a rich composition of materi- diminishes in tea leaves that have been pecially the case when tasting tea out- als. These components are stable and moistly piled together. The result is doors, since the open environment and concentrated deep in the tea leaves, that the brewed tea is likely to hard- air flow can easily carry away the fra- naturally aiding their gradual transfor- en, weaken and change the quality of grance of insufficiently substantial teas. mation over time. Top-grade old tea the water. This diminishes the grade If the tea has a richness that penetrates has undergone the pure refinement of of the tea. Inappropriate temperature to the bone, then, as it glides into the life and has cast away the undesirable, or moisture during the course of a tea’s mouth and throat, one can calmly feel leaving its indomitable essence. It is storage may also lead to a correspond- it spread throughout the body. That like when Sakyamuni Buddha came ing phenomenon. kind of mental serenity concentrates out of the mountains and explained one’s vitality, and leaves the body and the Buddhist teaching that aimed di- mind comfortable and carefree. It is a rectly at the core of life. Drinking Fine Tea moving experience that allows people top-quality old puerh can drive people to forget their concerns and savor the to tears. If the quantity of thick substance in long-lasting aftertaste. a particular tea is high, then the prob- Naturally, dry-aged, high-grade, ability that it is rich in other compo- sun-roasted old puerh has rich and

24 Gongfu Teapot 功夫茶壺

ixing teaware is found almost haps no other kind of art can become of craftsmanship that we use to discuss everywhere that tea is cher- such a part of our daily lives, and Yixing pottery: Y ished. To appreciate and col- through that, appreciate in value and lect tea is also to collect Yixing pots. elegance. For that reason, many old or Mass-produced Pieces They have been an integral part of the well-crafted Yixing are price- ceremony for generations. less. To the tea lover, a favorite pot is These are manufactured, daily pro- They are often exquisite works of art, like an old friend, and therefore worth ductions made in the hundreds with displaying some of the finest crafts- much more than gems and jewelry. little to no skill. The variety is simple manship in pottery, and, yet, beyond Sometimes people wonder about the and the clay inferior. They are made their lovely exterior and classic color, reputation of Yixing pots. Why do to offer pots to a larger consumer base they are also functional. No one would they improve tea so much? And how at more affordable prices. Large facto- argue that tea is not improved through does one go about choosing one? ries employ a lot of potters to work in the use of Yixing. Brewing a tea in a There is both an artistic and a func- shifts, throwing pot after pot. Other well-seasoned Yixing pot definitely tional standard for evaluating Yixing teapots are slipcast, created by pouring enhances all aspects of the experience, teapots. Artistically, it is important clay into a mold. from the flavor to the aroma, and even that the pot be well-formed and aes- the aesthetic of your tea space. And the thetically appeasing. It should refine Handicraft Ware miracle is that the more we use the Yix- the tea ceremony by appearance alone. ing ware, the more the teapot becomes Beautiful pots add to the ambiance of These pieces have a finer technique. shiny, glossy and smooth—exhibiting tea and lend elegance to an otherwise Generally, they are of very decent qual- an even greater degree of beauty. Per- mundane activity. There are four levels ity. They are hand thrown or sculpted,

25 Deciding on an Yixing Teapot 茶人: Han Chi Lo

There are a lot of choices when it comes to Yixing teapots, and so many are made from imported clay, rather than genuine Yixing ore. An important skill in one’s road to gongfu is the ability to choose the right purple-sand pot. This article brews a general liquor of the main criteria for choosing a pot.

and some time is taken to ensure the beyond simply making pieces of art to categories, though the discrepancies quality and limit the amount of each. a state of mastery. Many of these pots between the finer groups are more dif- They also display a greater variety of are worth so much that they aren’t even ficult to discern. Still, even mass-pro- design and form, though they are often used, but exhibited in homes or mu- duced pieces aren’t necessarily undesir- imitations of historic pieces or cultural seums. able, depending on one’s preference of trends through time. style and budget. It is important, how- Choosing a Teapot ever, for the consumer to know what Special Artistic Piece it is they are buying. For that reason, When choosing a teapot, one can it’s better to buy from a vendor with These pieces are made by celebrity try to learn about its provenance. a good reputation and more transpar- potters. They are often expert crafts- Many collectors start their study of ent product information. Without any men, and the function as well as beauty Yixing by learning to recognize some help, it’s best to just handle the pot for of the pot will demonstrate this. This of the chop marks on the bottom of a while, and use one’s senses to assess its class of teapot is a collector’s favorite. the teapots. The chop will either be artistic quality and function. It should The rarer they are, the more they will the name of the artist, or perhaps the have a fine form and structure, with increase in value through use and time. factory itself, in the case of mass-pro- nice proportions between the spout, duced or handicraft pieces. Nonethe- handle, lid and bottom. The skill of Master Artistry less, it helps to have a teacher to guide the craftsmanship should be apparent our purchases in the beginning. Most from sight and touch alone, at least to Some devoted artists exceed even often, anyone can distinguish the the degree that one can know wheth- their contemporaries. They have gone mass-produced pieces from the other er it is handicraft or a higher grade.

26 Gongfu Tea Pot

Of course, the price and personal per- teapot’s faculty: clay, shape and tech- is naturally lead-free. This rare purity spective will also play a part in the se- nique. The first of these is the clay. allows the craftsman to skip the glaz- lection. It should be functional, and One of the major reasons that Yixing ing process altogether and just fire the suit the needs of the user in regards to has become so famous is that the clay teapots once in order to harden them. volume, kind of tea and aesthetic rep- from Yixing Province has a very unique The clay is then left in its natural, po- resentation. composition. Most kinds of clay have rous state. The plethora of pours then traces of lead in them, which make begin to absorb the oils from the tea Functionality them unhealthy for daily use. For that is used, improving the taste of lat- that reason, potters fire their pieces a er brews more and more as the pot gets The second criterion for the ap- second time, using glaze. The glaze is more “seasoned.” For that reason, tea praisal of Yixing, functionality, is really brushed on like paint and has a similar drinkers use only one pot for each kind not separate from the artistic standard. constitution to glass. It fills the pores of tea that they enjoy, since a green tea Many of the values that make a teapot of the clay and coats it with a layer of would be ruined by a pot that was sea- of high functional quality are also re- protective, smooth finish that removes soned with puerh. lated to its artistic worth. Unless one the threat of the lead, making the cup, plans to collect the pot and not use it bowl or pot functional. Moreover, the Clay is Everything to actually brew tea, the function and variety of colors, techniques and for- artistic value will both be important. mulas within the glazes add another A fine teapot inevitably comes from These days, most collectors like to level of creativity to the artistic pro- superior clay. There is a vast array of talk about three different aspects of a cess. The clay from Yixing, however, clay within Yixing Province; includ- ing red, purple, black, brown, green, blue, etc. And each variety of clay has its own characteristics. Some clays go together with certain kinds of tea bet- ter. Much of learning the differences between clays is simply about handling them. Teapots are made to be touched. They enjoy being held, and show their appreciation through a brighter sur- face. If the clay is refined manually in the traditional fashion, it will be worth more. Much of the differences between the mass-produced pieces and the high- er grades is just that, the practical piec- es are made from machine-processed ore, often mixed with chemicals that alter the color and decrease the cost of the natural materials. Sadly, since the mines were closed in the late 1990s, genuine purple-sand ore from the Yel- low Dragon or Blue-Green Dragon mountains grows rarer and rarer. Now- adays, all of the mass-produced pots are made from material imported from other areas of Jiangsu, or even Anhui.

These three pots are one of Wu De’s favorite shapes: the Arhant shape. An Arhant is a Buddhist saint. They are said to resemble a person sitting in lo- tus posture. These three pots were all made by Master Chen. The difference between them is all in the clay. All three are genuine purple-sand clay, mined in the 1980s. The grade, however, im- proved from back to front. The closest pot is amongst the purest zisha clay we have seen in the modern era.

27/ Deciding on an Yixing Teapot A set of five classic shapes from the late 1990s.

Lu Yao Chen is one famous clay Shape master who refines clay by hand. He said that when he sees ore of very fine The second aspect of function is that the handle is comfortable and the quality, he never hesitates to buy it, no the pot’s shape. Of course, much of pouring motion is easy. If the pot is matter the price. “As the ore decreases, the shape is relevant to the creative newer, it may have a built-in strainer, the highest quality ore will only in- movement of the artist and the opin- to prevent the spout from clogging. In- crease in value. I think it’s important ion of the collector. But there are some serting a metal one is sometimes neces- that it be refined by hand, the way it aspects of shape that are important to sary, but not as desirable. In the end, was done by my father’s father.” It will function as well. As with the clay, some no aspect of the pot should be awk- take a beginner some time to recognize shapes work better with certain kinds ward to handle or use on a daily basis, the qualities of clay, but one should of tea. For example, one may not want unless the pot is meant to be artwork be able to recognize the poorer clays to use a pot with a very small opening for decoration. The beauty of a teapot by sight and touch alone—and some- to brew striped tea like Wuyi Cliff Tea. finds its ultimate expression in the tea times, but not always, by their price Otherwise, one would have to crush ceremony itself. It should have a suit- tag. Occasionally, we ding the side of and break the leaves to get them in- able capacity relative to the amount of the pot with the lid and listen to the side. Ball-shaped oolongs, on the other tea desired, be of an appropriate height sound. Higher pitched ringing means hand, work better in a rounder pot, and shape for convenience and display, that the pot will be better suited to tea which gives them room to open up and have a tight lid and a spout that with a strong aroma, like green teas; completely and in unison. Remember pours like a gentle river over rocks. In and a lower, deeper thud means the pot that some of the potters who make tea- that way, the essences of its artistic and is good for teas with stronger flavors, pots don’t drink much tea themselves, functional qualities are free to articu- like oolong and puerh. Choosing a clay and therefore aren’t familiar with all late their grandeur. When the shape of that is suitable for the tea that will be the habits involved. Some teapots the pot is symmetrical, balanced and brewed in it, as well as a nicer quality look nice and have a nicely shaped ap- harmonious, a Chajin feels motivated clay, that is, if possible, hand-refined is pearance, but aren’t functional at all. to pick it up and use it to prepare tea, a good place to start, when determin- One should make sure that the spout inspired by the aesthetics and crafts- ing which pot to employ. pours properly and fluently, as well as manship of functional art.

28 Gongfu Tea Pot Craftsmanship The final factor involved in judging the functionality of an Yixing pot is the technique used to create it. Was it thrown on a wheel or hand built? One can see the rings inside if it was thrown (rare and inferior, when it comes to Yixing teapots), and, with some acu- men, begin to recognize the skill of the potter. The spout and handle should be precisely in line, and the lid should fit almost perfectly into the opening. The greater the craftsmanship, the more these aspects will stand out. The design and form are also helpful clues for de- termining the provenance of the piece. The value of teapots, like other art, is often based on the artist’s reputation. However, it is a Chinese tradition for students to copy the work of masters, so one must be cautious when purchas- ing these expensive masterpieces. Some of the technique, therefore, is purely to increase the appearance of the pot. They are decorated with calligraphy, painting, engraving, decorative nature and many other motifs. One should look for technique and method that is unique and creative while at the same time functional—inspiring in appear- ance and employment. In the end, a lot of choosing an Yixing pot boils down to predilection. When choosing a pot, a person needs to find one that they like, since they’ll be the one using it day in and day out. One’s taste, budget and tea preferences will all play vital roles in shopping for a teapot. The basic guidelines outlined here—like having a lid that fits nice- ly, a melodious sound when dinged with the lid, a proper spout that pours nicely—all of these are just strategies that are, in the end, secondary to your own feelings. Many collectors, when asked to show their favorite pot, will reach back into their shelf and pull out some small and cheap first pur- chase that served them well for many years and was like a friend that sup- ported them as they grew in under- standing of tea and teaware both.

Master Zhou crafting a fine teapot out of forty-year-old clay. His concen- tration (samadhi) is powerful to watch.

29/ Deciding on an Yixing Teapot

Aging Puerh Tea Storing Puerh Tea 茶人: He Jingcheng 何景成 倉 Storage methods are a common topic in the tea market, as 儲 tea merchants and puerh drinkers are all concerned about 進 how it affects the quality, characteristics and price of the tea. There are many approaches to storing puerh, from “dry” stor- 行 age and “wet” storage to Hong Kong-style, Taiwan-style and Guangxi-style storage. Of course, because of the differences 式 in geography, climate and other circumstances in these var- ious places, the storage methods developed there all produce slightly different results.

unnan puerh began life as a (宋聘號), Tongchang (同昌號) and Why were these teas considered so humble farming product. In Jingchang (敬昌號) names. Up un- priceless? Well, because they quite lit- Y recent times, however, it has til 1992, these now-prized teas were erally had no established price. In the gained widespread recognition and more or less all just lying quietly in the world of business, high demand makes appreciation among tea drinkers, thus storehouses of Hong Kong’s teahouses, something valuable; yet there had been turning over a new page in puerh’s taverns and restaurants—out of sight, no demand whatsoever for this tea for splendid history. Why a new page, out of mind. It wasn’t until mid-1992 a good many years. So how was one you may ask? Hasn’t puerh only just that people suddenly began searching to set a price? Nevertheless, both par- become popular in recent times? Well, all over for these old teas that had lain ties somehow agreed on the sale, and this is because puerh has a richer his- forgotten for half a century. When the the customers happily took away the tory than some may realize. During owners of the tea started receiving in- tea. Afterwards, the newly fledged tea imperial times, it was once gifted as a quiries about their puerh, they were merchants would advertise each tea tribute to the Emperor, and became the astonished: how could anyone be in- as sourced from such-and-such a “dry object of scholarly musings; in those terested in these old teas that had spent storehouse,” so ever since then, the days puerh must have been very highly so many years stuffed away in a store- term “dry storage” (gancang, 幹倉) has regarded. As for why it subsequently house? been in circulation on the tea market, all but disappeared from the annals of In any case, now that there were and has become synonymous with history and was relegated to the status people interested in these long-ne- quality puerh. As to whether the con- of an everyday drinking tea for ordi- glected teas, the owners invited these ditions in these “dry storehouses” were nary people throughout Guangdong, few new customers to the dusty old actually particularly dry—well, that’s well, we won’t get into that for now. storehouses to take a look. The strange another question. Instead, let’s discuss a more practical thing was that the group of customers The other, somewhat controver- and oft-pondered aspect of puerh tea: (none of whom were tea merchants) sial, storage method is “wet storage” the question of storage. expressed great enthusiasm for the for- (shicang, 濕倉); namely, deliberately Perhaps we should start by talking merly unappreciated tea, and set about storing the new puerh tea in a sealed about some details of puerh history running to and fro choosing teas, space with high humidity for a long that may not be known to many tea completely oblivious to their dusty period of time. The purpose is to en- merchants or puerh drinkers, and surroundings. When they had chosen sure the tea leaves absorb the mois- are worthy of some consideration. their tea and it came time for bargain- ture from the environment, leading to Most old puerh on the market to- ing, they were at a loss for where to set faster aging. After a certain amount of day are from before the founding of their starting price. On the tea market time, the tea leaves are turned over to the Republic—some of these highly at the time, these puerh cakes were a ensure that they absorb the moisture prized old brands include the Songpin priceless treasure. evenly, which aids the aging process.

31 宋 聘 號 長 物

Above is a Song- 誌 pin cake from the early twentieth century and below is a Tongchang cake from even earlier. Drinking fully mature puerh is an important part of understanding 同 how to age tea. 昌 號 Aging Puerh Tea After around three years of this so- appropriate time in ventilated storage, So, humidity has a considerable influ- called “wet storage,” the tea is trans- out of haste to sell it, resulting in a ence on how the tea changes through- ferred to a well-ventilated, preferably slight moldy scent still being present. out the aging process. You could say fairly dry place to be stored for a fur- Why, then, is wet storage so con- that the window for dry-stored tea ther year or so; this is commonly re- troversial? The reason is that the degree was really the past thirty years or so; ferred to as “removing from the store- of humidity is a vitally important ele- now, almost all puerh teas have under- house” (tuicang, 退倉). This is done ment in the aging process of puerh tea. gone wet storage, and those that have so that the circulating air can cleanse We can tell this by looking at samples been purely naturally aged are as rare the tea of any moldy scents that it may that were aged in various different lo- as phoenix feathers. These days some have developed during the period of cations. tea drinkers have turned their atten- wet storage. For example, you can see this tion to seeking out high-quality puerh Of course, a moldy fragrance can difference very clearly by compar- teas that have undergone wet storage sometimes mean that the tea has, in ing puerh that was stored for twenty followed by ventilated storage. In the fact, grown mold. When the tea is years in Kunming, Yunnan, with tea end, the question of wet versus dry stored in dry, ventilated conditions for of the same vintage that was aged in storage really comes down to individ- a long enough time during this “re- Guangdong. Kunming’s climate is dry ual preference. moving from storage” stage, it’s pos- throughout the year, so the tea ages very In recent years, because people sible to get rid of almost all mold or slowly; whereas, in Guangdong there’s have started paying attention to this other unintended scents. Occasionally, a very clear distinction between the dry question of wet and dry storage and you might find that a tea merchant and rainy seasons, and the tea shows because the price of puerh just keeps has not allowed the tea to sit out the a pleasing development after aging. rising, many tea drinkers have taken to seeking out puerh teas that they can First of all, you must prepare a contain- combination of its rich character and age themselves to enjoy later. This is er that is clean and free of odors, such favorable circumstances. I also believe not to be discouraged, of course, but as a metal tea canister, or a porcelain or that, in choosing a puerh from the you do have to be very careful when purple-sand clay jar. Next, you’ll need great variety available, there’s really no attempting to age puerh yourself, so as to line the container with some - need to overly concern ourselves with not to waste all your efforts by spoil- rial to absorb any moisture, such as the the question of wet versus dry storage. ing the tea. In this spirit, the following paper or bamboo leaves that are used All we need to do is simply choose a are some recommendations to consider to wrap cakes. Lastly, tea that suits our individual taste, and when storing your own tea. put in the tea leaves, then simply put then enjoy drinking it. Puerh discs, cakes or bricks can be on the lid of the jar or canister—no simply stored as they are in their origi- need to seal it completely. As for where nal packaging (be it box, tube or wrap- and how to store it, this is the same as ping). The main considerations are to the above steps for compressed tea. make sure the tea is not placed directly I have been a drinker of puerh ever against a wall; is kept away from direct since childhood, and have slowly pro- sunlight, strong odors and moisture; gressed from being completely clueless and is moved to a different spot every to having some small understanding now and then. When the time comes, of things puerh. As I see it, puerh’s you’ll have a lovely aged tea to drink. journey from languishing in forgot- Storing loose-leaf tea, on the other ten basements to basking in the lime- hand, can be a little more complicated. light that it enjoys today is thanks to a Perspectives on Aging Puerh

茶人: Huang Haoran 黃浩然

uerh tea is widely known in Tai- that offered puerh were even scarcer, some important concepts remaining wan today. This is quite a con- and few people in tea circles had any murky and poorly defined, so many P trast to just a few short decades experience of puerh. All the puerh in consumers simply aren’t sure who ago in the early 80s, around the time Taiwan at the time was sourced from to listen to. Perhaps one of the most that oolong and artisan teahouses merchants in Hong Kong, or through harmful misconceptions is the idea of were gaining popularity throughout people of Hong Kong origin living in “wet” versus “dry” storage, which has Taiwan. Back then, puerh was almost Taiwan. Of course, all puerh-related negatively impacted many tea sellers considered unfit for serving in public; knowledge was passed on through and collectors, and deserves to be ad- the one exception was Hong Kong- these middlemen too. So, it was quite dressed. In the following article, I’ll style teahouses, where the serving staff a surprise that puerh culture took off share some of my personal thoughts would enthusiastically recommend in Taiwan and gained such recogni- and learnings that are the result of puerh tea to help create an authentic tion. One could liken it to the situa- many years of research and experimen- Hong Kong atmosphere—it would be tion of Yixing purple-sand clay pots; if tation with both puerh and oolong scented with chrysanthemum flowers. they had not gained such a following teas. Very few people brewed it at home among Taiwan’s tea circles, they may First of all, we must establish an though, and not many dedicated tea never have made the journey out of accurate and objective basic principle: merchants offered it for sale. To bor- China and become renowned for their puerh tea can be stored using different row a common phrase from the time, quality throughout the world. methods and for different periods of puerh tea was “stinky” tea; in other This surge in puerh popularity time to produce many completely dif- words, it was associated with moldy shows no sign of stopping, and has ferent flavors and styles. In this respect, or otherwise unpleasant scents. As you even spread into Korea, Malaysia and puerh is similar to Taiwanese oolong: can see, it didn’t have a great reputa- back to mainland China. However, the same batch of newly produced ma- tion, and wasn’t considered suitable for there is a hidden drawback to all this ocha can be made into at least five dif- refined teahouses. One could occasion- fervor: across the whole puerh market, ferent oolongs, distinct in mouthfeel, ally find it for sale on the old streets from Yunnan to Guangzhou, Taiwan, taste and aroma, depending on factors of Keelung Harbor or in the Juejiang and so on, there is no real consensus such as storage temperature, aging shopping center at Kaohsiung, but regarding the definition, classification time and roasting methods. The key to even then the merchants would only and desired qualities of puerh. This has this is understanding the chemical and introduce it to their oldest and most resulted in much confusion, with mer- physical changes that the organic sub- familiar customers. Artisan teahouses chants all saying different things and stances in the tea undergo throughout

35 this process. The difference between plexing for tea sellers and consumers alike. I was also confronted with this during oolong and puerh is that the chang- the early days of my puerh research, and I often wondered why applying the the- es in oolong take place using “fire” ory of aging oolong tea to puerh leaves had completely the opposite result to the (radiant heat or hot air) as a catalyst, desired one—after all, both varieties are still tea leaves, aren’t they? It wasn’t until whereas puerh makes use of the natu- I later recognized the interconnection of two related chemical processes in puerh ral environment. So, we should avoid tea—oxidation in the leaves and fermentation caused by aspergillus mold—that being reductive or narrow in our vision I finally understood the complexity of “post-fermentation” in puerh. It isn’t just of puerh tea, and instead, we must ap- one process or the other, but rather, the two interact differently in different envi- proach it with an open mind and a ronments, to trigger a series of complex chemical changes. sense of reverence, with an intent to ex- So, to decide how to store your puerh, you first need to understand the prin- plore and understand. So, what exact- ciples behind its fermentation, as well as what state the tea is presently in; then, ly are the influences of vintage, aging you also need an idea of what direction you’d like the tea to develop in, to achieve time and environment on puerh? Do the desired flavor. Since it’s a very broad topic, and I only have the space of one you have a preferred vintage? Or, like article, I’ll stick to explaining the theory of fermentation in puerh, and sharing a me, do you find that puerh teas from simple method for storing new sheng puerh. all different vintages have their own As a simple way of explaining post-fermentation in puerh, let us turn to a unique character and worth, provided useful analogy that will help us analyze this complicated topic: the “bicycle the- they are stored suitably and brewed at ory.” In order to be quick and energy-efficient, a bicycle must fulfill a few basic just the right temperature? conditions: The second factor, which is the most important and the most difficult 1. The front wheel moves first and sets the back wheel in motion. to understand, is storage: how should one best store puerh to age it to perfec- 2. The front wheel must be big, and the back wheel can be smaller. tion? Can you just store it any old way, or must you follow the “dry storage” 3. The size ratio of the front and back wheel must be appropriate. method that’s popular these days? And what exactly is this “dry storage” meth- 4. The chain must be the right length. od, anyway? Does it really mean that even a little humidity is unacceptable 5. The relative proportions of the front wheel, back wheel and chain must be during aging? This can be quite per- adjusted to suit the road conditions (uphill or downhill).

36 Aging Puerh Tea Of course, in reality the fermen- “pioneers” of fragrance in tea, continue er, with more unintended, “messy” tation of puerh is a lot more complex to oxidize and change the aroma still flavors. This is due to differences in than this analogy can express, but it’s further. This is why puerh is known for the processing methods and in the tea still useful as a simple comparison for becoming richer and more fragrant as leaves’ DNA. The native Yunnan tea the overall process. In our analogy, the it ages. trees used to produce puerh are of the front wheel represents fermentation This is the difference between original large-leaf variety. Their leaves caused by aspergillus fungi, while the puerh and other kinds of tea—puerh contain a special type of cell that aids back wheel represents fermentation needs a certain amount of humidi- the growth of beneficial fungi; under due to oxidation within the leaves. The ty for these chemical changes to take the right environmental conditions, “chain” that sets off their interaction, place; whereas, with other teas, such as this allows unique local varieties of then, is the temperature and humidity oolong, it’s the exact opposite: humid- fungi to flourish. The humidity is es- of the storage environment. ity must be avoided at all costs. If you sential for these fungi to propagate. First, let’s talk about the fermen- stored oolong in the manner of puerh, So, we can conclude that humidi- tation that is triggered by aspergillus exposed to the air or some degree of ty is vitally important for the proper mold. This is fermentation in the stan- humidity, after a while, the tea would post-fermentation of puerh. What dard sense that most people are famil- become sour and astringent, and the would be the result if you took a newly iar with that takes place in alcohol, liquor cloudy. Left even longer, the fla- produced sheng puerh and kept it for a miso and other fermented foods. This vor would become weaker and weak- few years in a cool, dry place? For this, process relies on the outside influence of a fungus (yeast, for example) to act on the carbohydrates in the food. For this type of fermentation, controlling the temperature and humidity of the surrounding environment is extreme- ly important. Without sufficient heat and humidity, it’s impossible to achieve a sweet, flavorful product. Puerh tea is 一筒一餅 no exception. Humidity is particularly important, as a certain degree of hu- midity is required to activate the fungi from the surrounding air, or the mi- croorganisms present in the tea leaves since the manufacturing process, and allow them to reproduce. The secre- tions of these various fungi (the bulk of which are aspergillus molds) transform the organic substances in the tea— such as amino acids, cellulose, starch and pectin—into monosaccharides and then polysaccharides, giving puerh its rich, deep flavor. While the tea is undergoing fer- mentation from these fungi, the poly- phenols in the tea are also undergoing their own process of fermentation— that is, oxidation. As the fungi in the tea metabolize, they produce heat, and the heat, in turn, speeds up their growth. As this cycle intensifies, it caus- es the polyphenols to begin oxidizing. On top of this, the black aspergillus mold present among the fungi secretes an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which causes the polyphenols to un- dergo oxidative polymerization—in other words, further oxidation. These dual influences trigger a whole array of changes in the organic compounds in the tea, which bring out a pungent, vegetal aroma. Then, compounds such as amino acids and beta carotene, the

37/ Perspectives on Aging Puerh we can return to our bicycle analogy: tea lacks nutrients. At first taste, the changes that we discussed are unable to without humidity, our front wheel (the liquor is slightly sweet, but not sweet happen the way they should. Instead, fermentation from those aspergillus enough to have the proper appeal, and the amino acids and carbohydrates in molds) cannot start turning, so we’d when the tea cools down, it becomes the leaves are consumed as “fuel” in the be left to rely on the back wheel (that quite astringent. reactions that do take place, which is is, the oxidation of the polyphenols) If the tea is stored in these condi- a great waste of the beneficial organic to turn on its own. This results in the tions for even longer, more than ten compounds in the tea. According to tea leaves taking on a brighter yellow- years, for example, the color of the tea our bicycle theory, we could compare ish- or reddish-brown color, and as the will become darker and redder; the this to a bike whose back wheel is too leaves continue to lose moisture, the flavor, on the other hand, will grow large—this causes the front wheel to surface of the tea cake hardens and the more and more insipid. This is because stop moving. Just how is one supposed aroma changes from a vegetal scent to when tea is stored under these con- to pedal such a bike and get the wheels a sweeter fragrance. The tea leaves be- ditions, the heat in the surrounding revolving as they should? My sincere come more tightly coiled, and, at first atmosphere is not sufficient to raise hope is that you, reader, may gain glance, it looks as if the tea will be even the temperature of the tea leaves and some insight from this analogy and nicer for drinking—but in reality, the trigger the oxidation of the organic save yourself the heartache of wasting result is quite the opposite. The color compounds in the tea, and all those your tea and effort due to unsuitable of the liquor is bright and clear, but the simultaneous physical and chemical conditions!

At Least a Tong and a Cake

ver time, a puerh lover learns wrapped up in bamboo skin. Bam- As you can see, a cake which you some lessons the hard way. boo and tea have been married for drink from is therefore not ideal OOne of the best pieces of advice we centuries. Bamboo is odor free and for storage or drinking: storage be- wish we could impart to our young- protects tea. It has been used to store cause breaking into it compromises er selves starting out on a tea jour- different kinds of tea all throughout the environment and speeds up fer- ney is, as Wu De often says, “hit it China. The bamboo skin will protect mentation, and not ideal for drink- hard!” When you find a puerh you your puerh from excessive humidity ing because puerh cakes are better like, buy lots. This means that you and mold, as well as disasters, like broken up. And this is why we tra- should know your tea budget and collapsing shelves, flooding, etc. ditionally buy a tong and a cake. The devote some percentage of it to ag- The reason puerh lovers buy at extra cake can be like a scrap cake ing tea for your future—your retire- least a tong and a cake of teas they en- that you taste every few years just to ment in tea bliss. Otherwise, you joy has to do with the way puerh tea see how the tea is aging and make a will find that teas you love always ages. Through many experiments, decision on when you want to start go up in price over time. You buy tea lovers have found that puerh enjoying your aged puerh cake. Af- a cake, drink it all, and then re- tea ages much better compressed in ter enough years have passed, you turn to the tea shop to get a sec- cakes than loose leaf. Loose-leaf tea return to this eighth, scrap cake and ond, only to find the price has is exposed to more oxygen and gets decide that the time has come—the doubled. You think that is too too humid easily. Also, the steaming tea has reached the desired level of much and buy something else and compressing creates the per- fermentation. At this point, you can instead. Then, years later, your fect environment for the microor- take a cake out of the tong you have friend makes that same tea for ganisms to do their work. But aged in storage, protected so nicely by the you again and you are blown puerh is so much better when it is bamboo skin, which closes back up away, determined to buy an- broken up. In the October 2015 issue neatly over the remaining cakes, and other, even if it is double. But, of Global Tea Hut, Shen Su did the break that cake up to store in a jar alas, now the price has quadru- experiment of tasting broken versus for a few weeks before drinking. If pled and you feel like shooting compressed puerh. After the tea has you want a gap between when the yourself in the foot for not buying reached a desired level of fermenta- jar is empty and the time you break five cakes when it was only double. tion, it is always advisable to break it up the second cake from the tong, Enough of such experiences and you up and store it in a jar for at least a you can always return to your extra learn to “hit it hard!” couple weeks before drinking. This scrap cake again to decide when that Traditionally, puerh lovers al- exposes the inside to air and gives should happen. Take our advice and ways buy at least a tong (筒) and a the tea breadth, making it more buy a tong and a cake of the puerh cake. A tong is seven cakes of puerh full-bodied and aromatic. teas which really speak to you!

38 Aging Puerh Tea Now that we’ve discussed what not to do, what are the ideal conditions for storing puerh? It’s important not to lump all puerh teas into one category here, because there are many kinds and stages of puerh. However, for newly produced sheng puerh in particular, 包包成筒 here are some basic recommendations:

1. An enclosed space is preferable.

2. Avoid direct sunlight.

3. A humidity of around 80–95% should be maintained for at least one to two months out of the year.

4. Store the tea in its original box or cylinder; no need to break up the cakes.

5. Old and new tea can be stored at the same time.

6. During aging, try to enter or open the storage space as little as possible, to avoid disturbing the tea’s fermentation process.

7. During the initial period of the aging process (at least three to five years) it’s best to allow the tea sufficient time for the chemical changes to take place before moving it to a different place.

Wrapping Up the Tong

Of course, some of us may have will take on a sun-baked aroma that of a small portion of my own learnings trouble achieving all of these condi- evolves into a subtly sweet, fruity fra- on puerh. My main goal is to clear up tions—with the outrageous housing grance, and the liquor will be amber the confusion surrounding “wet” and prices in Taipei, for example, even the or light brown in color. The flavor will “dry” storage, and to provide some most dedicated Chajin would be hard- become sweeter and smoother, and the clarity on the steps in the post-fer- pressed to find a separate space in their overall composition of the flavor will mentation process. It’s important for house just for storing tea! On the other show a pleasing development. Once us, as lovers of tea, to understand this, hand, Taiwan’s humid, subtropical cli- a puerh displays all these signs, it has as mistakes in selecting the storage en- mate means that no matter if you’re in completed the first step of post-fer- vironment could mean wasting much the north or south, at least one-quar- mentation, which will form a solid time and money; even ten or twenty ter of the days in the year will be hot foundation for further aging. years on, when we ourselves are show- and humid. So those of you in Taiwan You can brew puerh at this stage in ing some signs of aging, we might still can simply put your batches of tea in its maturation using medium-tempera- never get to enjoy a cup of truly great cardboard boxes and place them in a ture water (90 °C or so), which will puerh! It is also my heartfelt wish that cupboard or basement. produce a sweet, refreshing liquor. Or, you, puerh lovers, not be content with If you’re storing the tea in an open you can consider letting the tea contin- just reading the packaging and listen- room, remember to keep it away from ue to ferment in the same location or ing to what other people tell you; but windows—the corner of the room is move it to a different place with a fairly rather, that you might put in some a good choice. Avoid turning on the high temperature, to allow continued more time and thought to research and air-conditioning if possible—there’s aging and oxidation to further change observe puerh’s changes for yourself, no harm in letting the indoor tem- the composition of the flavor. You can and experience its differences and sub- perature and humidity vary according choose how to adjust the process based tleties. Just think: if you start with the to the weather outside. It’s best to seal on your own tastes. same puerh tea, you can speed up its the cardboard box up, with no holes So, in summary, the changes that evolution, or shorten aging time, and or openings. After being kept like this puerh undergoes during post-fermen- get different results, simply by chang- for three to five years, the tea will have tation are many and complex, and cer- ing the environment. In the life of a changed substantially, with the astrin- tainly can’t be conveyed in just a few tea lover, is this not a wonderful thing? gency and sharpness of the new tea words. This article is but a brief outline mellowing out considerably. The tea of the general principles—an offering

39/ Perspectives on Aging Puerh These cakes are successively older towards the bottom. The first is Forest Bridge, our 2016 Light Meets Life cake; the second is from 2006; then, 1999, early 1990s and the bottom is a 1980s 7542. With the last three, you can see how much humidity makes a differ- ence, as the last two were stored much drier than the third to last from 1999. Aging Puerh Tea Storage Techniques 倉 茶人: Zhan Shunqian 詹順騫 儲 技 In the last ten years or so, a puerh craze has spread from Hong Kong to Taiwan, so these days almost everyone is fa- 法 miliar with the tea and its properties. During this past de- cade, knowledge of puerh in the tea industry in Taiwan has gone from almost zero to being quite plentiful, and has also crossed the channel over to mainland China. Now, the puerh market is flourishing, but the one area where knowledge is still lacking is the matter of storage methods. These methods have evolved from those used in Hong Kong’s old storehouses to become the modern techniques that we use today.

he puerh tea that came to Tai- information transparency, it’s taken ness perspective, storing tea for twenty wan from Hong Kong in the people a long time to cast off this fog years before being able to sell it isn’t T early days often had what was of misperception and realize that this very feasible, yet it had to be done in referred to as a “stinky” aroma—this flavor was a product of the specific hu- Taiwan. So, in the beginning, it was was indicative of less than ideal stor- mid storage conditions in Hong Kong, very difficult to promote dry storage age conditions, which led to the tea and not a characteristic of puerh itself. in Taiwan. Tea merchants had to suf- being contaminated by other scents. So, here in Taiwan, I have put a lot of fer the torments of time; and time was This misled many early consumers effort into recommending puerh that also necessary to prove the success of into believing that puerh tea was sup- has been aged in dry storage. Although the method. After the ten years had posed to smell this way. It wasn’t until puerh is post-fermented, it still retains passed, the puerh tea aged in Taiwan the last few years, when Taiwan began the character of the original tea; the would begin to display different char- promoting dry storage for aging puerh, more appropriate the storage, the more acteristics, thanks to these different that opinions began to change. In the appealing the end product. storage techniques. early days in Hong Kong, nearly all puerh tea would undergo a period of wet storage in a basement or other Driving the Trend The Need for Warehouses humid place, to speed up fermentation and give the tea liquor an aged flavor. In the early days, there wasn’t a lot In the early days in Taiwan, there Nowadays, it is better to call such tea of acceptance of dry-aged puerh in Tai- wasn’t a particular principle behind “Hong Kong” or “Traditional” storage. wan. Then, as now, if one hadn’t ever puerh storage; it was simply about find- But these storage methods also come across dry-stored puerh, there ing a place to stack all the puerh that changed the style of puerh tea and was no opportunity to experience the had been bought from Hong Kong. As made it lose some of its original char- true grace and charm of puerh tea. the volume of imports increased, there acter; in addition, the proportion of Consumers were generally used to was no longer enough space for all the tea leaves that were damaged or spoiled drinking quite soft, mellow teas, and tea, and the value of tea leaves was also during the storage process was around dry-aged puerh is unable to reach that on the rise. It was only at this point 30%. This would represent a very big level of mellowness in less than ten that the tea merchants began to real- loss, so those damaged leaves were years; it starts out quite sharp, and only ize the importance of dedicated store- included in the tea that was sold, to after twenty years or more does it be- houses. So, the need for tea warehouses bring in more value. gin to mellow slightly. grew out of the need to run a sustain- Of course, tea merchants and con- So really, it takes around twenty able tea business. When establishing sumers didn’t know this, so they were years to produce a tea that most people the first storehouses, tea merchants deceived. Even now, in this age of will find easily palatable. From a busi- really had to have long-term vision.

41 天 堂 之 逕 Aging Puerh Tea They also had perseverance. Without So, with the combined goal of aid- from excess humidity and unintended dedicating themselves fully to the oc- ing fermentation and increasing space odors. When the tea is stacked to a cupation of selling tea, it would be efficiency, the experimentation led to certain level and the warehouse tem- very difficult for the business to last. the adoption of the storage method perature is higher than the outdoor The construction and layout of the that’s still used now: steel angle shelv- temperature, the tea leaves will tend to tea storehouses came about through ing. Each shelf can take quite a lot of absorb all available moisture, and can a process of trial and error. The Tai- weight, so through a lot of calcula- easily become moldy if it’s too humid. wanese methods were based on the tions, today’s tea merchants are able The storage facilities must be kept experience of Hong Kong merchants, to achieve very efficient warehouse dry and well-ventilated. During the then improved upon. In Hong Kong, management, in terms of both keep- damp “plum rain” season, more dehu- the tea was generally stacked into piles; ing track of inventory and classifying midifiers must be added; while in the this was a good way of saving space, goods. summer when it gets too hot, fans are even with large volumes of tea, and The problems faced by early ware- needed to increase air flow. To avoid also aided the post-fermentation of the house operators, such as excess hu- insect damage, mosquito lamps are tea leaves. midity or insect damage, have all been used, and the whole facility must be addressed by modern storage methods. carefully monitored to make sure no During this early period of experimen- water leaks in from outside. If there’s Trial and Error tation, new methods were developed ever a problem with any of these, it by trial and error; when a new prob- must be fixed as quickly as possible. In early storehouses in Taiwan, the lem arose, they found a new solution. tea was stored on iron angle shelving to Of course, I’m only able to describe be able to stack it and aid the post-fer- the innovations that have happened up Storage Experiments mentation process. Many different until now—who knows what superior merchants used this method. Howev- methods may be developed in the fu- The tea merchants also noticed er, a year later, these iron shelves were ture? that post-fermentation could produce eliminated, as tea merchants contin- A modern tea warehouse must different results in teas that were stored ued to ponder more efficient storage account for the necessary hardware, in different places. As soon as a puerh methods. plus the need to protect the tea leaves cake is produced, it begins to oxidize, and this process of fermentation con- tinues indefinitely, at all times, unless it is artificially stopped by sealing up the tea. In Taiwan, there are no artificial methods used to increase the degree of fermentation of the tea—the methods used to achieve the ideal post-fermen- tation are all natural. Once you have stored all your tea leaves in one place, it’s important to check that the only scents in the ware- house are the fragrances of the tea—the tea leaves must not be exposed to any other odors. In Taiwan, a basement is a good choice of location to store tea, as it stays warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The main thing to be careful of with basements is the humidity. To combat this, we installed an extractor fan in the basement and made sure the entrance has plenty of ventilation, to ensure sustained air flow. A few years into this experiment, we found that it was beneficial to the development of If you are in a drier climate, using a jar like this one made by Petr the tea. When adding new teas to the Novak to store puerh tea can help. Puerh actually ages better when there basement, they’re also liable to be sus- is more around—the more puerh stored together the better. An unglazed ceptible to humidity, so it’s important jar will absorb the aroma of the tea and echo it back to the cakes, to some to monitor this regularly, checking on extent mimicking many cakes together. Jars also can increase humidity. the tea every few months. However, if you are in a very wet place, jars can also trap humidity and If a tea is unsuited to being stored create a wetter environment. When we use jars, we keep them full, and in the basement, then you’ll need to then replace space with rice paper as we drink the tea. move it upstairs. The temperature on

43/ Storage Techniques the top story is comparatively high, so more fragrant the aroma; and when The aroma of tea is not just the the tea will change more rapidly. To re- a lot of tea is stored in one place, the fragrance of the leaves themselves; it ally understand tea storage, two factors whole warehouse becomes like a giant also contains the traces of the toil and are essential: time and practical first- air conditioner, which is beneficial for dedication of those who came before hand experience. the fermentation of the tea. us. Today, living in such prosperous Only when the outside conditions times, we have all the more opportu- are particularly unfavorable (such as in nity to create a bright future for tea, so A Chajin’s Dedication the plum rain season) does special cau- that the Chajin of the future may also tion become necessary. And the cleaner have the chance to drink a wonderful Once the storage facilities are all the warehouse is kept, the less chance cup of puerh and feel the heart and properly set up, the only thing left to there is of the tea leaves absorbing un- dedication of their forebears. This is a add is the care and dedication of the wanted odors. When new and old teas beautiful inheritance; may we all work people who look after the tea. Taiwan’s are stored together, this will benefit the together to pass it on! tea warehouses are very clean and oxidization of the new tea. So, all the pleasant. Each layer in the stacks of tea teas from Taiwan’s storehouses have a is the height of two cylinder-shaped special sort of fragrance: the scent of a tea packages. Every half a year, the Chajin’s care and dedication. loose-leaf tea must be turned over, as Nowadays, many Chajin are whole- loose-leaf is the least well-ventilated heartedly committed to profession- while fermenting, so every single bag alism and to further developing and of tea must be flipped. Puerh cakes, promoting puerh tea. This is a way by comparison, are moved once a year. of preserving traditional Chinese cul- Thanks to this, there has been no sign ture and honoring the efforts of our of mold in Taiwan’s tea warehouses. In forebears; if those who came before us dry storage warehouses, one can de- hadn’t produced such excellent puerh, This is a large warehouse termine the tea’s current stage in the how would we of future generations in Guangzhou, where several aging process by analyzing its scent. have the opportunity to taste such thousand tons of puerh tea are The further along it is, the richer and wonderful aged tea? aged professionally.

44 Aging Puerh Tea Puerh Storage in Malaysia 馬 來 茶人: Qiu Jinquan 邱錦泉 西 The four main areas where puerh tea was traditionally aged 亞 were Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Taiwan and Malaysia. Each 存 place takes pride in the way tea turns out locally. Of these four, Malaysia offers the most unique storage conditions, 茶 since Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Taiwan are relatively close 文 together and similar in temperature and humidity. Malay- sian stored tea is very special and certainly worth exploring 化 in an article and if you can drink some tea stored there!

alaysia is made up of two With the goal of finding out more wan, one must look after puerh very main landmasses, separated about how puerh tea is stored and aged carefully during storage, to prevent the M by the South China Sea: in Malaysia, I talked to a tea master changing seasons from influencing the East and West Malaysia. East Malay- with a wealth of experience on the sub- character of the tea. sia is made up of two states, Sabah ject: Master Lin Pingxiang (林平祥). Across the sea in Hong Kong, ac- and Sarawak, which are located on the He has spent many years immersed in cording to Lin Pingxiang, tea mer- island of Borneo. West Malaysia (or the world of tea and has a lot of knowl- chants have a lot of practical experi- Peninsular Malaysia) is made up of 11 edge and experience of Malaysia’s geo- ence when it comes to storing puerh, states and one federal territory (Kuala graphical environment, and of storing so they’ve developed a very compre- Lumpur), and is situated on the Malay puerh. According to Lin Pingxiang, hensive and expert set of storage tech- Peninsula. Malaysia has a tropical most Chinese immigrants to Malaysia niques. Most tea lovers in Malaysia monsoon climate, which means that settled in West Malaysia, so naturally choose to store their tea in their own it doesn’t have four distinct seasons. there were more lovers of Chinese tea houses, as they’re generally not as short Thanks to the southwest monsoon, there, too. Malaysian society is made on space as their counterparts in Hong though, it does have a relatively dry up of many cultures and ethnicities, Kong and Taiwan. According to Mas- season from May to September. From and Malaysia also went through a ter Lin, any space with good ventila- mid-November to March, the north- period of British colonization, so the tion and no odors is suitable for stor- east monsoon brings a lot of rain to Chinese merchants living in Malaysia ing tea. But, he warns, one does have most regions, especially Sabah and were a lot more open and accepting to- to be careful with most modern houses Sarawak in East Malaysia. By mid-Au- ward other cultures than some of their in Malaysia, especially one- or two-sto- gust, the east coast of West Malaysia is contemporaries who settled in other ried terraced houses, as their rooves are universally more humid than the west countries. somewhat lower and the ventilation coast, thanks to the frequent rains. As a result, Malaysia’s local Chi- not as good as that of old-style hous- The daytimes in Malaysia are hot and nese population were familiar with a es. This means that the temperature dry, and the evenings are pleasantly wide variety of beverages, from inside the house can tend to rise in warm. The average yearly temperature and English-style “black” tea to puerh, the daytime. So, he recommends that is between 25–30 °C, and the average green tea and oolong. Because of this, if your house has rooms at the front, humidity is around 60–80%. So, the they didn’t tend to strongly prefer any middle and back, rooms in the middle temperature and humidity remain one type of drink or , and are the best option for tea storage. This fairly constant all year round. And tea leaves tended to simply be stored in is because they are the least influenced many tea lovers think this is ideal. natural conditions. By contrast, in Tai- by changing outside temperature,

45

Aging Puerh Tea

smells and humidity. In two-storied thanks to their careful monitoring of Puerh tea packaging, especially that houses, the ground floor will tend to the tea, it tends to age every bit as well of traditional bamboo leaf-wrapped be more humid than the top floor. as tea leaves stored in other environ- puerh cakes, has a lot of artistic merit. Master Lin also believes that “raw” ments. Because of this, Mr. Ya Shun encour- sheng puerh maocha and old tea should As well as Master Lin Pingxiang, ages people who only need to store a be stored differently. Sheng puerh is I also once had the good fortune to small volume of tea to display the tea best stored in a slightly more humid interview Mr. Ya Shun (亞順), the cakes in their original cylindrical pack- place to aid the aging process, whereas business manager of Perak State’s Qiu aging in the living room. Your average old tea prefers a drier climate to stabi- Ming Tea Company. Drawing from living room will tend to be free of any lize the changes in the tea. Of all the his many years of experience with ag- strong odors, and the puerh tea will places in Malaysia, he finds that Ipoh ing puerh, Mr. Ya told me that many add a certain feeling of culture to the in northern Malaysia and Sungai Lem- people are in the habit of putting atmosphere as well as looking decora- bing in Pahang State are particularly sheng puerh cakes on an aluminum tive. Of course, if you want the abso- good for aging sheng puerh cakes, be- shelf to age in their original cardboard lute best result from your puerh, Mr. cause they have a higher concentration box. However, unless the tea has al- Ya still advises a separate storage space of negative ions due to their low-lying ready had at least five years of aging, if possible, as this will allow the aromas geography. On the other hand, districts he recommends foregoing the box and from the tea to mingle together, which closer to the central mountain ranges, placing each cylinder of tea cakes in- is beneficial for the evolving character such as Bentong and Kuala Pilah, are dividually on the shelf for optimal re- of the tea as it ages. According to this excellent for storing old puerh tea, as sults. He also advises that, if you are advice, I myself (located in the Kuala they have a relatively low humidity storing the tea in cardboard boxes, you Lumpur area) store my tea in a sepa- throughout the year. shouldn’t place the boxes right next to rate space of its own. Master Lin also pointed out that each other, but rather, you should leave I advise storing sheng puerh and some houses and shops in Taiwan are around an inch of space between the shou puerh cakes separately. It’s also equipped with a basement, and a small ends of each box to allow the air to cir- good to store a reasonable amount of number of tea lovers and merchants culate properly. Ventilation is a key to tea in one place, as this will allow the will store their tea there. In these cases, successful puerh storage. aromas from the tea to mingle. It’s also

47/ Puerh Storage in Malaysia important to move the tea to a differ- Tea Factory (云南和养茶厂) to share Chajin do not really have a concept ent place at regular intervals according with the factory director Dong Guoy- of “storehouses” as such, and puerh to the passing time and changing hu- an (董國艶). Director Dong was once storage methods are still in a stage of midity, to allow all the tea leaves to de- the deputy director of the Hai Tea Fac- discovery and experimentation, there velop and change evenly. When storing tory, then later took on the joint role of have not as yet been any incidents of tea leaves, Malaysian people are care- board member and deputy director of people setting up morally question- ful to keep them away from the floor the Liu Da Cha Shan (“Six Great Tea able “rapid aging” storage warehouses. and walls, no matter what the storage Mountains”) tea company, and is now According to Master Lin Pingxiang’s location. Add to this the consistent a board member and director of the observations, the growing demand year-round temperature and humidity, Yang Tea Market; so countless puerh for puerh in recent years has inspired and Malaysia really does make for an tea cakes have been produced by her many local Chajin and tea sellers to excellent natural storehouse for puerh. own hands and under her supervision. pursue more specialized and scientif- Master Lin Pingxiang has conversed The puerh cakes we took over to ic storage techniques. When coupled with many overseas tea merchants and share with Director Dong were ones with the already ideal climate and en- Chajin over the years, and has found that she had compressed herself. After vironment, this will be instrumental that they have a deep appreciation drinking the tea from these Malay- in taking the refinement of Malaysian for puerh aged in Malaysia—in fact, sian-aged puerh cakes, she expressed puerh to a new level. It’s very heart- some of them have gone so far as to great surprise: she had drunk tea from ening to see the effort and dedication buy houses in Malaysia specifically to the same batch of cakes that had been that today’s Chajin and tea industry store tea. aged elsewhere, and found that the tea professionals are putting into advanc- Most Chajin from around the world from the cakes aged in Malaysia was ing puerh tea culture in Malaysia, and who have tried Malaysian-aged puerh superior in flavor, with a natural fra- to witness their common hope for the also tend to agree that it is of a very grance that was both fine and rich. future of puerh. consistent character and an excellent As we’ve seen from these examples, natural flavor. Some friends and I once Malaysia provides an excellent envi- took a few puerh cakes that had been ronment for aging puerh compared to aged in Malaysia to Yunnan’s Heyang most other countries. Although local

48 Storing Puerh Tea at Home

ormally, most tea drinkers duced from a specific year, having its or she has more than enough for daily buy tea when their stash at own special flavor, will not be available consumption and often even enough home is finished, and it’s forever. Productions are limited, and to share with friends. The teas that one Nno different for beginners who have the harvest changes every year, even if loved when they were young are much started to enjoy puerh tea. They may the same factory gets its raw material richer, subtler and more enjoyable buy different kinds in small quantities from the same place. Any given puerh when they are aged. Personally, I am to try different brands and varieties, tea, once out of stock, can never be re- proud of my collection. I bought many but they don’t drink that much tea so placed. And even if the same tea is still older vintages long ago when they were a small amount of each kind is rea- available, the price will be substantially cheaper and can now enjoy them on a sonable for them. Eventually, some of higher as years pass; and sometimes the regular basis; meanwhile, most collec- these tea drinkers will fall in love with price will rise to a point that is higher tors are struggling just to afford a sin- the elegance, rich depth and tremen- than the collector’s evaluation and ap- gle cake. Also, as these teas appreciate dous variety of experience that puerh preciation of it, which only leaves him in value, they represent a financial asset has to offer. They will become “aficio- or her feeling frustrated. Therefore, that can be sold, if the need arises. nados” and begin to drink puerh every most puerh tea lovers choose to store When an enthusiast reaches the day. In fact, once hooked, the pas- their own puerh tea at home, in order point where he or she decides to set sion for tea rarely lets go. Many will to secure their future stock. aside a space for the storage of puerh drink tea for the rest of their lives. The Soon enough the puerh tea con- tea, the first critical question is, “How change from interest to obsession is noisseur has stacks and stacks of tea, to properly store puerh tea at home?” usually rather evident, as the collection and continues to buy large quantities Some experts believe that puerh tea is grows and shelves go up, are filled, and of tea. The cakes eventually begin to easy to store and that there is no skill so on—until a room or two is needed, occupy a lot of space, until they have involved: you just put stacks on a shelf, and there’s puerh coming out of the to delegate a place for “tea storage.” and voila! Others say that puerh tea cracks in the walls. Similar to an oenophile setting up needs proper ventilation and exposure their own wine cellar, collectors set up to humidity. Actually, inappropriate puerh tea cellars. After some years of storage methods or an unsuitable en- Why We Collect Puerh storage, the collector will quickly un- vironment will have disastrous effects derstand the many benefits that his on puerh tea, leading to deterioration One of the first realizations that a or her “tea cellar” offers. For example, rather than excellence. It would be a person comes to when they start dab- while others are complaining about the pity to discover several years later that bling in puerh tea is that the tea pro- inflated prices of certain vintages, he one’s tea is undrinkable. Furthermore,

49 茶人: Chan Kam Pong 陳淦邦

Chan Kam Pong is a tea lov- er living in Hong Kong. He has been an avid collector of puerh tea for decades. He has pub- lished numerous articles and two English books, “The First Step to Chinese Puerh Tea” & “Glossary of Chinese Puerh Tea.” If anyone knows how to properly store puerh tea, it’s Mr. Chan!

poorly stored puerh tea is not only a with the prerequisites for home storage compare at all to the rich, smooth, el- waste of money; it’s a waste of time. of puerh tea, and later, in another is- egant, sweet broth and comfortable af- One can always earn the money lost, sue of this magazine I’ll offer Part II, tertaste of older teas. Young teas must but there is no getting back the mis- focusing on the important details that undergo a natural aging process that spent or squandered vintage in the one needs to pay attention to during normally takes fifteen to thirty years. tea. Sadly, one would then have to pay the long period of storage. Aficionados are often not willing to the market price for the well-stored buy a tea unless it has matured enough puerh tea—the same tea they them- to drink, which is one reason why vin- selves bought ten years ago and wast- tage puerh is so expensive. Because of ed. Standing in the store amazed at the The Purpose of Storing the time factor, which incurs the cost drastic increase in price over just ten Puerh Tea of capital and interest, it would be years, the vision becomes even more impossible for puerh tea vendors to distraught. Every one of us would It is important to understand clear- survive if the stock in the warehouse like to be spared from such a fate. ly why connoisseurs, collectors and couldn’t be sold for a profit that val- But even when the collector realizes vendors store puerh tea. As mentioned idates the storage time. Thus, storing that tea shouldn’t just be tossed onto above, this saves the collector a lot of one’s own puerh tea is actually saving shelves, all kinds of important ques- money on tea, since they will appreci- the “storage cost” that you would be tions arise concerning what exactly is ate in value and only be more expensive charged had someone else kept the tea. “proper” storage. Humidity is needed, in the future. The financial investment Simply put, the main reason for stor- but how much? Exposure to oxygen, also attracts many, including the ven- ing puerh tea is that it is far more en- which means proper ventilation, but dors. But why are puerh teas stored at joyable when it is aged. Just as an old how much and what’s the best way to all? Why did the practice even begin? wine is more delicious than a new one, achieve this? Many experts have differ- In point of fact, puerh tea is not aged puerh tea is the real reason that ent answers to these questions. Some- drinkable when it leaves the factory. most of us started collecting in the first times certain aspects of storage are rela- There are some varieties that offer a place. It was the rich brown cup and tive to the taste of the collector. I hope decent cup right away, and some oc- deep flavors and aromas of our first ex- that my experience storing puerh tea at casionally are enjoyable to certain tea perience with aged puerh that enticed home will help those who are just be- lovers, depending on taste. However, us to start collecting. Aged puerh is a ginning to create their own storage en- the most fascinating aspects of puerh marvelous experience, and there are vironment. I will divide the discussion tea are the sensations offered in a sip of very few teas as fulfilling or full-bodied into two parts. This first part will deal well-aged puerh tea. Young teas cannot as aged puerh!

50 Aging Puerh Tea Basic Criteria for Leaving an inexpensive cake out midity in your storage area. If the hu- on a rainy day teaches collectors about midity gets near 90%, or if there is a lot Storing Puerh Tea the effects of too much humidity, and of precipitation during a particular sea- gives them some experience touch- son, you will need a dehumidifier. The Even with only a few cakes of puerh, ing and handling tea that has been dehumidifier shouldn’t be overused. It the storage environment requires care- over-humidified. However, if you buy would be unwise to run the dehumid- ful attention. Otherwise, the tea, a more than a stack of puerh tea, check- ifier constantly, creating a space that is handful or a ton, may degenerate. In ing the extent of humidity absorbed too dry. This is as undesirable as high- order to age puerh tea properly, pay at- by tea cakes wouldn’t be possible with- er humidity. When the humidity gets tention to the following basic criteria: out breaking apart the bamboo bark higher, run the dehumidifier until the wrapping. Therefore, it isn’t easy to tell humidity returns to the desired range 1) Humidity of 70%–80% (ex- whether there is anything wrong inside and then shut it off. Tea collectors liv- posure to high or low humidity the cakes. Usually, puerh tea lovers ing in places like Beijing or Canada, on would like to keep the original out- the other hand, may have a hard time is not recommended) look of the tong, because the value of a storing puerh tea. It may be possible 2) Adequate ventilation wrapped tong is worth more than sev- to use a humidifier, as long as it is not 3) Proper wrapping materials en individual cakes, and the bamboo pointed at the tea, to try and generate bark helps protect the tea over time. In more moisture. However, I must stress 4) No odor, regardless of wheth- that case, the only way is to check the that areas with low relative humidity er it is pleasant or not wrapping materials themselves, feeling may not be suitable for puerh tea stor- 5) Temperature of 20–30 °C whether they are still hard and crisp. age. Humidity is why puerh has tradi- By itself, this isn’t enough because tionally been kept in places like Hong 6) No exposure to visible light (a some kinds of wrapping materials are Kong and Taiwan. Those living in dry dark environment is better for more resilient than the tea cakes inside; climates may be better off purchasing aging puerh tea) the tea might be wet while the packag- vintage puerh, or perhaps trying to ing is perfectly dry. Therefore, we must rent or purchase some storage space in smell the stack to see whether there is a better environment. First: Humidity any unpleasant odor. If there is water Some people try methods of nat- trapped inside a stack of puerh tea, ural correction to alter storage condi- Humidity is perhaps the most the smell of the stack will irritate the tions. They will use chalk or charcoal important aspect of storage. Cakes nose and be unpleasant. If the storage to absorb moisture when it is too wet, stored in an environment with too lit- conditions are good, the aroma from a and I have even heard of others using tle humidity won’t ferment, and if the dry stack of cakes is very attractive and buckets of water in a dry climate. I humidity is too high the quality will fresh. The longer one collects puerh, think that the charcoal and chalk, as decrease over time. It is consequently and the more they go into the storage long as they are odorless, are acceptable important for the collector to be able room to touch and smell their teas, the methods of correcting excess humidity. to discriminate the affects of different more they will be able to notice even I prefer a dehumidifier, because it is humidity levels. Learning with your slight changes and correct them ac- more accurate and convenient. How- own senses will teach you far more cordingly. Try smelling the damp and ever, I wouldn’t recommend adjusting than any amount of books or articles dry cakes, drinking them and handling low humidity by allowing water to will ever be able to do. One way to ex- them repeatedly. One may even smell evaporate in the room. Such a method periment is to take an inexpensive tea the damp cake as it sits out, noticing may cause more harm than help. cake and expose it to humid air on a the changes each hour of wet storage rainy or foggy day. On a very rainy day, brings. with the windows open, the humidity Second: Ventilation will usually be around 80% to 90%, which is too high for puerh tea. You Do you need a dehumidifier/ Some experts suggest that remov- will find that a tea cake exposed to hu- humidifier? ing the wrapping materials from the mid air becomes soft, no longer crispy Some people are of the opinion tea cakes will accelerate the aging pro- to the touch. If you break it apart, you that the greater the humidity, the cess. However, I am of the opinion that will find that the tea leaves are also soft better. They argue that a dehumid- the risk of exposure to excess humidity and don’t break apart as easily. This in- ifier is not required because puerh outweighs the potential benefits. In dicates that the tea cake is too damp. needs humidity to age. Of course, it fact, removing the wrapping may be If one were to then wrap up the cake does need humidity, but how much is detrimental to the aging process. Puerh in that state, the water trapped inside healthy and whether fluctuations are tea does need adequate and appropri- would lead to a decline in quality over important is a relevant issue to those ate ventilation, but, like most other as- time. Feeling and drinking a damp with a serious investment in puerh. pects of the storage process, there must cake in comparison with a dry one As mentioned above, the optimum be a balance between too little and too will help a collector recognize the vari- range of humidity is around 70% to much oxygen. If puerh tea is exposed to ations that excess humidity can cause 80%. It may be a good idea to get a a lot of moving air, the tea will become over time. hygrometer to measure the relative hu- weak and the sensations, tastes and

51/ Storing Puerh Tea at Home aromas will lose their poignancy. This Third: Wrapping happens because the oxidation process inside the leaves occurs too fast. Most puerh collectors who are serious about My Friend’s Storage Mistake drinking vintage teas agree with this I have a friend that stored a few tea have the same character, because the experience. Really, slight ventilation is cakes at home recreationally. One day, vendor had given him a paper box for more than enough for aging puerh tea. he brought over two interesting tea each tea cake and he hadn’t opened one It is unnecessary to remove the wrap- cakes. He had bought two identical late of them. It was the open one, exposed ping. The tea should be placed in a 1980s tea cakes which were clean and to the extreme humidity, that wasn’t room that gets fresh air several times a properly stored by the vendor. How- as good. However, leaving the opened week. An open window, or even a door ever, several months after buying the cake on the table in spring wasn’t ul- that opens into a larger room that has two cakes, my friend realized that one timately what made the two cakes so open windows, will allow more than of them no longer had the same clean different. If he had dehumidified the enough air into your storage room. If and dry character as the day he bought tea cake before repacking, it would you are young enough, you might even it. It was very musty and wet. He was have corrected the exposure to higher want to slow down the aging process. surprised that the cakes’ conditions humidity. His fatal mistake was that he Every tea has a climax—a peak time would be so different after only some trapped the excess water inside the tea when it is best appreciated. Generally months, especially since they had both cake by wrapping it up. speaking, puerh tea aged for 30 years been stored under the same roof. After My friend’s experience illustrates is already very good. Some tea will be I asked him for some more details, the that wrapping materials are im- better stored for much longer, and oth- picture became clear. My friend had portant during the course of puerh ers don’t need as long. Much of that left the tea cakes on a table for several tea storage. They can save your tea, aspect of storing tea takes quite some days after purchasing them, in order to not to mention a lot of heartache. time to discriminate, and is also often look at them. He had bought the tea Even though the storage environ- determined by the taste of the individ- in spring, and the humidity in Hong ment of Hong Kong and Taiwan are ual. Over time, we all learn patience, Kong at that time is higher than the often too humid, the wrapping pa- choosing when to break apart an aged rest of the year. Consequently, the ele- pers, materials, boxes and/or bags cake for enjoyment and what degree of vated humidity had affected one of the serve to protect the tea cakes (and fermentation we like. two cakes. The other tea cake did not your heart) from excess moisture.

52 Aging Puerh Tea One needs to be careful about what mendous frequency, but it does occur. little wet. If there is any whiteness on wrapping materials are put on the tea If you have bought a cake that is damp, the cake, it can be brushed off with and the condition of the cakes just pri- or if you have purchased a cake that a toothbrush to make it clean and or to packaging, which is something has been through some wet storage, beautiful again. The tea can then go many people don’t think of. one should treat it before putting it through the same process mentioned into storage. One can use a dehumid- here, before storage or drinking. ifier in a controlled space to decrease How to Prepare New Tea Cakes the humidity significantly. The cake Much of what applies to cakes that should remain in this space with low Cardboard Containers have spent some time in storage also humidity for several days, in order to In my opinion, cardboard con- applies to newborn tea. The cake needs evaporate the water trapped inside. tainers are a good choice to store your to be inspected to see how it has been The wrapping materials are often par- puerh tea collection. Cardboard is use- stored and its moisture content. Even tially waterproof, so it’s a good idea ful, because it preserves the tea and recently compressed tea cakes may to uncover the cake for the duration also can be written on for classifica- have higher water content, because of this dry stage. This is, in fact, what tion. The cardboard allows different steam is used in the processing to soft- the factory had already done in the teas to be stored adjacently, without en the tea leaves for compression, and dehydration room. The cakes are left any dissemination of odor. If your the cakes sometimes leave the factory opened and unwrapped on the racks as puerh tea collection is large enough, without having been sufficiently dried. they dry. In the absence of a dehumid- you should put the same series togeth- The tea cakes are dehydrated on large ifier, the next best thing is to wait for er in the same box. For example, the racks in a special drying room. Gener- a clear day when the relative humid- Green Big Tree tea cakes from the same ally speaking, this dehydration process ity is lower and place the cake on an year should all be placed in the same takes several days. However, every now open windowsill. This could even be cardboard container. However, if this and then, the tea factory may have a done periodically until the cake is dry is not practical because you don’t have lot of orders to handle, and they, there- enough. enough of a particular tea, you may fore, don’t have enough time for prop- Not all wet-stored teas are bad. still place puerh tea cakes with similar er dehydration. As a result, some cakes Sometimes one may find a good deal compositions and dates together in the have high moisture content when they on a cake with some wet storage, or same box. Raw tea cakes within five are wrapped up and shipped from the perhaps one of the cakes that he or years of each other are fine together. factory. This doesn’t happen with tre- she has kept themselves has become a However, if you didn’t purchase the

Ventilation & Rotation ven though puerh tea needs to lectors and that stored by tea vendors private tea collectors to move their tea E adsorb enough water for aging, is amount. Large tea vendors have collections every 5 years. One advan- the water should not stay too long in huge tea warehouses, which are stor- tage of tea rotation is that it allows one the tea cake. For beginners, I would ing several hundreds to thousands of to check the storage conditions of the suggest only opening windows during baskets or boxes (traditionally, 84 tea tea. In a period of twenty years, four clear days in the fall. On stuffy, rainy cakes per basket or box). Since the rotations aren’t that inconvenient if days, one should never try to ventilate amount of puerh is enormous and the they can really help the aging of one’s the tea. puerh will not be sold immediately, cakes. These rotations should be per- Most well-aged puerh vintages it may have to stay in the warehouses formed in the fall because the humid- come from the tea warehouses that for the coming five to ten years. After ity and temperature are more moder- used to be so predominant in Hong that amount of time, the taste of the ate. Make sure that the dampness of the Kong. At that time, tea vendors did puerh stored on the top and at the tea cakes is low enough for repacking. not intentionally let fresh air in, but bottom of the pile would certainly be Otherwise, one will make the same fa- those cakes have still become master- different because of the differences in tal mistake made by a friend of mine, pieces. However, in order to make the ventilation. Therefore, conscientious in which the water absorbed from the cakes have even aging conditions, tea puerh tea vendors will hire workers to air was trapped inside the cake when it vendors at that time did rotate the tea rotate the position the tea in order to was repacked (I discussed this in more from top to bottom. I believe that this assist the aging process. Since this is a detail on the previous page). also improved the overall aging con- huge project, puerh tea vendors usu- If one learns about puerh, there dition of the warehouse. Therefore, ally make rotations every two to three really is no harm in keeping it in clos- from my point of view, rotating the years, depending on the warehouse. ets or drawers, because one will know position of puerh is more important For private tea collectors, since how to correct any abnormal aspects than ventilation, in the long term. their collections are not as large as tea of the environment. However, this re- The major difference between vendors, it is not necessary to rotate ally requires practical experience (and puerh tea stored by private tea col- the tea so frequently. I would advise maybe even a few tears) to learn.

53/ Storing Puerh Tea at Home cakes new make sure the dry storage cakes next to an aromatic essence, the to keep their tea in a completely odor- and wet storage cakes are kept sepa- tea cakes will have that fragrance. With free environment. rately because they have different fla- certain kinds of tea, this added flavor is Tea is very sensitive, and the fact vors and smells. Some may argue that quite nice, but if one keeps puerh tea that odor influences it so easily is a tes- if a cardboard container is used, the tea near any odor—pleasant or unpleas- tament to this fact. We should there- cakes will be contaminated by a paper ant—they are risking the loss of their fore aim to keep our tea in clean and smell. This may be true if the card- tea. Perhaps the added flavor will en- clear environments. This will always board is of poor-quality. It is worth the hance the tea, but actually, in almost produce the best tea over time. extra money to buy better boxes with- every instance, odor transfer results out much of a paper odor, though a in a tea of far lesser quality than one little smell won’t harm the cakes. Later, stored away from all such interference. Fifth: Temperature when it’s time to appreciate the cakes, a For that reason, puerh tea cakes should few weeks of open air will remove any never be kept in the kitchen. Kitchens Proper temperature is also import- traces of the cardboard smell. Puerh are full of oils, odors and other influ- ant for storing puerh tea. The tem- has been wrapped in paper for many ences that will definitely affect the tea perature should be around twenty to years, and some of the greatest vintages over time. Likewise, if you keep your thirty degrees Celsius. If the climate is are still without a trace of odor, even puerh tea in a metal or plastic box, too cold, the microbiotic activity and after decades. The paper wrapping is the tea will eventually be infused with decomposition will occur much slow- often composed of more natural fibers, that odor. In the same way, if you put er. The heat helps inspire this process. and are sometimes even handmade. It raw tea and ripe tea together, both teas This factor is less discussed than hu- is possible to find cardboard boxes of will end up having strange odors; raw midity and oxygen, though it is still the same caliber. tea and ripe tea have their own special important. Environments with ade- aromas, and if they are stored togeth- quate humidity are usually in warmer er they will contaminate each other. climates. Fourth: Unwanted Odors Usually, since the odor of ripe tea is stronger than that of raw tea, the raw Tea, as a leaf, has the amazing abil- tea is affected more for the worse. The Four Seasons & Storage Cycles ity to absorb the ambient flavors and principle is that puerh teas with similar A relatively constant temperature is smells of whatever is placed near it. aromas should be placed together. Ac- essential for puerh storage. This does Therefore, if you store your puerh tea cordingly, one should be very careful not mean that the temperature should never change. Actually, puerh tea re- quires different temperatures during different seasons. Constant tempera- ture means that the temperature in the storage environment should not fluc- tuate too much within a short period of Storing puerh in closets and draw- time. Differences from season to season ers usually requires that one follow are acceptable, even necessary, but one similar guidelines. First of all, one needs to be careful of any quick rises should be concerned about the odors 通 or drops in temperature. Places where from the closets or drawers when the night is much cooler than the day, they are new or when they had stored for example, are not ideal. This is yet something else previously. One should another reason why the traditional ar- make sure that the closet or drawer is 風 eas of puerh storage are so perfect. The completely odor free. Some woods temperature changes between seasons used in the construction of shelving in places like Hong Kong is smooth units or drawers have been painted or and gradual, and provides the tea with stained, and have a distinct odor, even 倉 an aging cycle that has different stages when new. Of course, anything else throughout the year. Spring has a high- that was stored in them would also er humidity that freshens the cakes have left its odor behind. The collector and allows them to absorb enough will have to find a way to air them out 和 water for the rest of the year. During and remove any odors. Another prob- the summer, the higher temperature lem with closets and drawers is venti- will cause vigorous changes inside lation. Unless one has a habit of open- the tea leaves as they respond to the ing the closet or drawers regularly, the 翻 added temperature, coupled with the air inside them may not be enough. moisture that was taken in during the If a strange odor gets trapped inside, spring. Then, after the stress of spring the tea will definitely be ruined. One and summer, the tea starts to take a rest will have to make sure that they are 倉 during autumn, which acts as a buffer, opened to allow the tea to breathe. with mild temperatures and humidity.

54 Aging Puerh Tea In winter, since the temperature is low If you have enough puerh tea, an Brand Traditional Chinese Charac- and the process is slowed down, the tea independent room for storage is ideal. ters Seven-son Tea Cake (“Traditional can, in a sense, hibernate. The hiberna- It allows one to regulate the humidity Character”). It is now 14 years of age. tion prepares it for the next year. The and temperature much more easily. If It already offers me a pleasant and soft, temperature and humidity changes it is wet outside, one may simply turn slightly green, honey taste. Howev- during the four seasons in places like on the dehumidifier and close the door er, the bitter astringency is still there, Hong Kong or Taiwan create a perfect of the storage room, creating a dry though not as bitter as in its first five aging cycle. It is no coincidence that all environment that isn’t influenced by years. Following this trend, I expect the great vintage teas were stored here. the climate outside. A storage room or that my Traditional Character cakes It is almost magical how the absorp- closet will also be very convenient to will be very tasty when they reach 20 tion of moisture, heat, rest and then handle the cakes, check on them and years of age. Still, I wouldn’t advise hibernation cycles through the year, organize them by kind and date. drinking a lot of these immature raw fermenting the tea as Nature herself tea cakes, because they are too green to seemed to intend. appreciate. It is nice to taste the chang- As I mentioned earlier with regards Sixth: Light es, but better not to waste too much of to humidity, I would advise tea lovers these ‘90s cakes, and save them for the to only store puerh tea if the area they Not much is known scientifically time when they are truly mature. live in has four seasons with gradual about why light is detrimental to the In the meantime, while storing temperature fluctuation. Otherwise, it storage of puerh. The idea is based raw puerh, one will need some ripe would be more time and cost effective more on the experience of several ex- puerh, wet-stored puerh, or even some to buy aged puerh tea for consump- perts and collectors alike. Perhaps well-aged tea, if one can afford it. Self- tion. If you factor in all the time, ma- the light encourages unhealthy mold stored puerh is mostly for future con- chinery and electricity you will need to growth or even dries the tea out too sumption. If one does not appreciate create an artificial environment with much. Nevertheless, several experts the green taste of newborn tea, saving the proper elements, it would approach have done experiments or recorded ac- them and finding some of these alter- or equal the cost of vintage teas. In cidents caused by long-term exposure natives is better. Although I have a lot the past, people have argued that one to light. It’s much better if all of your of newly made raw puerh tea cakes, could use air-conditioning and other tea is kept somewhere dark, with lit- I seldom brew them unless I want to machinery to create fine vintage tea, tle to no light exposure. Many of the trace their aging process. My daily but this idea has lost validity in recent warehouses that puerh tea was tradi- puerh favorites are 1970s Zhongcha years. Once these collectors began to tionally stored in had no windows at Brand Simplified Chinese Characters experience how slow the aging process all, and the lights were only turned on Seven-son Tea Cakes, 1970s Yellow was, and how inefficient, the theo- periodically, when the collector came Mark and 1980s 8582 Seven-son Tea ry was tossed out. Furthermore, it is in to check on the tea. Cakes. In short, puerh tea cakes should doubtful that such teas, even given ad- be appreciated at their appropriate equate time, would be nearly as good ages. as those stored naturally. Although the most suitable aging Storage Conclusions environment is a natural environ- I hope that my experience storing ment, it is not practical for all Hong After reading so much information, puerh tea at home will be of some ben- Kong puerh collectors either. Hong you may wonder how long one needs efit to others who also wish to start a Kong is small and real estate is expen- to wait for the harvest. The flavor of puerh collection. There is great joy in sive, so living space is often cramped. raw puerh tea cakes are changing every this hobby, and an even greater reward Therefore, some people have had no year. In fact, newly made tea cakes ar- years down the road when it comes choice but to place their tea at the of- en’t undrinkable. They are just not as time to harvest one’s delicious aged tea. fice. I will discuss how to store puerh tasty, smooth or rich as the well-aged The guidelines discussed here will help tea at your office in Part II of this se- vintages. If one enjoys the green taste prepare one to face the challenges that ries. Many people in Hong Kong also of newborn puerh, there is no reason decades of storage will surely present. store tea throughout their house, since why one should wait. Enjoy the tea There is no way to cover all the pos- they can’t afford a specific place for tea now. However, from most connois- sible problems that one will face, but alone. They put the tea in the living seurs’ point of view, the most fasci- learning from experience will be better room or the bedroom. This is actually nating aspect of puerh is the rich and anyway. Every real collector has paid not good if there is an air-conditioner smooth broth offered by a marvelously a tuition somewhere along the way. in the room. Air-conditioned environ- aged cake—a peaceful bliss, comfort- Despite my own losses, I still feel that ments cause temperature fluctuations able feeling and sweet aftertaste that collecting puerh tea is very reward- that are detrimental to the tea. One lasts for quite a long time. Therefore, ing. Through puerh I have made great turns on the air-conditioner at night the term “drinkable,” in the connois- friends and many lasting memories. to get a good sleep and then turns it seur’s eyes, often means that the cake Hopefully, you will also find such trea- off in the morning on the way to work. has reached this maturity. sures in the world of puerh tea! I personally have experience with the I first started storing tea in 1993, effects of this improper storage. and my first cake was the Zhongcha

55/ Storing Puerh Tea at Home

TeaWayfarer Each month, we introduce one of the Global Tea Hut members to you, in order to help you get to know more people in this growing international community. It’s also to pay homage to the many manifestations that all this wonder- ful spirit and Tea are becoming as the Tea is drunk and becomes human. The energy of Tea fuels some great work in this world, and we are so honored to share glimpses of such beautiful people and their Tea. This month, we would like to introduce Lauren Stern.

t began when I was a little girl in the 1980s. My father returned home from a trip to Asia with a (one I I still have!). A few nights later he shared with us what he experienced, what was to become my first of many Tea Cere- monies to come. I remember our family sitting in silence, in glowing candlelight, huddled around a small kitchen table in our apartment on the Upper West Side in New York City. The ritual, the ceremony, the gestures, the meaning—it was an island in time, and I was floating in a cloud canopy, high above the concrete jungle I called home. It reached such a deep part of my little heart, and I am constantly grateful for my parents’ desire to seek out meaningful ways to invite the holy and sacred into our home, and inspire us to do so in our own ways as my sister and I grew. A few years later, at the age of thirteen, Shunryu Suzuki’s book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, fell into my hands at a bookshop. I imme- diately understood that something very profound had been awakened and would continue to awaken in me. Tea. I see how She has woven into and out of my ex- perience over the years. How even when I have forgotten Her, She has remembered me, returned to me. An invita- tion like an ancient song, never asking from me more than 茶人: Lauren Stern I was willing or ready to offer. I have had to grow into what it means to be in a right relationship with Her, and learn architecture, to creating space, was in fact about learning more each day. This love has been an intricate re-weaving, to make space for Tea. And, how my true return to Tea was a slow remembering, a willing unfurling into a deeply root- through building a Home for her. That is some deep-deep ed unknown becoming. Over the years, opportunities to sit right there! After a twelve-year break from the world of ar- with and drink fine living Tea kept showing up. Each time chitecture, I am finding my way back, to start work on a tea I reached out to grab a hold of Her, doors closed, informa- and bath house project. I know this beautiful return is be- tion would become scattered or hidden, and She would run cause of Her, and Her gentle way of reminding. Her lessons a bit farther out of reach. About a year ago, I completely practically, majestically and magically unfold, blossoming surrendered to Her. I stopped running after Her and in- in ways I shall never hope to secure words for, as some stead, I built a real space for Her in my life and home, and words are best left dancing somewhere wild, unknown, and I invited Her in. In this slow way, with this kind of careful in between. approach and patient, loving courting, over time, things be- One of the biggest gifts She has given me is the oppor- gan to change. tunity to be a part of this Global Tea Hut community. The With each sip I hear Her whisper, “What does she wish integrity and dedication to heart-path that this lineage led to become?” It is as though together, we are in the process by Wu De holds is a rare and exceptional offering. Creating of returning, of remembering, of discovering what we are space for and witnessing others first encounter Her in this made of and why we are here. Each day choosing how we sacred and intentional Way lifts my heart each and every will walk upon this Dear Earth and how we will treat each time. Since my stay at the Tea Sage Hut in February, I have one we cross paths with. She reminds me to be light, to been changed, and I am even more inspired to grow my share more than I think I am capable of sharing, to love capacity for loving, sharing and serving tea. I am so grateful more than I think I am capable of loving. To embody that for the life-long friends I have made and have yet to meet love. Oh, there are so many gifts! I have only just recently, within this grace-filled Tea community. I am currently in while drinking tea, remembered the details of my first as- the process of moving back East, but when I land on some signment as a first-year undergraduate student in architec- land, you, dear friend, are welcome by my fire to share tea ture school—a tea bowl. How perfect, my introduction to anytime.

57/ TeaWayfarer Inside the Hut

Coming Soon to Global Tea Hut Magazine

茶主题: Qimen Red Tea 茶主题: Dehong Purple-Bud Red Tea 茶主题:Chajin Stories/Biographies 茶主题:2017 Annual Trip

Our app will be out any day now. Help us ac- Help us spread the word. This is our year. If you tivate it with lots of energy. We spent a lot of time and know of a location where we could put some magazines energy making this possible for you, so help us by in- and people would really read them, we would be happy vesting some time in making it a wonderful experience. to send you some copies for free.

Thanks so much to all of our hosts throughout Wu De will be in New York in June, with many March and April in Australia and New Zealand. Also, workshops in Brooklyn and a few other locations. heartfelt gratitude to all of you who attended events Check the website for more details and locations: and supported us, making it such an amazing tour! http://www.globalteahut.org/wudeteachings

Don’t forget, we are broadcasting live videos at the beginning of every month on our Facebook & Ins- tagram. This is a great way to connect with us, learn together and ask any and all questions. Check it out! Center News

Before you visit, check out the Center’s If you want to host a local Global Tea Hut gath- website (www.teasagehut.org) to read about ering where members get together and drink the Tea of the schedule, food, what you should bring, etc. the Month, we would be honored to support you with Wu De will be traveling a lot in 2017, so check an extra tin of tea you could share at such meetings. his schedule on the site if you are interested in seeing him while you are here at the Center.

Along with the color-coded labels, we have also We are switching to a ten-day course changed the glue on the tea tin labels so that from now schedule at the Center, offering two per month on you can peel the label off easily, without leaving any starting in June. This is a great amount of time white sticky stuff, and reuse the tins—to take tea out on to get an immersive start in tea ceremony and a picnic, share some tea love with a friend or store your will help the Center’s flow as well. favorite teas for later.

We are still open to having one or two more long-term residents at the Tea Sage Hut. We are especially looking for those with ex- May Affirmation perience in photography/videography. If you I let go. have these or other skills to contribute and can work out your own visa situation, please send This is a journey of letting go. As I let go, I get us an email for more details. lighter and travel more freely. Am I holding on to things that are burdening me? What is preventing We are going to host a ten-day tea course me from letting go? What stands between me and at the Center on tea and Qi Gong, starting on true freedom? September twelfth. www.globalteahut.org GLOBAL EA HUT Tea & Tao Magazine The most well-aged Tea magazine in the world! Sharing rare organic teas, a magazine full of tea his- tory, lore, translations, processing techniques and heritage, as well as the spiritual aspects of Cha Dao. And through it all, we make friends with fellow tea lovers from around the world.