Masterpiece Era Puerh GLOBAL EA HUT Contentsissue 83 / December 2018 Tea & Tao Magazine Blue藍印 Mark

GL BAL EA HUT Tea & Tao Magazine 國際茶亭 December 2018

紅印藍印印

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Masterpiece Era Puerh GLOBAL EA HUT ContentsIssue 83 / December 2018 Tea & Tao Magazine Blue藍印 Mark

To conclude this amazing year, we will be exploring the Masterpiece Era of puerh tea, from 1949 to 1972. Like all history, understanding the eras Love is of puerh provides context for today’s puerh production. These are the cakes producers hope to changing the world create. And we are, in fact, going to drink a commemorative cake as we learn! bowl by bowl Features特稿文章

37 A Brief History of Puerh Tea Yang Kai (楊凱) 03 43 Masterpiece Era: Red Mark Chen Zhitong (陳智同)

53 Masterpiece Era: Blue Mark Chen Zhitong (陳智同) 37 31

Traditions傳統文章

03 Tea of the Month “Blue Mark,” 2000 Sheng Puerh, Yunnan, China 31 Gongfu Teapot Getting Started in Gongfu Tea By Shen Su (聖素) 53 61 TeaWayfarer Gordon Arkenberg, USA

© 2018 by Global Tea Hut 藍 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be re- produced, stored in a retrieval system 印 or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, pho- tocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the copyright owner. n December,From the weather is much cooler in Taiwan.the We This is an excitingeditor issue for me. I have always wanted to are drinking Five Element blends, shou puerh and aged find a way to take us on a tour of the eras of puerh. Puerh sheng. Occasionally, we spice things up with an aged from before 1949 is known as the “Antique Era (號級茶時 oolong or a Cliff Tea. We love to celebrate the holidays 期)” and from 1949 to 1972 is called the “Masterpiece Era Iat the Tea Sage Hut. We cook a large vegetarian meal, make (印級茶時期),” 1972 to 1998 is the “Chi Tze Era (七子餅 chai and exchange gifts. We will be thinking of all of you, our 茶時期)” and then until now is called the “Newborn Era beloved tea family, as we smile, laugh and drink cups of spicy (新生茶時期).” I have been brainstorming a way to devote chai! You are all in our hearts this month. We hope your hol- an issue to each era, but the problem is that the teas from the idays find you warm and surrounded by great tea and those earlier eras are way too rare and exorbitantly expensive. (We you love. cannot even imagine sending them as an Expansion Pack, let This year has been great. We have started translating Tai- along even dreaming of sending them as a Tea of the Month.) wanese tea history, traveled to Anxi and Chaozhou, as well Eventually, I figured out a way that we could do this, as you as Yiwu and Mengsong. We hope to continue traveling to will see, that we hope will be fun and educational for you. We tea-growing regions in the next year, taking all of you with us are going to start with the Masterpiece Era, as opposed to cov- through these pages. We think that understanding tea means ering the four eras chronologically, because there is an exciting understanding the geography, terroir and people who create Chinese book about the antique era coming out later in 2019 it. We also hope to further our “Classics of Tea” series in the that we hope to translate for that issue. coming year. We have already translated works from the Tang We are also continuing our tradition of using the gift mon- Dynasty (618–907), the Treatise on Tea by Song Dynasty ey in December to get a better quality tea to send for the hol- (960–1269) emperor Song Huizhong and several Ming Dy- idays. This is, in fact, what gave me the idea of a way to find a nasty (1368–1644) tea classics. Next year, we will unroll the Tea of the Month that would be interesting for an issue devot- scroll further, translating and annotating a great Qing Dynasty ed to the Masterpiece Era, which is essentially made up of the (1644–1911) tea text in two parts. Work on this has already various types of Red and Blue Mark cakes, as you shall see. We begun. We will publish the first half in 2019 and probably are thinking of reducing the gifts in 2019 to a few a year, and complete the work the following year. It is our aim to eventu- spending that extra budget on better teas throughout the year. ally publish all these classics in a book. Along with travels and What do you think? classics, you can look forward to some great issues on teaware, Wishing you a great holiday and happy New Year! Let us all tea teachers and some rare and unique teas. We so look forward raise a cup of tea, while reading about puerh history and toast- to another great year of tea wisdom, great tea trips and ceremo- ing all that we have achieved thus far as a community, as well as nies around the world! what is to come as this gorgeous community grows closer and This year, our Light Meets Life fundraiser has expanded to bigger. I love you all dearly. create simple, affordable teaware for bowl tea practice, some great handmade Yixing and porcelain cups for gongfu tea and kettles for both. We also have some great teas now as well, including two shou puerh teas, several dian hong cakes and one excellent sheng as well. The proceeds from these teas are all saved for building Light Meets Life, which becomes more Wu De and more pressing as all our ten-day courses at the Tea Sage Hut have such long waiting lists. We obviously need a bigger Center! Together we can and will build Light Meets Life. We can already envision the tea rooms filled with students practicing chaxi, impromptu tea sessions in the dormitories or perhaps around the beautiful gardens. There’s one going on now in the bamboo grove… We see you meditating in the great –Further Reading– hall, walking amongst old-growth tea trees of many varietals and making lifelong friends from around the world. We see This month, we recommend rereading the first a more robust course schedule with a great variety of courses, Extended Edition from September 2014. You from Gongfu I and II to Tea and Meditation, and from Intro may also want to review the Yiwu issue from this to Cha Dao to a Teacher’s Self Course… With your continued year, as it also has some great articles that are rel- support throughout this amazing and glorious year of tea, and evant to these topics. All our past issues are now into 2019, we can build this vision together as a tea family. We archived on the website, and very searchable in cannot express in words how grateful we are! both .pdf and .html formats.

2 of the

ver the course of this month, we will be reading Throughout this issue, we will dive into some of the details about and exploring the Masterpiece Era of puerh, of these cakes, talk about the history, production and lore of which spans from the Communist takeover of tea puerh, as well as what it is like to drink some of these incredi- production in Yunnan from 1949 to 1972 when the CNNP ble vintages of red mark and blue mark, which are subdivided (中國土產畜產進出口公司, China National Native Produce into many grades and types. Though the wrappers were close, & Animal By-Products Import & Export Company) was cre- there were grades of puerh even back then. As we thought ated and took over control of the tea industry in Yunnan. of what to send as a Tea of the Month, we remembered that They changed the wrappers, and even included English that there were many tribute cakes pressed in the late 1990s and year, which is the marker that separates the second and third early 2000s to commemorate various Antique Era and more eras of puerh tea. (We will discuss all four eras in this issue.) especially Masterpiece Era cakes. In other words, many facto- We have wanted to cover the four eras of puerh individually ries and small “boutique” puerh producers were making their in an issue for a long time, but were always confused about own Red and Blue Mark cakes. They did this in part because how we could find an on-topic Tea of the Month to go along Masterpiece Era teas were booming in price and reputation, with such an issue, since teas from the first three eras are so and cakes could benefit from association; but puerh lovers rare and incredibly expensive nowadays. In fact, even the also made Blue or Red Mark tribute cakes because they genu- idea of an Expansion Pack with Antique or Masterpiece Era inely loved the classic versions and wanted to make an hom- teas would be absurd, as a single steeping of these teas would age. be thousands of dollars. Sending them as a Tea of the Month Our Tea of the Month is a special tribute Blue Mark cake is even more impossible. We thought about this for a long from the year 2000. We are very lucky that a collector friend time, wondering what to do… donated half of this tea to us, so that we could all enjoy a spec- The Masterpiece Era, from 1949 to 1972, really is just tacular tea to end this spectacular year of Global Tea Hut. two types of tea: Red Mark (紅印) and then later Blue Mark These tribute cakes from the late 1990s and early 2000s are (藍印). This nomenclature has a lot to do with wrapperology, now often treasures in their own right. Though they aren’t the which is a sub-science within puerh that has changed a lot re- original Red and Blue Mark teas, they were often made of old- cently, since the market has shifted to younger teas as vintage growth leaf and are almost twenty years old now, turning into puerh has grown rarer and more expensive every year. Wrap- magnificence of their own, almost like the talented daughter perology is the study of all the parts of puerh cakes, including of a famous musician who herself has as much talent as her the bamboo wrappers used to wrap up seven cakes (tong, 筒), famous mother. For that reason, we would once again not be the various kinds of trademark tickets and the wrappers of sharing this tea without the generosity of a beautiful Chajin. cakes themselves primarily undertaken to authenticate the These commemorative cakes suggest the originals. This provenance of a given cake. Experts in this field, like most tea is bright and clean, with good Taiwanese storage. It was nuanced areas of study, have incredibly intricate information kept by a collector on the second floor for the entire eighteen on all the aspects of a cake. They know, for example, that the years it has been alive, at a very nice humidity and tempera- producers used wooden stamps and red ink to stamp the red ture, making the storage also clean. Based on the flavor pro- mark logo on cakes starting in the early 1950s, and then can file, Wu De and the donor believe the tea to include lots of separate the years based on the type of ink and the condition old-growth raw material from the greater Yiwu area, perhaps of the wooden stamps, which would develop nicks in certain blended with some Menghai and/or Nannuo maocha as well. characters and overall get more banged up over time. Slight Our Blue Mark is bright and crisp, with an uplifting energy changes in tea blending, along with a myriad of details help and a deep, rich, complex flavor profile of spices, wood and determine the vintage of a cake. Nowadays, in the Newborn some slight emerging flavors of Chinese herbs. Take the af- Era (1998-present), wrapperology mostly focuses on the ternoon to really appreciate this special tea with some friends forgeries made to copy famous brands like Menghai. and family!

3 Blue Mark (藍印)

Yunnan, China 老仿真生普 2000 Sheng Puerh 洱普茶 Han Chinese 洱 ~800-2,000 Meters Tea of the Month

A Deeper Session Further Exploration into Our Tea of the Month

ver the course of this month, cha” or “tea from puerh.” There are time, and each age has its own charm. we will be learning about many markets today, like Kunming in Young puerh has characteristics unlike 茶puerh history and partic- Yunnan, or the biggest puerh market any tea, as does teenage puerh, mid- Oularly the Masterpiece Era (1949– in Guangzhou, where producers trade dle-aged and fully-matured. Nowa- 1972). We will dive into these topics and sell tea. Many producers and fac- days, as vintage sheng puerh gets more in great detail all throughout this issue. tories nowadays have contracts with and more expensive, many people We thought it might be good to review particular farmers and buy their crops consider thirty-year-old tea to be very all the puerh basics in this section directly. Since the tea produced in old. Still, there is a reason why puerh before we dive deep into the Master- Yunnan is so unique, puerh has come experts have always said seventy years piece cakes. We will review puerh tea to warrant its own category of tea. was full maturity: after around seven- in general, including its processing, There are two methods for ferment- ty years, the changes in the physical terminology and aging and since much ing puerh tea. Knowing the difference characteristics of the puerh will slow of this issue will include some of what between these categories of puerh is es- down enough to say they have stopped we call “wrapperology,” it may be use- sential for anyone who wants to begin changing. In other words, the tea li- ful to review the parts of puerh pack- understanding, buying, and/or drink- quor isn’t going to get any darker, and aging as well. ing puerh tea. the flavors, aromas and mouthfeel of a The word “puerh” really doesn’t re- Green puerh (sheng, 生), often tea this old are changing so slowly, you fer to a kind of tea. It was once a city called “Raw” or “Uncooked,” is pro- will have to find a much older speci- within the Yunnan region of China. duced without any fermentation (fa men to see the difference. Of course, In 1950, after the Communist Revo- xiao, 發酵) during the production all things equal, the older the better. lution, the city was renamed “Simao.” or compression of the cakes. The fer- As puerh ages, the rate of change de- Then, in 2007, after a tidal wave of mentation of these cakes occurs slow- creases, so the difference between a five puerh madness and popularity, the lo- ly through an aging process that takes and ten-year-old puerh is more pro- cal government made the decision to seventy years to reach complete matu- nounced than the difference between call the city by its original name, so it is rity. These sheng cakes are by far the a thirty and forty-year-old tea. After now once again called “puerh,” as is the more valuable of the two varieties of seventy years, the tea has reached the province. Traditionally, puerh was the puerh and represent the traditional point that its leaves won’t get any dark- market center where all the tea grown method of puerh production. er and the liquor will look the same as in the region was brought to be trad- Sheng puerh is said to be fully a one-hundred-year-old tea, though ed and/or sold. Later, all the tea from mature at around seventy years. Of the latter may have more Qi and a Yunnan came to be known as “puerh course, we can enjoy aged puerh at any slightly different flavor profile.

5/ Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印); Puerh & the Masterpiece Era Black or dark puerh (shou, 熟), to mimic the qualities of aged sheng in This is relevant because you will often called “Cooked” or “Ripe,” is less time. Of course, they were not suc- read that ancient people discovered produced through a processes that fer- cessful. What they did create, instead, that puerh aged so nicely by accident ments the tea to varying levels before it was a whole new category of puerh tea or that they began compressing it is compressed. Called “wo dui (臥堆)” to be evaluated and enjoyed according merely to make it easier to transport. in Chinese, this step in puerh produc- to its own criteria of quality, rather While some merchants may have ac- tion is akin to composting. The tea is than comparing it to sheng puerh. cidentally stumbled upon the fact that piled, moistened and then often cov- Ripe tea doesn’t age the same as puerh aged by noticing that it had ered with a thermal blanket to increase sheng. If the tea was partially fer- changed after a long journey, this only internal heat. Sometimes previously mented, however, it will age. Since represents some tea people. The major- fermented tea is introduced to promote many old ripe teas were only partial- ity of tea lovers didn’t need to bumble certain bacterial growth. The process ly fermented, they can even be sold onto such plain truths! People who could be stopped at any time, though as sheng to the uninitiated. Fully-fer- were raised since birth around puerh a typical “full” fermentation runs from mented ripe teas tend to mellow out tea trees and grew up drinking tea forty-five to sixty days. Different facto- over time, losing some of the rough, would know that it was ageable. They ries may adjust the length of time that “pondy” or ammonia flavors associated would have been aging it in their hous- a tea is piled based on their recipes, the with such a long period spent piling. es, and recognized that the tea changed kind of tea they use, or the desired lev- There is a trend amongst many his- from the earliest of times. el of fermentation. Most older shou tea torians and scholars to assume that our There is some truth in the fact that was fermented only partially, whereas ancestors were somehow ignorant or compression makes transportation the majority of shou produced today is stupid, looking back at our past with a easier, but anyone can also verify that stronger, fully fermented tea. condescending filter. Of course, there puerh tea ages much better in a com- Ripe puerh can never attain the are many ways in which our forefathers pressed form. When you taste loose- quality of flavor, aroma or Qi as a prop- would find us to be ignorant as well. If leaf and compressed teas side by side erly aged sheng puerh. The process of you traveled back a few hundred years over the years, the differences are so piling puerh to artificially ferment it and tried to sell water by the bottle, obvious. Again, people who grew up was developed in the late sixties and for example, people would think you alongside tea trees and in whom tea then licensed for commercial produc- were mad. Who would purchase wa- drinking was both a part of daily and tion in 1973, which is usually the date ter when it can be collected from any sacred life—such people wouldn’t have most books will cite as the beginning stream, lake or river? And who would compressed tea for commercial reasons of shou puerh. Factories were looking be so foolish as to pollute it thus? only when the difference is obvious.

6 Tea of the Month So this may be why the merchants books of tea information be without which is categorized by post-produc- among them would compress their tea, any tea to drink? Consequently, be tion fermentation. but not why the shamans would. Tea sure to temper all this left brain with These days, however, much more as a sacred herb outdates tea as a com- some right, all this mind with some sheng puerh is consumed young than mercial product by thousands of years, spirit—all these tea words with some old. And since sheng puerh vastly and it wasn’t the merchants who dis- tea wisdom! overshadows shou in quantity and in covered these basic truths about puerh historicity (shou only dates back to the tea. sixties or seventies), sheng obviously Having a lot of information about Puerh is a Genre typifies puerh tea. puerh is no substitute for drinking One solution to this change in tea these teas, and information alone is Puerh tea is sometimes put into production/consumption would be to really only useful in purchasing tea, the black tea category (remember, put young sheng puerh in the green tea establishing or verifying a vintage or this isn’t red tea, which is mistakenly category and aged sheng along with having discussions with connoisseurs. called “black tea” in the West), but it shou in the black tea category. But that To us, Tea is medicine, and aged puerh should actually have a category all its seems much more confusing than just teas hold the highest vibration. Puerh own. Traditionally, all puerh was fer- giving puerh tea its own genre. We is magical in its ability to connect us mented before consumption, whether think that since it’s the oldest tea, and with ourselves, Mother Earth and each artificially in the case of shou or natu- from the birthplace of all tea, puerh other. It is stronger and more vibrant rally over time in the case of sheng. As deserves its own genre! than most other teas. We hope to cover we’ve mentioned elsewhere, tea lovers Puerh is unique amongst all the Tea from many perspectives in these back in the day considered new, sheng genres of tea because the importance pages, including linear information puerh as “unfinished” and rarely drank of the raw material far outweighs any about tea, tea production, history and it, except to see how it was aging. processing skill. The quality of most culture. But these are not so worth- Therefore, all puerh tea was fermented oolongs, for example, is determined as while without experience. What would and fit nicely into the black tea genre, much by the source of the leaves as by

The Prefectures of Yunnan

150 km

7/ Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印); Puerh & the Masterpiece Era the skill of the one processing the tea. in Yunnan can range from dozens to they aren’t Living Tea, and lack many The value of puerh, on the other hand, thousands of years old. Arbitrarily, we of the qualities that make puerh so is ninety percent in the trees. There think that when a tea tree becomes a special, as we discussed in our article are many kinds of tea trees in Yunnan, centenarian (100 years), it can rightly about this month’s tea. and the source determines the value of be called “old-growth.” Old-growth tea the tea. What village a tea comes from can then be subdivided into trees that and which trees will decide its value, are wild or those that were planted by Rough Tea (Maocha) in other words. Of course, there is people. Though planted by man, the also plenty of dishonesty in the puerh latter are often indistinguishable from All puerh tea begins with maocha world: material picked in one region the former as they are both found in (毛茶), which translates as “rough and then taken to a more expensive small gardens in the heart of the forest. tea.” Maocha refers to the finished one to be sold as native tea, young trees In fact, you would have difficulty pick- leaf as it leaves the farm to be sold di- sold as old trees, etc. This means pro- ing them out from their surroundings rectly to factories small and large, or ducers and consumers have to be able without the help of a guide. Another independently at market. Tea at this to distinguish the differences between subdivision could be called “ecologi- stage has been plucked by hand, wilt- regions and types of leaves. cally-farmed old-growth,” which refers ed, fried to remove the raw flavor (sha Puerh trees can roughly be divided to old trees planted in gardens closer qing, 殺青), kneaded (ro nian, 揉捻), into two main categories, though it is to villages and/or homesteads. Some and dried. These processes need to oc- useful to understand some of the sub- people also like to have a category for cur almost immediately after the tea divisions as well: old-growth (gu shu, 1,000+-year-old trees as well, calling has been plucked, which is why they 古樹) and plantation tea (tai di cha, them by that name or maybe “ancient are done directly at the farm rather 台地茶). Old-growth tea is by far the trees.” than at the factory. better of these two. This refers to older Plantation puerh is far inferior Most varieties of tea include all trees. There is some debate about what and often not organic. The trees there the same stages of processing as puerh constitutes “old-growth” since tea trees might even be several decades old, but with some exceptions here and there. Tea of the Month Unlike puerh, however, the final pro- leaf puerhs, rather than relying on the cess). In Yunnan, the heating process is cessing often ends there and the loose- date the merchant has given. While still often done by hand in large wood- leaf tea is then packaged right at the some loose-leaf puerhs do have a dis- fired woks. The temperature must re- farm. (Some oolongs were traditional- tinct vintage, most are blends. Looking main constant, and the leaves have to ly finished at shops, as well. The shop at the wet leaves after steeping will also be continuously turned to prevent any owners would do the final roasting to verify this. singeing. In larger farms, though not suit their tastes.) Puerh, on the other Beyond that, cakes have been often in Yunnan, this is done in large hand, often travels to a factory for final found to have more Qi than loose-leaf, barrel-like machines that spin around processing: compression into cakes if it so that if the same tea were left loose like a clothes drier. With puerh, howev- is raw, sheng puerh, or piling and then and processed into a discus (bing, 餅), er, the firing is often still done by hand, compression if it is ripe, shou puerh. for example, and then aged for thirty once again lending tradition and wis- Some varieties of puerh are also years, the cake would have more Qi dom to the puerh process. Workers sift destined to become loose-leaf. At the than the loose-leaf. Having done sev- the leaves around in circular motions start, that means that they remain “ma- eral experiments where we stored the ensuring that they never touch the ocha,” but once they are aged, they are same exact tea from the same farm in wok for longer than a blink. Through technically no longer “rough tea.” So both loose-leaf and cake form, we can generations of experience the farmers an aged, loose-leaf puerh shouldn’t re- say for sure that the compressed teas can tell by appearance and feel when ally be called “maocha.” age better, and not just in Qi. They are the leaves are done and their timing Traditionally, these loose teas were better in every way: flavor, aroma, etc. is as impeccable as any time/tempera- the ones that were grown at smaller They also age faster and more evenly. ture-controlled machine. Scientifically, farms that didn’t have contracts with One reason for this is that the steam the process is removing certain green any factory—often from so-called used to compress the cakes seals the enzymes within the leaf that lend it a “Border Regions” where Yunnan bor- bacteria in, and the inner moisture raw flavor, which can be too bitter to ders Laos, Vietnam or Myanmar. Such creates a better environment for them be drunk. As we’ll discuss later, the sha teas were then sold at market, traded to do their work. Still, despite the fact qing of puerh is less-pronounced than between farmers or bought and stored that cakes are better, loose-leaf teas are in many other kinds of teas. by collectors. You can’t be certain, how- often great deals since they are much ever, that a loose-leaf puerh is a Border cheaper than cakes of the same age. Tea, as the big factories also packaged It’s like choosing a more affordable and sold some of their teas loose, antique teapot with a chip under the though not as much as compressed tea. lid versus a perfect, very expensive one. Although some of the tea that was sold Depending on your budget, the for- loose was fine quality, most of it was mer may be the better choice. considered inferior. We have a huge collection of loose- leaf puerh tea here. In fact, we have so much that we have also become collec- Processing tors of rare antique jars to store it all in. Loose-leaf puerh, no matter how The freshly plucked leaves are car- old, is always cheaper than puerh com- ried back to the house or village and pressed into cakes. One reason for this gently spread out on bamboo mats to is that the cakes have an easily-verified be slightly wilted before they are heated vintage. Though there are fakes, ex- to remove the raw flavor. The purpose perts have developed systems of iden- of wilting the leaves is to slightly re- tifying them, using a combination of duce the moisture content in the leaves factors from a kind of “wrapperology,” so that they will be more pliable and which identifies characteristic marks, less likely to be damaged when they are color changes, etc., in the printing of heated. This process must be watched the wrappers, to the cake itself—its carefully so that the leaves do not oxi- shape, leaf color or size, compression, dize more than is absolutely necessary. etc. Also, very few aged loose-leaf teas For that reason, wilting typically takes are pure. Most of them are blends. place both outdoors and indoors. The Some were blended during produc- tea is withered outdoors for some time tion, though more often tea was added and then placed in a well-ventilated later on to increase the quantity of an room, often shared by members of a aged tea. Sometimes blends of wet and particular farming village. drier stored teas, or even sheng and The firing process is literally per- shou, are mixed to make a tea seem formed to remove the raw flavor of the older than it is. When drinking aged tea leaf. This occurs in the production loose-leaf puerh, it is a good idea to of most all kinds of tea (except white only rank them relative to other loose- tea, which categorically skips this pro-

9/ Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印); Puerh & the Masterpiece Era After the leaves are fried they are ing and late evening sun, as midday is tea. Not all puerh is processed in this kneaded (ro nian). This process also too hot. They move the leaves into the way, especially with all the innovation occurs by hand on most puerh farms same well-ventilated room used earlier and change in the modern industry— or villages near old trees. A special for wilting during the hot hours of the though, ideally, we want tea made in technique is used to knead the leaves day. The leaves will be inspected hourly traditional ways. like dough. This bruises the leaves and and when they have dried sufficiently, Once the leaves are processed, they breaks apart their cellular structure to they will be bagged and taken to the will often go through their first sorting encourage oxidation, and later fermen- factory to be processed, or to market (fan ji, 分級). A second sorting will tation, which will occur through the to be sold as loose-leaf. occur later at the factory itself. This various methods, explained in the box The two most distinguishing as- sorting is to remove unwanted, ripped about sheng and shou puerh. It takes pects of puerh production are the sha or torn leaves, as well as the leaves skill and method to achieve a gentle qing and the sun drying. The firing of that were not fried or rolled proper- bruising without tearing the leaves. puerh tea does arrest oxidation, as in ly. At this stage, the factory/producer We have personally tried this in Yun- all tea, but it is usually less pronounced may ask the farmer to sort the leaves nan and Taiwan, and found it is very than other kinds of tea, leaving some according to size, called “grade.” This difficult to achieve. We invariably tore of the enzymes in the tea alive, as they practice is becoming rarer, however, as up the leaves. The farmers, however, help promote aging, as well as the heat the price of old-growth puerh increas- can go through the movements with resistant spores of bacteria and fungus es. Nowadays, farmers sell almost ev- surprising speed. which survive the low-temperature, erything. Sometimes, they don’t even Finally, after the maocha has been short duration firing. Puerh is usually sort out the broken or mis-processed kneaded and bruised, it is left to dry fired at around 100 to 120 C °, while leaves. Blending as an art is not what in the sun. Once again, this process most other teas are fired at double that. it once was when tea was cheap and must be monitored carefully to pre- Then, after firing and rolling, puerh is readily available to choose from. Back vent any unwanted oxidation or fer- sun dried. This gives it a certain flavor, in the day, blenders had a choice of dif- mentation from occurring. Usually, texture and aroma and helps further ferent regions, gardens, trees and even the leaves are dried in the early morn- the natural vibrations present in the vintages of maocha.

The two most important steps in puerh production are the firing and the sun-drying. The firing is done for a shorter duration and at a lower temperature than all other teas. The firing is de-enzyming, so this lighter firing pre- serves enzymes that age the tea. Also, the heat-resistant spores from the forest survive the firing and are then awakened in the sun-drying, which contributes to the fermentation of the tea post-production.

10 Tea of the Month At the Factory

Upon arrival to the factory, the ma- to talk about specific teas, as a certain steam rises through a small hole in the ocha goes through its second sorting. blended cake may be better than a giv- center. This is far more difficult than This is often done by hand even at the en single-region cake or vice versa. the automatic steam generators at larg- larger factories, though some have large The trend towards boutique, pri- er factories because the temperature winnowing machines. And most have vate and single-region cakes has also control is lacking and the leaves can strict rules controlling the diet of the changed the way that puerh is pro- end up being burnt. It requires the skill sorters. Tea is an extremely absorbent duced. For example, some cakes are of generations to successfully steam the leaf and will be altered by any impuri- made on site and completely pro- tea this way. ties. Sorters therefore cannot eat chili, cessed by the farmers themselves. Most The compression process was tradi- garlic or onions. Nor can they drink al- tea, however, still travels to factories tionally done with stone block molds. cohol the night before a sort, as it will for sorting (blending) and compres- The tea is placed in the cloth, which be secreted through their skin and con- sion. What was once one of the sim- is then turned and shaped into a ball. taminate the leaves. The sorting that plest teas, at least as far as processing The nei fei (內飛) is added at this occurs on the farm was more cursory goes, has now become complicated by time—an “inner trademark ticket” and based solely on leaf size or “grade.” the vast industry that has grown up compressed into the tea to establish This second sorting is more detailed around it. Mao cha can sit in a factory branding. The cloth is then twisted and thorough. The leaves are distin- for a long or short time, depending on shut and covered with a stone mold guished not only by their size, but also many factors. In doing so, it technical- block. The producer would then phys- by their quality, type (old or young ly ceases to be “rough tea.” Sometimes ically stand on the stone block and growth, which mountain they came tea is aged for a while and then piled use his or her weight to compress the from, etc.), and other criteria that are to produce a nice, mellower shou tea cake. In some of the smaller family-run constantly changing. Larger factories than a new tea could produce. Oth- factories, puerh cakes are still created often have maocha arriving from all er times, the tea that is inferior and using this method. On our recent visit over Yunnan and therefore employ ex- doesn’t make it into a cake is then sold to Yunnan, we had the chance to make perts to monitor all sorts of conditions loose-leaf later, and labeled “aged” to our cakes by dancing around on the to determine which leaf size, which lo- help market it. stone molds, to the delight of the Chi- cations, etc., will have a good harvest Once ready, the leaves are care- nese audience present. Larger factories that year. More and more, factories are fully weighed and placed into cloth often have machines for compressing targeting collectors by creating limited compression bags or metal pans. The their cakes, though some still produce edition sets, with cakes from certain texture of these bags can be seen im- some of their cakes in the traditional mountains, for example. printed on puerh tea if one looks way. Some are hand-operated presses There is much discussion nowa- closely. They are not used to package that require the operator to pull down days about the differences between the tea, only in the compression pro- a lever and press the cake into shape; single-region and blended puerhs. For cess itself. They are made from special others are automatic and occur with the last fifty years, most all puerhs were cross-woven cotton. Strangely, even the press of a button. We even saw one blends. The factories would collect the larger factories that we’ve visited machine that was capable of compress- the maocha from various regions and still used antique-looking scales to do ing twelve bings simultaneously. then blend them in ways they thought their weighing. Along with human er- After compression, the cakes are improved the tea: choosing strength ror, this explains why even new cakes taken out of the compression cloths and Qi from one region, blended with are often incorrect in either direction and placed on wooden shelves to dry. sweetness and flavor from another, etc. by a decimal of a gram (of course in They are still slightly damp from the In this way, cakes would be more bal- aged tea this is usually due to a part steam at this stage. Many larger fac- anced. In the last fifteen years, there breaking off). tories have a separate room with tons has been a trend towards single-region Steam is used to prepare the tea of shelves lined with drying cakes. cakes, and with it the idea that such for compression. The steam is care- The cakes are monitored and often tea is purer. It should be remembered fully controlled—mostly automatical- even stored on particular shelves that that all old-growth puerh is actually a ly in the larger factories—to ensure are numbered according to their pro- blend, since no two trees are the same. the leaves are soft and pliable, but not cessing time. Different types of puerh So even tea from a single mountain cooked or oxidized in any way. It is ba- leaves and different shapes or levels of will be a blend of different teas. If you sically a process of slight re-hydration. compression will affect the amount of are sensitive enough, you can even dis- The steam softens the tea and the cloth time that is needed to dry the cakes, tinguish the leaves from the eastern in preparation for compression. Some- from hours to days and sometimes and western side of a single tree, since times the steaming takes place before even up to a week. Some big factories they receive different sunlight. There the tea is placed into the cloth, using use ventilation systems and/or fans to are merits to both kinds of cakes, and metal pans instead. In a non-mecha- speed up the process. it seems pointless to say that one is bet- nized factory, a wooden table is placed When they are finished drying, ter than the other. It would be better over a heated wok full of water. The the cakes are taken off the shelves to

11/ Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印); Puerh & the Masterpiece Era 毛茶之後送到工廠

be packaged. Each generation of cakes (which look like hearts to the Tibetans rarely drank newborn tea, except to has its own unique characteristics with they were primarily exported to, and check how it was aging. Nowadays, regards to the wrapping paper, print- thus named “jingcha,” 緊茶), bowl or exploration to new regions of Yun- ing, style of Chinese characters, nei nest shapes (toucha, 沱茶), and some- nan, exciting new teas, and the rarity fei, etc. As we discussed above, there times melons. We have found that the of aged puerh have all shifted the tea is a whole science of “wrapperology.” discus-shaped cakes age the best. world, and much more newborn puerh Each decade brought revolutions in Puerh production may seem com- is consumed. As this shift was happen- the printing process worldwide, so it plicated at first, but it really isn’t that ing, many who had been drinking aged seems obvious that the larger factories difficult to understand. We hope that tea were saddened by the very sudden would change their printing methods. the basics we’ve covered in this article, increase in price, as many vintages be- Also, the wrapping paper in particu- along with the accompanying charts, came way too expensive for all but the lar is handmade, and a lot can be dis- will help simplify the process for you richest amongst us. Previously, it was cerned from fibers, texture, and the ap- and increase your understanding of thought that puerh couldn’t be called pearance of the paper as well as the ink the more linear aspects of puerh tea. “puerh” unless it was fermented. Tea color. It is impossible to forge many of By including other articles about the lovers back in the day thought of new these paper and ink combinations and energetics of puerh in this issue, as puerh as “unfinished tea,” but things make them appear aged. well as past and future issues, we hope have certainly changed in the last ten Discus-shaped cakes, called “bing- to fulfill you in a more balanced way. or fifteen years. chas,” are individually wrapped in Thus, our understanding of puerh will Time passes, as it does, and rather handmade paper and then bundled in be more holistic, including its history, than feeling down about this, we’ve groups of seven (chi tze, 七子) called production methodology, and other discovered a whole new dimension to tongs. Each tong is wrapped in Bam- informative approaches, along with a enjoying puerh. Young and old puerh boo skin/bark. Sometimes English spiritual and vibrational understand- needn’t be compared against one an- authors mistakenly assume that these ing of this amazing tea. other, but rather appreciated and used are bamboo leaves. Actually, bamboo medicinally—each for her own rea- trees shed their skin whenever they get son. We used to only evaluate new tea bigger or sprout new stems. You can based on how it would age, but now see this material covering the floor of Young or old we drink it for its own sake. There is a any bamboo forest. The bamboo bark great joy in drinking newborn puerh, conserves the freshness of the tea and As puerh ages, something magical like this month’s, and also in aging it, makes packaging easier. Twelve tongs happens and it changes from a bitter, watching it change over time. We’ve are then further wrapped using bam- astringent and strong brew to a dark, learned to appreciate all the different boo into a jian (件), which is twelve smooth, soft and sweet ambrosia. ages of puerh—from new to adoles- tongs of seven, so eighty-four bings in There is no tea as nice as a well-aged cent to well-aged. They each have their all. Other shapes of compression in- puerh. Back in the day, when aged place and season to be brought out and clude bricks (zhuan, 磚), mushrooms puerh was readily available, people shared with beautiful guests like you!

12 Tea of the Month Parts of a Puerh Cake

Outer wrapping (bao zhong, 包裝): Wrappers are almost always made from natural fibers; these surround the cake itself. They help identify vintages and to some degree protect the cake. How- ever, since the wrappers are made from natural fibers, there are more bugs that eat them than tea, so many cakes’ wrappers have nibble marks on them.

Inner trademark ticket (nei fei, 內飛): This is a small piece of paper mixed in with the tea and compressed into the cake. This is to verify brand and/or vintage even if the wrapper is lost. That can still be hard when it comes to vintage tea, as tong (筒) many nei fei are the same for years at a time. nei fei (內飛)

Inner receipt (nei piao, 內票): This is a paper that is sometimes inserted between the cake and the outer wrapping. Not all cakes have them. They often contain details about the production, region and sometimes even advertising. Some vintage nei piao even have broken English ads promoting the health benefits of puerh. da piao (大票

Bundle (tong, 筒): This is seven cakes wrapped up in bamboo bark. Sometimes more bark is used to tie them, while other tongs are tied with metal 珍 wire. Traditionally, a tong was always seven cakes, but nowadays some are five. 寶藏 Case (jian, 件): Cases were traditionally twelve tongs bundled together, or eighty-four cakes. They were usually tied together with more bamboo twine for shipment. Nowadays cases can have more or less cakes, and are often cardboard boxes as opposed to the traditional bamboo jian.

Big label (da piao, 大票): These were big brand labels that were attached to each jian. This sometimes is still practiced, but it was more prominent in previous eras. We have one from the Antique Era in the center. jian (件)

13/ Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印); Puerh & the Masterpiece Era The Four Eras

It should be noted that most all the The cakes from the Antique Era as expensive or as difficult to find as terms used to identify the families and were never wrapped with an outer Antique Age teas, many vintages are eras of puerh tea began for the most wrapping paper. Perhaps it was consid- quickly approaching comparative val- part with the scholarship of the 1990s. ered too costly at the time, and pres- ues. Like the older teas, these too are During their own times, these teas ervation wasn’t as much of an issue. treasures. were everyday commodities—names However, all the cakes did have a nei Tea cakes in the Masterpiece Era and trends always changed with the fei or “inner trademark ticket” em- are distinguished from earlier ones times. Also, one should remember bedded into the tea just like the ones by the obvious change to using outer that the lines between these eras, while of today. Many also had a nei piao or wrapping paper. All these cakes were based on reason, are ultimately arbi- “stack ticket” that rested in each stack wrapped in handmade papers with trary. Though most scholars agree in of seven cakes (tong). Other than the the “Eight-Zhong” trademark in the general, certain vintages right near the leaves themselves, these trademarks are center. The name of the “China Tea boundaries might slip into either age really the only way that collectors can Corporation, Yunnan Province Branch depending on what one reads. tell cakes apart, especially ones from Company” was printed in a ring the same factory, like for example the around the central character, and read Red and Blue Mark Song Ping Hao from right to left (which helps distin- 號級茶時期 cakes. The leaves in these ancient cakes guish these cakes from later ones pro- The Antique Age were larger-leaf blends, harvested com- duced in the Seven Sons Era). The style pletely from old-growth trees. and methods used to wrap seven cakes This era of tea includes all the tea When the “New China” was estab- into tongs didn’t change in the Master- that was produced prior to the forma- lished in 1949, the central government piece Era: they still used bamboo bark tion of Communist China in 1949. declared that all industry belonged to with soft bamboo twine to hold the All of the factories from that time were the people. Even the tea industry was tong closed. private businesses, and none had any- handed over to the local government. The Masterpiece Era is considered where near the output of those today. These changes closed many family-run, to be the 1950s and ‘60s, and charac- Many of these trading firms also dealt private businesses in the 1950s and the terized by four main categories of tea. in other goods as well, like rice and Antique Era came to an end. Some authors subdivide these cakes other agricultural products. Puerh tea into more varieties. This list is, there- was just one commodity amongst oth- fore, a gross simplification, as most ers. Some of them were even owned by Chinese anthologies will include some single families, like the legendary Song 印級茶時期 The Masterpiece Era later teas in this era, as well as sub- Ping Hao and Tong Qing Hao. They divide these categories into many were often small, rural houses where The start of the Masterpiece Era cakes. Nevertheless, this is a start to tea and other products were all pro- began with the creation of the state- understanding the Masterpiece Era: cessed completely by hand. The de- run factories, like Menghai, which mand of the market at that time was is still in existence today (though it Red Mark Round Cake small and annual production in num- is privately owned now). In order to Red Mark Tie Bing (鐵餅, iron discus) bers that would make even the state- control and stabilize the production of Grade A and B Blue Mark Round Cake owned factories of later years scoff. Old tea in Yunnan, the “China Tea Corpo- Artistic Font Blue Mark Tie Bing tea house owners in Hong Kong have ration, Yunnan Branch” was created. reported that 10 jian (or “cases,” each They had their own logo, brand and with 84 cakes, therefore equaling 840 trademark—established in 1950, and cakes) was enough for the entire island registered with the central government The七子餅茶時期 Seven Sons Era for one year. The demand for puerh in 1951. This trademark is the now was low because the retail price was famous “Eight-Zhong Tea” character The Seven Sons Era began in 1972 relatively high compared to other teas. that is in the center of all the cakes with the formation of the now-famous Nevertheless, many would argue that from the Masterpiece and later Seven “China National Native Produce & the cleaner and more natural farming Sons eras. The character “zhong (中)” Animal By-product Import & Export methods and environment lent these means “middle” or “Middle King- Company,” referred to so often as the cakes a certain majesty not found in dom,” viz. China. Eight of them sur- “CNNP.” The new agency would take any of their descendants. The fact that round the character for tea (茶) since control over all the puerh production many of these teas are now 70 or more that number was considered lucky. It during the period. The three main fac- years old, coupled with the fact that also symbolized the goal of distribut- tories of the time period were Meng- very few were produced to begin with, ing Chinese tea to all eight directions hai, Xiaguan and Kunming. During makes them extremely rare and valu- of the world. this time, the production of puerh able—sometimes costing more than a Red and Blue Mark teas, as well as tea increased as a result of a growing hundred thousand USD per cake and others from the Masterpiece Era, are foreign market. More tea was export- up to several hundred thousand! now also very rare. While they aren’t ed around the world than ever before.

14 Tea of the Month As a result, more of these teas are wrapping. Scholars often differentiate and the continuous production of that floating around the vintage market these nei piao tickets from the ones design makes the delineation between than their predecessors, though some used in the Antique age by calling them the Seven Sons Era and what scholars of these famous vintages are also now “Description Tickets” and the earli- call the “Modern” or “Newborn Era” starting to become rarer and more er ones, “Stack Tickets.” The nei piao difficult indeed. However, most all expensive. Some of the earliest cakes from the Seven Sons Era were called puerh historians end the Seven Sons from this era are just now starting to “Description Tickets” because they Era sometime in the mid to late 1990s. reach maturity, and connoisseurs are contained short descriptions of the For us, 1997 is a good time to mark all interested in tasting these vintages tea inside, sometimes with the region, the end of this era because the private as well as the earlier ones. product information or even market- orders made by tea merchants to the When the CNNP took over the ing about the health benefits of puerh national factories increased drastically production of puerh in Yunnan, they tea. Again, Xiaguan and Kunming’s after 1997. In addition, different kinds changed several aspects of the design early Seven Sons Era cakes didn’t have of wrapping styles emerged alongside used to package tea, as well as the these nei piaos inside. Of course, the the Seven Sons style. Since the begin- blends and raw materials. Consequent- name around the “Eight-Zhong Tea” ning of the Newborn Era, the produc- ly, besides the change in management, was also changed from the China Tea tion and variation of puerh tea has these changes justify the demarcation Corporation to the CNNP. There were increased in a whirlwind of volume. of two eras of tea at this time. First- several other changes in packaging at Also, more single-region tea is being ly, all the teas were no longer called this time, like the use of metal wires to made these days, and there has also “Yuan Cha” or “Round Tea Cakes:” tie tongs, factory and batch codes, and been a dramatic increase in what we instead, they were all now called “Chi even changes to the design of the nei fei call “Boutique Tea,” which means pri- Tze Bing Cha,” which literally means tickets compressed into the tea. vate, small productions made by shop “Seven-sons Tea Cake.” As mentioned owners or puerh lovers who travel to before, the characters on these cakes Yunnan themselves to see the trees and also changed from ‘right to left’ to ‘left order cakes to their taste. to right.’ The cakes made by Menghai The新生茶時期 Newborn Era also began using Roman Pinyin font beneath the Chinese for the purpose of Different authors end the Sev- exportation. (Xiaguan and Kunming en Sons Era at different times. Many factories were slower in making this modern factories are still producing change). Menghai also began adding a cakes with the same packaging de- nei piao between every cake and outer signs as those made during this era, Our Tea of the Month Factory工廠代碼 Codes

Many state-produced bingcha have a four-digit production number. This trend began in the late 1960s or early 1970s and consequently doesn’t apply to very old antique puerh. These were internal, factory batch codes originally and were only known and used by factory workers and merchants who ordered from them. Nowadays, however, the old recipes have become famous and many companies, small and large, are trying to reproduce the famous “7542” or our favorite, “8582.” Consequently, it’s worth knowing a little of what these codes are about. Basically, the first two digits are the year in which that production was first started. If a particular mixture/processing procedure sold well, it was then continued the next year, sometimes even for decades to the present. In other words, if the first two digits are “75,” this means that this particular production method/mixture was first begun in 1975. This doesn’t mean that the tea itself dates to 1975. It could be a 2006 cake. It just means that the recipe itself began in 1975. The methods used to blend and process puerh tea into cakes are often experimented with until better formulas are developed. The third digit refers to the leaf size or “grade” used in production of the cake. Grades of teas were and are often very complicated. Different factories follow different guidelines and/or change them over time. Generally, though, the first-grade leaves are the smaller ones, buds, and then the bigger the leaves and further back up the stem, the higher the grade. In the olden days, the first four grades were often used to process bowls or nest-shaped teas (tuocha) and mushrooms (jingcha) and larger fifth through ninth grades were reserved for bingcha and brick puerh. This has changed in the modern era. Nowadays all different kinds of cakes are made from the selection of grades. The word “grade” can occasionally confuse English-speaking people. This is because the grade mentioned above is not always relevant to quality. Of course, a first-grade leaf is more expensive by weight because the buds are smaller and there are a lot less of them. But price and quality are not always commensurate. The word “grade” in English also denotes “quality” and is therefore misleading. There are two Chinese words, one for the grade (dang ji, 等級), i.e., size and location of the leaves on the plant, and another for the quality of the leaves/tea (pin tze, 品質). Often times, the first leaves are better quality, but not always. The final number in the four-digit code refers to which state factory produced the bingcha. Knowing the factory can often help determine the tea-growing region in which the raw material was farmed as well. In those days there weren’t as many factories as today. As we mentioned above, these recipes are now copied or commemorated by many different factories, so the last number has less relevance in modern times. The numbering for the factories is as follows:

1 Kunming Tea Factory (昆明茶厂) 2 Menghai Tea Factory (勐海茶厂) 3 Xia Guan Tea Factory (下关茶厂) 4 Feng Qing Tea Factory (凤庆茶厂) 8 Hai Wan Tea factory (海湾茶厂) (“8” was also used by Long Sheng Tea factory in the past 龙生茶厂) 9 Langhe Tea Factory (郎河茶厂)

Sometimes factory codes are also followed by a dash and then a number of the particular batch. This doesn’t occur that often, though. But when it does, it can help identify the vintage as long as one knows how many batches are produced each year. Here is a summary of the four numbers present in a factory code with an example for clarity:

75 4 2 These two numbers refer to This digit refers to the aver- This last number refers to the date in which this pro- age size of the leaves used, the factory that produced cessing method began, so often called “leaf grade.” the cake. So this cake was that in the case of this tea, So this tea is composed of made by the Menghai Tea processing began in 1975. fourth grade leaves. Factory (勐海茶厂). It, unfortunately, doesn’t describe the date of the actual tea, as many production processes are carried on for many years.

16 Tea of the Month

Brewing沖泡技巧完成好Tips茶 This month’s commemorative Blue Mark should really be brewed gongfu. Gongfu brewing is about brewing a tea with mastery. “Gongfu” literally means “skill through self-discipline.” It is about brewing the tea to its greatest potential, bringing out the best in the tea. Gongfu brewing is about brewing the tea the way it wants to be brewed, in other words. Bowl tea, on the other hand, focuses more on meditation and ceremonial form than on the quality of the tea itself. However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t any skill in bowl tea, or that quality is completely irrelevant; nor does it mean that there isn’t any meditation or ceremony in gongfu tea. The two definitely overlap. (You can read a lot more about this in our past issues.) If you cannot or do not feel ready to brew tea gongfu, if you haven’t learned or do not have the teaware, for example, you can brew this month’s Blue Mark in a sidehandle, though it won’t shine as brightly. There is definitely a quality above which we will always turn to gongfu brewing. When a tea is rare and special, not to mention valuable, we almost always want to brew the tea to its greatest potential—honoring it by bringing out its greatest qualities as opposed to honoring the experience in a bowl tea ceremony. We feel that such rare and special teas deserve more attention paid to their appreciation, as opposed to the form of the ceremony or our experience being with the tea. This focus on the sensuality of tea does not exclude the ceremonial aspect of tea. As we mentioned, the two can and do overlap. There is also a great magic in the fact that Nature has created something that suits our senses so perfectly as to cause bliss and joy in us. Focusing on the details of brewing such special teas changes us as well. It is, after all, mastery through “self-discipline.” We focus, in other words, on brewing the tea beyond the ordinary: water, fire, teaware and method. Brewing tea always starts with fine water. Every cup of tea is 99% water, after all. The easiest, fastest and best way to improve your tea is with better water. Try to source some great spring water from Nature yourself. Gathering water is an investment of time and energy, but the more you put into the tea, the more you get out of it. At least, taste some different bottled spring waters available to you and splurge on the best one for this month’s tea (whether you are brewing it gongfu or in a sidehandle pot). As for fire, we recommend using charcoal for a tea like this. It makes a huge difference. If you do not know how to use charcoal or don’t have the right materials, the next best would be a gas stove or infrared if you go electric. Using a fine kettle make of iron, silver or good ceramic clay will also improve your tea greatly. Try to boil the water as fast as possible, which helps to preserve the structure of the great water you have chosen. When it comes to teaware, the Four Treasures of Gongfu tea are a great starting point: an authentic Yixing teapot, porcelain cups, a teaboat and a kettle/stove of good quality. These are the essentials needed to make a fine cup of tea. There are a lot of good articles on water, fire and teaware in the past issues of Global Tea Hut. After you have the materials, you can then focus on developing your own skill and a centered, calm heart. We must know the tea, know our teaware and know ourselves to bring a tea to its highest potential. In the beginning, focus on temperature. It is the key to developing a great gongfu tea practice. “Preserve the heat and begin to absorb peace” is the beginning of instruction in our tradition, learning to keep our heart still while maintaining temperature from kettle to cup. This means showering the pot before and after steeping and pre-warming the cups before decanting. If you do that, you will be well on your way to brewing Blue Mark to its greatest aromas, flavors and energy!

Gongfu Sidehandle

Water : spring water or best bottled Try showering the pot both Fire: coals, infrared or gas before and after steeping Heat: hotter, fish-eye, roughly 90–95°C each time. Also, practice Brewing Methods: gongfu or pre-warming the cups sidehandle (gongfu is better) before every decanting. Steeping: longer, flash, flash, then growing Gongfu tea is about (flash=instant steeping/decanting) the preservation of Patience: twenty steepings temperature.

17/ Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印); Puerh & the Masterpiece Era

A Brief History of Puerh Tea 茶人: Yang Kai (楊凱)

This was one of the first articles Wu De had translated almost twenty years ago, and was one of the first sources of learning about puerh tea that he referenced often in the early days. He has great esteem for the author and for this article specifically, feeling like it moved his understanding of puerh tea forward. There are aspects of this article that are dated, sometimes in a charming way. The author is native and this was written in the early 2000s, at the time when almost all Yunnanese tea, including plantation tea, was clean and green. He also promotes Yunnan puerh with pride, so the article sometimes reads like a vintage advertisement. But we find this honest and, frankly, cute to read. There is a tre- mendous amount of worthwhile information in this article, even if it is old, that still has great relevance to tea lovers nowadays. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

he beginning of puerh is the not only to produce saliva but also Nan Zhao, writes, “The tea is yielded beginning of tea. It is well prevents disease and benefits health, in mountains beyond Yinsheng City T known around the world that you cannot help but praise highly its and picked from scattered trees with- tea cultivation, and before that leaf uti- wonderful effects, and hold in esteem out processing. Barbarians of Mengshe lization, originated in China. Tea is a the people who produce this world-fa- drink tea by cooking it with pepper, traditional and natural drink; and has mous tea from Xishuangbanna, a mys- ginger and cassia.” already spread to thousands of house- terious treasure land. Similar records are found in The Se- holds and become an integral part of Today, in beautiful and fertile Xish- quel of Botany written by Li Shi of the daily life for millions of people. Over uangbanna by the roadsides, the eyes Song Dynasty: “The tea comes from hundreds of years of savoring and sam- are greeted with green tea bushes that the mountains beyond Yinsheng City, pling, tea has become recognized as “a lie layer upon layer and row by row is picked without regard to the seasons genuine, healthy, and civilized drink” in uniform order, connecting moun- and drunk by cooking it with pepper and “an embodiment of courtesy and tains and ridges and reaching the sky. and ginger.” Research has revealed purity.” Indeed, we may well say that it Among them are scattered rare trees that “Yinsheng City” was Yinsheng is hard to win a bosom friend by drink- such as camphor, dragon and spruce Prefecture, one of the six governors’ ing a thousand glasses of good wine, trees with hidden fragrances, gladden- seats of the Nan Zhao State during the but easy to infatuate a person by tasting the heart and refreshing the mind. Tang Dynasty, now Jingdong Coun- ing a cup of pure tea. China puerh tea goes from these green ty, Yunnan Province, covering today’s It is also well known to the world mountains to the factories, and then Xishuangbanna and Simao (Puerh that the Xishuangbanna, Puerh and on to the world. Prefecture). “Barbarians of Mengshe” Lincang areas of Yunnan Province are The history of puerh tea can be was a general term referring to aborig- the birthplaces of tea trees, where our traced back to the Eastern Han Dy- inals of the Nan Zhao State, during ancestors planted a kind of broad-leaf nasty (25–220). According to legend, the Tang Dynasty. Even now some tea tree named after the old and beau- the species was left over by Zhuge of the nationalities continue to drink tiful region “puerh.” From then on, Liang, Marquis of Wu, and Chief Min- tea cooked with pepper and ginger. puerh tea began to enjoy popularity in ister of the State of Shu in the Three “Picked without regard to the seasons” the country and became a fashionable Kingdoms. Therefore, the use of puerh is a description true to the growth cy- drink all over the world. No matter tea dates back at least 1700 years. The cle of the subtropical zone where Xish- where you’re from or what language first official record appears in 862 in uangbanna is located, and to the fact you speak, when you taste a cup of the Book on Barbarians, in which Fan that the tea here flushes many times a clear tea giving off delicate fragrance, Chuo, the envoy sent by the emperor year, each time full of verdant and lush and when you feel deeply that it helps of the Tang Dynasty to the State of green buds.

19 History shows that tea cultivation in Yunnan Province, with chapters en- According to historical records, flourished during the Tang Dynasty titled “Gold Teeth,” “The White Tribe” puerh tea sold in Tibet in 1661 reached (618–907) through the Song Dynas- (referring to the Dai people), points out thirty thousand dan. From 1862 to ty (960–1279). During the Tang Dy- that: “Exchange of felts, cloth, tea and 1874, the production of puerh tea nasty, puerh tea grown mainly in Xi- salt in fairs takes place every five days.” was still on the rise. Mansa Mountain shuangbanna was transported for sale The term “puerh tea” originated from alone yielded more than five thousand throughout the empire. According to within the tea trade among the people dan of dried tea annually. Almost every Ruan Fu in his book The Records of who bought and sold it, referring to household in Xishuangbanna was en- Puerh Tea: “The Han people began to the place it came from. The term was gaged in tea cultivation, manufactur- use puerh tea during the Tang Dynas- officially recorded in history during ing and selling. With bells of packhors- ty.” In the Song Dynasty, the State of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Xie es ringing, the tracks in the mountains Dali sent envoys to Guang Xi Prov- Zhao Zhi of the Ming Dynasty points were blocked by tea merchants and ince to barter puerh tea for horses with out in his book An Outline of the His- caravans, and business boomed. troops stationed in Jing Jiang. There tory of Yunnan: “Government officials In 1729, Yi Ertai, Governor of were also tea and horse exchanges in and ordinary people all use puerh tea.” Yunnan, instituted a policy meant to Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet. Puerh Newly Edited History of Yunnan simi- strengthen the government over the tea sold in the Central and Southern larly points out that: “Puerh tea enjoys aboriginals. For example, in Youle Shina was “Jintuancha (Compressed such popularity that no tea made in Mountain, (the biggest of the Six Tea Round tea),” also called “Yuancha.” China, whether from Anhui, Fujian, Mountains; now a town of the Jinuo Wang Yu Cheng, a well-known schol- or Zhejiang, can compare with it.” people in Jinghong County), a county ar of the Song Dynasty, upon tasting The time from the Ming Dynasty government was established with five the sweet-scented puerh tea, praised it to the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) was hundred soldiers stationed to guard tea writing a poem, which reads: “It smells a great period of prosperity for puerh cultivation and collect tax revenue. In as sweet as an orchid in bloom and has tea, because puerh tea as an article of the Mountains of Menghai, Mengzhe, a shape like an autumn full moon. For tribute was appreciated by the govern- Yiwu and Yibang, special bureaus were fear of running out, I begrudge a try, ment very much, which subsequently set up to control grain and tea taxa- as with it my gray-headed parents I’ll promoted its rapid development. Xish- tion. In 1736, the county government supply.” uangbanna, with Six Tea Mountains as was withdrawn from Youle and re- In the Yuan Dynasty (1206–1368), its main base, produced eighty-thou- established in Simao (now Puerh), puerh tea was already an important sand dan (a unit of weight = 50kg) of where a government tea-commerce commodity in the market. Li Jing, in dried tea annually, an all-time high bureau was established by the nation- his book The Customs of the Aboriginals yield up until then. al government, shifting control of tea.

20 Puerh History The new bureau had branches in effects besides the effects of producing better quality of heat than those in the charge of collecting revenues and pur- saliva, quenching thirst, and refreshing valleys. chasing tea in the Six Tea Mountain the heart and mind. The Supplementa- The geographical location of Xish- areas. In Puerh, a tea factory was es- ry Amplifications of the Compendium of uangbanna determines its long expo- tablished and the tea commerce bu- Materia Medica by Zhao Xueming of sure to sunshine with more than 2,000 reau was responsible for tea manufac- the Qing Dynasty points out: “Puerh hours of sunshine a year. In the regions turing and tea selling, thus changing tea from Youle and Gedeng is warm in 900 meters or less above sea level, the the government-controlled tea market property, fragrant in smell, and the tea annual average temperatures range among the people into a tea distribut- from Manzhuan is bitter in taste and from 20 to 22 , while in the regions ing, manufacturing and trading center potent in its essence. It is able to dispel 900 meters or more above sea level, and a place for paying tribute. From grease and clear the toxins from eating temperatures range℃ from 18 to 19 , then on, the reputation of puerh tea beef or mutton. It should not be taken as the sun casts its rays on the moun- became widespread. As Tan Cui writes by the weak. Being bitter and astrin- tain slopes, changing its direct light℃ in his book A Survey of the Mountains gent, it is helpful in reducing phlegm into oblique light and thus weakening and Rivers of Yunnan: “Puerh tea is and improving breath, is able to speed in intensity. Due to this, the tea trees well-known to the world and comes peristalsis and ease constipation. Puerh grow all year round. With an annual from the Six Tea Mountains which Chagao (puerh tea extract) is as black acting accumulated temperature of are Youle, Gedeng, Yibang, Mangzhi, as lacquer and can dispel the effects 6,500 , the vigorous growth period Manzhuan and Mansa, stretching of alcohol. It is still better to help di- at a temperature of 18 lasts more along eight hundred li (about 500m, gestion and produce saliva when it is than 200℃ days. In Jinghong, the peri- so roughly 400km in total). Workers black with greenish hue.” In volume od is still longer, reaching℃ 365 days. engaged in the tea business amounted six, “Part of Xylophyta,” he points out Usually, the spring tea-picking period to more than 100 thousand people. that “puerh tea extract can cure many is ten days earlier than in other areas Merchants purchase the tea and tea is diseases such as abdominal distention of the country. In Xishuangbanna, carried everywhere. It is really a large and chill that can be sweated out by the yearly difference in temperature business!” In A Survey of the History of taking ginger and puerh tea. Addi- is insignificant, but significant is that Yunnan, The History of Puerh City and tionally, mouth or throat ulcers can be the daily difference can be more than The History of the Great Qing Dynas- cured by keeping a bit of puerh tea ex- 10 . Hence, the tea trees can take in ty as a Unified Domain, there are also tract in the mouth for the night.” heat by day, growing fully, and con- similar records. For example, this from sume℃ less energy, breathing at night the latter: “The aboriginals, living in with higher net assimilability, helpful a compact community, barter tea for to the accumulation of energy. everything, thus feeding on tea moun- Special Characteristics Xishuangbanna is plentiful in rain- tains.” of Puerh Tea fall because, with the warm and moist During the period from 1821 to air from the Indian Ocean moving 1875, puerh tea was at the peak of its Puerh tea’s distinguishing features north over the region, the temperature production and marketing. Merchants and curative effects are the result of drops and rain is formed with 120-150 flocked to Puerh from all parts of the many factors. First, the influence of rainy days and annual rainfall reaching country, and the market boomed. More climate: Xishuangbanna is located 1200-1600 mm, more than meeting than a thousand Tibetan merchants south of the Tropic of Cancer, and the needs of tea cultivation. went there every year to purchase tea. dominated by mountain ranges and As is well known, “high mountains, Merchants from India, Burma, Cey- valleys. Twenty percent of the region enveloped with clouds and mist yield lon, Siam, Cambodia, Vietnam and is tropical, at altitudes of 900 or few- famous teas.” Xishuangbanna is not other countries of Southeast Asia also er meters above sea level, while 80% is only a beautiful and fertile land. It also came to engage in tea trade. Annually, subtropical at altitudes of 900 or more has lofty ridges, and towering moun- caravans consisting of more than fifty meters above sea level. In the subtrop- tains without a break. Every mountain thousand horses and riders with bells ical zones, the quality of heat is good is covered with trees and every gully ringing greeted the ears of our ances- and rainfall plentiful. There is neither filled with rushing water. It is really a tors throughout the year. bitter cold, nor intense heat, but an green world full of life, scattered with For thousands of years, puerh tea abundance of foggy days with high mountain gardens. Huang Shan is fa- has found favor in the eyes of the relative humidity, which is suitable for mous for its sea of clouds while Xish- broad masses of Chinese consumers. the growth of tea trees, especially the uangbanna is famous for its sea of fog. The Records Among the Reeds of the Yunnan broad-leaf tea trees that need All year round, the fog appears silently Buddhist World by Chai Yi, written such weather conditions the most. No- in the midst of night from valleys and in 1925, points out that “puerh tea tably, temperature inversion is caused mountains, instantly blotting out the is warm in property, fragrant in smell under the influence of cold air going sky and the earth, covering everything and able to cure diseases. The tea, down the slopes whose temperature in such a vast blanket that one simply pressed into a round mold by means drops due to radiation. Therefore, at cannot tell the time of day or the direc- of bamboo sticks, is steamed and sold certain altitudes the growth period of tions. Only the trickle of dripping dew as dearly as gold.” Puerh tea as a tra- the same plant is so inverted that the reminds one that this is a world where ditional drink has particular curative tea trees in the mountain areas have a life and growth will never cease. At

21/ A Brief History of Puerh These are some dried leaves. The leaves of big-leaf, or “broad-leaf,” trees are much larger and juicer than those of small-leaf trees. noon, when the blazing sun is high in tea research institutions, the topsoil in rence of the ecosystem’s health. Thus the sky, the all-encompassing fog sud- Nannuo Mountain, where the King the environment surrounding the tea denly vanishes without a trace. It is the Tea Trees grow, contains organic sub- trees must be secured, including light, fog that covers everything and moist- stances amounting to 5.1-6.78%; in heat, water and many other factors ens everything, making the broad-leaf Nan Langhe, tea garden these levels necessary for a rich biodiversity of an- tea leaves luxuriant, their taste partic- reach 3.7-4.25%; in the garden of the imals and plants. The vegetation and ular and their nutrients abundant and Menghai Tea Research Institute, it is plant community play a controlling wonderful, thus creating the best raw 3.5-6.3%—levels which are quite rare role in adjusting factors such as light, material for preparing this famous tea. in other tea cultivation areas. heat and water. Any change in vegeta- The second distinguishing char- Under warm and moist conditions, tion can change all ecological factors. acteristic of Yunnan and puerh tea is the weathering process is quite rapid, In the tea cultivation zones throughout the composition of the soil. The soil in and the thickness of true soil may reach the country, Xishuangbanna’s ecosys- Xishuangbanna tea cultivation areas is several meters deep due to the protec- tem provides the trees, plants, animals formed by the weathering of granite, tion of beneficial vegetation. Accord- and insects to be vibrant and strong. purple rock, sandstone on bedrock, ing to measurements, the main roots The fourth quality of puerh tea is and is mainly laterite (a soil formed of the sixty-year-old tea trees (young the rare and unique varietals and spe- by decaying rocks weathered by trop- for puerh) reach depths of 3.7-10m. cies of tea trees in Yunnan. Puerh tea ical heat and centuries of heavy rain), Notably, only deep roots can make is a broad-leaf tea species found only and partly yellow soil, highly weath- trees luxuriant. The presence of sand in Yunnan, and the excellent natural ered, with an acid reaction and pH of in the soil, to which a high content environment in Xishuangbanna adds 4-6. Compared with other tea cultiva- of organic substances of appropriate brilliance to its splendor. Yunnan’s tion areas, the soil in Xishuangbanna weight, proper softness, rich moisture, broad-leaf tea has thick mesophyll, has the following prominent features: and air permeability is added, all make large sprouts, high germination, more The quick decomposition and quick this place ideal for tea trees. pekoe, long age and abundant oils and accumulation of soil elements and The third unique characteristic of fragrant chemicals. Its essence is stron- the organic substances of the soil are Yunnan and puerh tea is the rich eco- ger and bolder than any other tea on comparatively abundant, usually about system. In the course of tea tree culti- Earth, with a rich and full tea liquor 5%. According to measurements by vation, individual tree health is a recur- resulting from such leaves.

22 Puerh History Scientific measurements show that and less diverse ecology. Therefore, our kets and carried to other parts of the Yunnan broad-leaf (or large-leaf) tea is seed-breeding experts have come to the country according to demand. Yunnan superior to small-leaf tea in many ways. following conclusion: “As to Chinese is located in the frontier region and Xi- Also, broad-leaf tea growing at lower red tea, the small-leaf tea varietals are shuangbanna is along the border where latitudes is better than that at higher inferior to the broad-leaf tea trees, and mountains are high and rivers danger- latitudes. According to measurements the best broad-leaf tea comes from its ous. In ancient times, transport was taken by the Yunnan Tea Research place of origin.” quite difficult and depended entire- Institute, the water-soluble extracts The fifth specialty of puerh tea is ly on horse or ox caravans. On some of broad-leaf tea, a norm for measur- the unique processing of this tea, in- roads, the horse caravans could make ing tea quality as these substances are cluding the post-production transfor- only two trips while the ox caravans what we steep into our cups, is 3-5% mation. “The processing of puerh tea managed but one trip a year. The tea higher than that of small-leaf tea; its is unique, undergoing procedures such was packed on the backs of horses or tea polyphenols are 5-7% higher; and as firing, rolling, sun-drying and heap- oxen and carried far and wide. its catechins are 30-60 mg/g higher. ing/piling.” This Qing Dynasty quote The water-soluble extracts of Yunnan shows that compressed tea was pro- broad-leaf tea growing at a northern duced by hand through rolling at that latitude higher than 25 is 41-48%; time. Nowadays, processing is very dif- Tribute Tea its tea polyphenols 30-33%; and its ferent, though the general steps remain catechins are 135-150mg/g. While in the same. The beginning of payment of puerh Xishuangbanna (at latitudes between On the whole, the processing of tea as tribute began no later than 1726. 21-24N), the water-soluble extracts are puerh tea consists of the following When Yi Ertai, Governor of Yunnan 47-48%, the tea polyphenols 33-36% procedures: fresh tea leaf picking, and Guizhou, carried out a policy of and the catechins 170-190mg/g. withering, firing, rolling and sun-dry- strengthening the government, it had The broad-leaf tea growing in Xi- ing, after which it becomes “maocha most likely already begun. We know shuangbanna flushes with buds five (毛茶),” which tastes strong and thick, from the decree “The Official Ban- to six times a year, and its annual but is not up to the required standards ning of Purchasing Tea by Forcing growth period is often more than 300 of tea drinkers. Thismaocha can be di- days. This tea’s picking period lasts al- vided into “ripe tea” and “raw tea,” de- most nine months from the last ten- pending on what post-processing pro- day period of February to the middle cedures it undergoes. If it is piled and ten-day period of November. Its new fermented artificially, it is called “ripe branches can grow 185cm in a year. tea,” which can be sold as is. The taste Its buds are heavy and compact. Its becomes steady and more mellow after grade-three young tea leaf with a bud storage that usually lasts from three to weighs on average 0.7g, and two leaves five years. “Raw tea” refers to maocha with a bud, 0.8g. The heaviest bud is that turns into ripe tea by means of 4.6g and the longest 16.8cm. Mature natural transformation without piling, leaves 33cm long and 13.6cm wide which takes from five to seventy years. have even been found! According to Once totally matured and steady, this the measurements, the granum (grain) aged raw tea possesses a vigorous lin- lamella of Yunnan broad-leaf tea reach- gering aroma that is life transforma- es 200 layers, two times more than that tive. The longer it is kept, the stronger of small-leaf tea, thus ensuring a high its internal essence, fragrance and fla- yield. Xishuangbanna is characterized vor are revealed. Therefore, a tradition by its complicated topography, thus of producing new tea and selling old forming small eco-zones where the tea has existed for centuries, in which tea trees, growing in different eco- fathers pick fresh tea leaves, process systems, develop their own species of them and leave them to their sons or local colonies, characteristic of partic- grandsons for sale after long years of ular botany by natural hybridization, natural oxidation and fermentation. natural and artificial selected improve- “The longer it is stored, the stronger ments to popularize or as parents to its flavors, energy and more fragrant it breed new varietals. With respect to becomes” is an old saying concerning diversity, Yunnan is far superior to all puerh tea. other tea-growing areas. Also, since The unique flavor of puerh tea is species are integrated and inseparable also related to these natural transfor- from their environments, even though mations over time. Finished puerh tea some areas have introduced Yunnan cakes, having undergone processing broad-leaf tea through seeds or cut- and been compressed into different tings, such teas cannot compete with shapes and various sizes, are laid out to puerh since they grow in a far weaker dry in the shade, then packed in bas-

23/ A Brief History of Puerh Prices Down” that reads, “It is decreed puerh extract all enjoyed great popu- in the novel A Dream of the Red Cham- that puerh tea will be purchased with larity among the imperial kinsmen, ber. The book Maids of Honor Talking government silver which has been generals and ministers, including the About the Past also mentions the Em- appropriated to the Bureau of Simao emperor himself. For quite a long pe- press Dowager drinking puerh tea: for purchase and transportation” that riod, it was a fashion to drink puerh “The old Queen Dowager entered the puerh tea was purchased every year for tea among them by either steeping it in room and sat east of the kang, and her tribute. boiling water or cooking it in boiling maid brought a cup of puerh tea which In the town of Ning’er, Prefecture water or milk. was warm and grease-dissolving.” of Puerh, a special government factory The payment of puerh tea as tribute The chieftains of past ages in Xi- and tea bureau were set up to manu- to the Qing imperial court did not stop shuangbanna also set great store by facture high-quality products for trib- until the downfall of the Qing Dynas- puerh tea. According to the records ute to the imperial court and for gifts ty (1911), which lasted for almost 200 of The History of Xishuangbanna, an to the emperor’s guests. As the Qing years. Through the early 1960s, the envoy, Dao Yingmeng, once in 1572, imperial court was especially fond of Palace Museum still had a few tons prepared gifts for his wife, who was the puerh tea, it was stipulated that 66,000 of puerh tea left by the Qing imperi- daughter of the King of Burma, when jin of tea should be ready for annual al court, including Compressed Tea, she went to visit her parents. Among tribute. Puerh tea paid as tribute to the Maiden’s Tea, tea extract and others, the gifts were four bamboo tubes of Qing imperial court was organized by and it still has kept an intact sample puerh tea with four compressed cakes local officials and was much better in of Human Head Tea, weighing about in each tube, which were regarded as fragrance, curative effects and digestive 2.5 kilograms. precious as gold, silver or pearls. power than the tribute tea from other As the imperial court valued it very Puerh tea has a long history; places. All these characteristics met the much, ordinary people began to follow hence, there are a lot of cultural rel- needs of the relatives of the emperor, suit. Thereupon puerh tea began to ics and historic sites concerned with all of whom came from nomadic tribes gain great fame and high prestige. That it in existence. In the thickest prime- ate too much meat. Therefore, Maid- is why there is a description of Jia Bao val forests of Yunnan, steles are found en’s Tea, Compressed Round Tea and Yu drinking puerh tea to ease digestion with inscriptions and carvings of tea.

24 Puerh History

Two types of nei fei and wrapper of Red Mark cakes.

Fu Lu Gong (福祿貢) nei fei from old puerh cakes describing puerh tea.

These are the Fu Lu Gong cakes for the above nei fei with old-growth leaves.

One portrays a tea farmer riding a tossed tea, the Wa people are fond of Yunnan.” It is recorded in Supplemen- white bull and holding high a teacake cooking tea, the Bulang people prefer tary Amplifications of the Compendium in both hands, was carved on a cliff. bamboo green tea, the Lahu people are of Materia Medica, written by Zhao This is evidence that since ancient keen on roasted tea, while the Dai peo- Xue Ming in 1765: “Puerh tea is pre- times, people have taken pride in pro- ple love tea packed in bamboo tubes. pared in the shape of a ball falling into ducing round teacakes. The most fa- The Hani people have a fancy for tea three sizes. The biggest, weighing five mous stele is the tea-case stele, or law- cooked in ollas. jin, is made into the shape of a human suit-settling stele, with an inscription head and called ‘Rentoucha (Human of more than 1100 characters record- Head tea),’ used especially for paying ing the whole story of a tea case. The tribute and therefore unavailable in the stele, 1.3m high and 70cm wide, still Prosperity in Puerh market. Sometimes counterfeit prod- stands in the courtyard of the Shiping ucts called ‘Chuancha (meaning tea County Guild on the right side of the The earlier and middle stages of from Sichuan)’ are produced by the lo- temple of Guan Yu, in Yiwu Township, the Qing Dynasty were a period of cal people at the border of Sichuan and Mengla County. great prosperity for puerh tea, during Yunnan. These cakes are not as com- Aside from the court and main- which production was already per- pact and green as the tea from Puerh, stream society, Xishuangbanna is in- fected and in conformity with norms. which is also fragrant beyond compar- habited by Dai, Yi, Hani, Bulang, Han According to the records inscribed by ison. Puerh tea extract is as black as and many other tribes of aboriginals Zhang Hong in 1775, from his book lacquer and is good for dispelling the that have their own ways of drinking A New Discussion of Southern Yunnan, effects of alcohol, and still better if it is tea. During the Tang Dynasty, they “Puerh tea is a treasure that is divided black with a greenish hue.” This shows “drank tea by cooking it with pepper, into ‘Maojian (Pekoe Tip Tea),’ ‘Ya- that the methods for producing puerh ginger and cassia.” In the Song Dynas- cha (Sprout tea),’ ‘Nu’Ercha (Maiden’s tea were quite good at the time— ty, they also “drank it by mixing with Tea)’ and so on. The tea picked before maybe better than nowadays. The Chi- pepper and ginger.” With the devel- Grain Rain Day (穀雨) is called ‘Bud na Tea Scientific Research Institute still opment of society and the increase in Tea,’ that is not compressed into balls has “human head” tea cakes left by the varieties of puerh tea, the ways of tea and has a flavor as sweet as lotus flow- Qing imperial court. As for Maiden’s drinking among the various tribes be- ers and a color as green as lotus leaves. Tea, according to A New Discussion of came more varied, involving different Sprout Tea is thicker than Bud Tea, Southern Yunnan the name was based ways of preparing tea, performing cer- and is compressed into balls weighing on the fact that the tea was picked and emonies and observing proprieties. For 1-10 jin (a unit equal to 0.6kg) each, produced entirely by young girls to ac- example, the Jinuo people like cold- enjoying popularity among people of cumulate wealth for their dowry. It is,

25/ A Brief History of Puerh 遠古夢

On the left page is an ancient tea tree in Xishuang- banna. These special trees are one of the main reasons puerh tea is so special. Left and above are Antique Era (pre-1949) da piao (大票, trademark ticket). These were placed inside of a case (jian, 件), above the tongs. They discuss the special characteristics of puerh. To the right are workers loaded with tea for transport in Si- chuan Sheng, China in 1908. This old photograph was taken by Enrest H. Wilson. therefore, also known as “Dowry Tea.” and Sprout Tea packed in bottles, and The tea compressed into large cakes In the novel A Dream of the Red Cham- tea extracts packed in cases, encom- is named ‘Jintuancha (Compressed ber, it is described as the tea that Jia passing eight designs called the ‘Eight Round Tea),’ while that compressed Bao Yu drinks. Designs of Tribute Tea.’” into small round cakes, weighing 4 In Records of Puerh Tea, Ruan Fu There was compulsory quota of liang, is named ‘Nu’Ercha (Maiden’s writes, “Strong tasting puerh tea is tribute tea claimed for the emperor. Tea),’ which is picked and prepared well known to the world, and people According to Detailed Accounts of Trib- entirely by girls before Grain Day. of the capital value it very much.” As ute Tea, lost to us, but consulted by The tea and fine tea outside is called the imperial court set great store by it, Ruan Fu in his book: “As a rule, trib- ‘Jiefangcha (Remade Tea),’ and the the needs of the court had to be met ute tea is paid through the provincial tea rolled with dark-yellow tea leaves first, and puerh tea became a tribute financial bureau at the cost of 1,000 (huang pian, 黃片) is called ‘Jinyuetian tea, which in turn promoted improve- taels of silver, which is drawn by the (Golden Moon in the Sky Tea),’ while ment and development of manufactur- financial branch in charge of purchas- tea, compressed so that it is hard to ing methods, technology and a greater ing tribute tea, including preparation break, is called ‘Gedacha (Lump Tea).’” variety of products. The production of of tea containers such as tin jars, bro- tribute tea was very stringent. Excellent cade cases, and wooden boxes.” After tea bud sets had to be picked. Accord- the fall of the Qing Dynasty (1911), ing to Records of Puerh Tea, “Fine white people stopped paying tribute, but the Export buds, called ‘Maojian (Pekoe Tip Tea)’ tea-producing methods and technolo- are picked in February for tribute; and gy were maintained for some time. As mentioned above, the cultiva- only after this, is tea for the people The History of Puerh City,compiled tion of tea can be traced back to the allowed to be harvested.” Great atten- during the Qing Dynasty, mentions period of the Three Kingdoms (220– tion was paid to the colors and designs that tea picked in different seasons 280), and its sale abroad no later than of the cakes, as well as the type of tea can be made into different varieties the Tang Dynasty. The sale of puerh given in tribute. Records of Puerh Tea of products: “The tea buds picked in tea in great quantities began at the end also points out: “Those who pay tea February are all fine and white, called of the Ming and the beginning of the for tribute must prepare compressed ‘Maojian (Pekoe Tip Tea),’ and spe- Qing Dynasties. Tan Cui of the Qing tea weighing 5 jin, 3 jin, 1 jin (re- cially prepared for paying tribute. The Dynasty writes in his book A Survey of member, this is a unit equal to 0.6kg ) leaves picked in February or March are the Mountains and Rivers of Yunnan: and 1.5 liang (a unit of measurement called ‘Xiaomancha (Grain Full Tea),’ “Puerh tea is well-known to the world, equal to 50g) respectively. Additional- and those picked in June or July are and many thousands of workers are enly, they also have to prepare Bud Tea called ‘Guhuacha (Rice-flower Tea).’ gaged in the production and trade of it.

26 Puerh History Tea merchants flock there, almost exploitation of tea peasants by unscru- Cambodia and other countries also blocking the roads, purchasing tea and pulous merchants by means of usury, came to do tea business.” carrying it everywhere. It is really a monopoly of tea trade in all of the The establishment of customs bu- large and profitable business!” At that mountains and uprisings with arms reaus in modern times promoted fur- time, puerh tea was not only sold all by peasants in desperation…. Yi Ertai, ther development of tea sales abroad. over the country, but also abroad as far Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, de- Article three in “The Commercial Trea- as Japan and the countries of Southeast cided to set up main stations in appro- ty between China and France” signed Asia. priate places to manage the tea trade by in 1895, stipulates, “It is agreed that “Economics,” which is Volume 19 magistrates who also collect tax mon- Simao in Yunnan is open to France as a of The History of Puerh City, compiled ey at three qian (equal to 5g) of silver trading port.” In 1897, Britain forced during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, for each horse load of tea.” The Qing the Qing imperial government to sign also points out: “Puerh belonged to government set Youle County in Youle the “Nineteen Additional Clauses,” Yinsheng Prefecture in ancient times, Mountain as its county seat in 1729, which were attached to the earlier and foreigners have begun to drink and in Menghai, Mengzhe, Yiwu and “Treaty between China and Burma.” puerh tea ever since the Tang Dynas- other places, administrative offices The clauses stipulate: “It is agreed that ty.” In the Song Dynasty, there were were set up to manage the grain and tea Britain may set up a consulate in Si- fairs to barter tea for horses. During business. In 1736, the Youle County mao.” France set up her customs bu- the Yuan Dynasty, tea already became seat was moved to Simao (now Puerh), reau in Simao on the 2nd of January, an important product for exchange where a government tea bureau was set 1897, and Britain set up hers on May among the people of different nation- up to which any merchants engaging 8, 1902. According to statistics from alities along the borders of Yunnan. in tea trade had to apply for licenses; 1912 to 1923, puerh tea exported In the Ming Dynasty, government of- thus Simao became another puerh tea through these Simao customs bureaus ficials and ordinary people all drank transfer station and flourished as a re- was worth 110,210 liang of silver. puerh tea, and during the reign of Em- sult. From 1821 to 1876, “more than At this time, tea exports from Yun- peror Shenzong (1573–1620), a spe- a thousand Tibetan merchants visited nan depended mainly on transporta- cial institution was set up to manage Simao every year, and merchants and tion by horses or oxen. During the peak the tea trade. caravans from India came to carry period fifty-thousand packhorses and A Survey of the History of Yunnan: loads of tea, shellac and other goods to several thousand oxen hobbled along Army and Defense, compiled during their countries, proceeding in an end- the post roads year-round with the the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the less stream along the roads. Merchants highest annual sale abroad amounting Qing Dynasty, states: “In view of the from Burma, Siam, Vietnam, Laos, to more than forty thousand dan. As

諸葛亮

Zhuge Liang (181–234) was a schol- ar, noble, engineer, author, artist, in- ventor and explorer. He has been her- alded as a genius throughout history. He was a Confucionist, well-known even in his own lifetime for his influence on agricultural reforms. He is very important to Yunnanese people, especially the Han people living there.

27/ A Brief History of Puerh puerh tea enjoyed popularity among calendar, on the birthday of Zhuge the Six Tea Mountains. In The History the Tibetan people, it played a posi- Liang, in every village, a mass rally is of Puerh City are found the following tive role in frustrating the attempt of held, called “Meeting the Creator of records: “In ancient times, the Mar- British imperialism to control Tibet by Tea,” which shows that Zhuge Liang quis of Wu (Zhuge Liang) traveled selling tea from India. is omnipresent in all activities, blessing the length and breadth of the Six Fa- The routes for puerh tea sale abroad the tea trade. mous Tea Mountains on his journey, were as follows: The first route was It is said that tea cultivation was where he left a gong of copper at from Puerh to Xiaguan, Luzhou, Xufu, taught to the people by Zhuge Liang. Youle (攸樂), a cauldron of copper Chengdu and Chongqing, where the According to legend, in Manse Moun- at Mangzhi (莽枝), a brick of iron at puerh was transferred to Tibet and tain, Yiwu County, tea was harvested Manzhuan (蠻磚), a clapper of wood Xizang. The second route started in as early as the Han Dynasty. Zhuge at Yibang (倚邦), a stirrup of leather Menghai and went to the border port Liang is said to have taught the local at Gedeng (革登) and a seed-sowing of Daluo, where the route branched people how to cultivate, pick, process bag at Mansa (曼撒), and the places into three: the first led to Burma and and drink tea during his expedition. were named after all of these articles.” Thailand, the second to India via Bur- ma, and the third to Malaysia and Sin- rd gapore via Burma. The third route be- Every year, on the 23 day of the seventh month of the gan in Yiwu, Mengla County. The tea “lunar calendar, on the birthday of Zhuge Liang, in every was then transported by horse caravans to Phongsali, Laos, then on to Hanoi, village a mass rally is held, called ‘Meeting the Creator Vietnam, where the tea was then car- of Tea,’ which shows that Zhuge Liang is omnipresent in ried by train to Haiphong and on茶 to all activities, blessing the tea trade. The local tea farm- other countries in the south by sea. Besides tribute, puerh tea was also ers have great respect for the large King Tea Trees which presented as a gift to dignitaries from grow in the Six Tea Mountains. Every year, before pick- other countries. The Qing imperial ing new tea, they make offerings to the King Tea Trees in court also used puerh tea as a high- grade gift to foreign delegations. For a grand ceremony. example, in 1972 Britain appoint道- ed Lord George McCartney, Former The people of Han Chinese ”descent The book also mentions that among Governor stationed in Madras, India, who live in Manzhuan Mountain say these mountains, there is one mount to head a delegation consisting of 95 that the local people followed Zhuge called Kongming Mount (anoth- persons with great quantities of gifts Liang who, for fear that they would er name for Zhuge Liang), where he to be presented at court on Emperor fall behind, told them to sleep face stored his arrows. It is located 100 li Qianlong’s eightieth birthday and to down and tie their horses facing north. west of Xishuangbanna Township, request that the Qing imperial court Unfortunately, they acted contrary Mengla County. establish additional commercial ports, to the instructions and fell behind. The ancient “King Tea Trees” in lower taxation and set up concessions Seeing what happened, Zhugeliang Yunnan are often also related to Zhuge and post counselors. Though he did sowed three handfuls of tea seeds, Liang. The local tea farmers have great not express agreement, Emperor Qian- saying, “Now your livelihood, your respect for the large King Tea Trees long presented precious gifts, includ- very food and clothes, will depend which grow in the Six Tea Mountains. ing puerh tea and puerh tea extract. on these trees!” Thereupon the local Every year, before picking new tea, people remained in the tea mountains they make offerings to the King Tea and lived on tea. The Jinuo people in Trees in a grand ceremony. According Youle Mountain, who also claim Han to legend, some of these ancient trees Zhuge Liang, heritage, say that they were also left were planted by Zhuge Liang himself. the Marquis of Wu when Zhuge Liang went south. “One Ran Fu of the Qing Dynasty mentions day Zhuge Liang was missing all of a this in his book The Records of Puerh The production of puerh tea has sudden, and they found him after two Te a: “King Tea Trees, larger and taller a long history from which many old days of searching, but Zhuge Liang than other tea trees, grow on Gedeng legends have evolved. The most rep- wanted them to stay and gave them a Mountain. According to legend, they resentative one is reflected by the fact handful of tea seeds and allowed them were left by the Marquis of Wu. The that Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮, Chief to settle down to live from tea cultiva- aboriginals there offer sacrifices and Minister of State of Shu in the Three tion.” This is why the Jinuo people call make prayers to these trees before pick- Kingdoms) was chosen as tea saint of themselves the “Lost Ones” and have ing new tea.” Most old trees have altars the tea merchants, which is entirely such great respect for Zhuge Liang, beneath them, and the traveler to Yun- different from the practice of most of honoring him with prayers. nan will be greeted by these prayer flags the tea merchants in central China, Also, the names of Six Famous Tea and altars when hiking in the pristine who have chosen Lu Yu as their forefa- Mountains are all related to things left forests. Sometimes you may have the ther to pray to. Every year, on the 23rd behind by Zhuge Liang. According to fortune of meeting aboriginals in the day of the seventh month of the lunar legend, Zhuge Liang traveled all over act of praying and you can join them.

28 Puerh History Modern Times

During the later period of the Qing to produce tea and sell it with taxation 200,000 dan. In 1994, 9,300 tons of Dynasty, puerh tea production de- levied by the government. In 1930, puerh tea were produced, 2,500 tons clined because of heavy taxation. Ac- each kilogram of tea was subject to tax- of which were sold abroad. Tea-pro- cording to The History of Puerh City: ation of three Yunnan yuan; in 1936 cessing technology has further im- “It was stipulated in 1735 that each it was increased to five yuan; and in proved, with new methods and variet- hundred jin of produced tea is a yin 1938 to eight yuan. Additionally, after ies of tea, thus forming a complete line (50kg) and on each yin three qian and 1936, tea from India and Ceylon en- of puerh tea products. After the success two fen (equal to 0.5g) of silver is levied tered the international market in large of Congo red tea in Western markets, as taxation. Permission for three thou- quantities, competing with puerh tea, production of new kinds of tea—such sand yin of tea was issued that year, and thus affecting its export to South- as Broken Red Tea, Nannuo Baihao, and 960 liang of silver was collected. east Asia. Therefore, the yearly output Yunhai, etc.—has ushered in a new ep- From then on taxation was increased of puerh tea dropped to less than forty och for Yunnanese tea. every year, and 3,200 liang of silver was thousand dan. The Yunnan Tea Research Institute, levied on ten thousand yin of tea at its During the Second World War, tea founded in Menghai, has preserved peak.” The taxation was so heavy that production dropped rapidly as well. more than a thousand tea tree varietals, the tea peasants suffered greatly and After the war, the China Tea Compa- bred new ones, improved varieties for the tea merchants were unable to make ny attached to Kuomintang Ministry several decades and made ten signifi- profits. Consequently, “The puerh tea of Economics was moved to Nanjing, cant breakthroughs in applied basic re- business became a disaster” (A Sequel and the tea monopoly came into the search, the utilization and populariza- to the General History of Yunnan). In hands of Lu Chongren’s Fuhai Tea tion of which have helped to promote the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the Factory. Later the factory was merged puerh tea production and the tea trade tea taxation was still heavier, and the and then renamed “Renqi Company.” in Yunnan. government appointed tea officials to On the eve of liberation, the Company With the progress of science, we control tea trade and levy tea taxation. transferred its assets, causing a rapid have also increased our understand- Later, foreign customs were set up and drop in tea production to less than six ing of the curative effects of puerh tea. two fen of silver, the provincial transit thousand dan. Our compatriots in Hong Kong and duty, was laid on the quantity of tea The founding of the People’s Re- Taiwan have long called puerh a “Trea- worth a liang of silver. Unable to bear public of China and the establishment sure and Longevity Tea,” and claim such heavy taxation, the tea peasants of a socialist system in 1949 brought that puerh tea can produce saliva and gave up the tea business and sought life back to puerh tea. Taking various quench thirst, tonify the spleen and out other ways to make a living. Sub- measures, the people’s government de- dispel the effects of alcohol, stimulate sequently, horse caravans sought other voted major efforts to develop tea pro- the appetite and empty the bowels, bal- loads. A succession of fires befell the duction by establishing tea company ance gut bacteria and reduce weight. Six Tea Mountains, tea trees burned branches in various counties, setting They treasure it as an indispensable up, diseases spread, many tea peas- up tea-purchasing stations in various wonder tonic. The Japanese call puerh ants died, and the number of tea trees tea garden areas, raising tea-purchas- tea an “Inconceivable Panacea Tea.” dropped sharply to less than half of the ing prices, founding tea-research in- In 1991, the Kunming Medical Insti- earlier number. The tea gardens in the stitutions, managing tea production tute demonstrated the anti-cancerous Six Tea Mountains languished as tea guided with scientific theories, actively role of puerh tea at the Asian-Pacific production dropped from eighty thou- transforming old tea cultivation areas Region Tumor Symposium. Medical sand to fifty thousand dan. and opening up new tea cultivation experts from Japan, France and oth- Tea production continued to de- regions. As a result, the output of tea er countries have also concluded that cline in the early twentieth century. has risen annually since then. By 1952, puerh tea not only has curative and From 1913 to 1928, when the Si- Xishuangbanna Prefecture had devel- preventative effects against cancer, but mao-Puerh Border Administrative Bu- oped new tea gardens covering more also plays a role in lowering blood fat, reau was set up, the political situation than 32,000 mu (roughly 700 sq. me- cholesterol, uric acid, etc. Thus, puerh was stable and a private government ters), changing the distribution of old tea is not only a good-quality drink, joint operation was introduced to pro- tea cultivation areas, and laying a solid but also a great tonic for fighting can- mote tea production and sale, enabling foundation for further development cer, reducing weight and prolonging tea peasants and merchants to make of puerh tea production by setting up life! profits. Tea output thus leveled off to state-run tea factories, raising yield per fifty-thousand dan a year. From 1929 unit area and improving tea quality. to 1938, the provincial government set With reforms and China’s “Open up a county government in Xishuang- Policy,” tea production in Xishuang- banna and changed the original form banna has continued to rise. Now, Xi- into a private-run and government- shuangbanna sustains tea gardens cov- operated joint venture, under which ering an area of 250,000 mu with an tea merchants could set up factories annual output of dried tea exceeding

29/ A Brief History of Puerh

Gongfu Teapot 功夫茶壺

o, you’ve fallen in love with tea traditionally used in gongfu tea, the With that in mind, let’s see what other and immersed yourself in the most important element is always you. useful information lies at the start of basics for some time. You’ve Even with all the best teaware that this purple pot pilgrimage. Sspent at least a handful of months, if money can buy, no tea can be made or Also listed on the trailhead sign, not a year or two, laying a solid tea enjoyed without you and the heart you below the two warnings, is a defini- foundation, connecting deeply to the put into it, so always keep that in mind tion of gongfu tea and a little his- roots of this Way. You love every aspect as we navigate this calm and gentle, tory. It tells us that gongfu means of it and just want to let Tea teach you heat-preserving method of making tea. “mastery through self-discipline” and more and more—patiently. It’s not The second caveat is that drinking tea, can be applied to any activity, be it that you’re bored, nor overzealous, but in any method, is ultimately an aimless yoga, cooking, archery, tea or others. the purple clay way is at your feet and activity. The goal is simply to enjoy the Therefore, gongfu tea means to make you decide it’s time to take your first leisurely process of making and sharing tea with skill through self-discipline. step… tea. This is particularly important to Some few hundred years ago, the tra- In our gongfu tea classes at Tea Sage remember in the very beginning of our ditional method of gongfu tea arose in Hut, we often start with two caveats. gongfu tea practice because it can be the city of Chaozhou, in Guangdong You can think of these as the first signs confused as a very goal-oriented meth- province, China. The development of posted at the trailhead of the gongfu od of making tea. For the sake of ed- this brewing method was heavily in- tea path, telling you where you are, ucation and communication, we will fluenced by martial arts practitioners, roughly where you can go, and high- talk about gongfu tea as a method of a sense of frugality and simplicity and lighting some pitfalls along the way. brewing the finest cup of tea possible in response to the creation of oolong The first warning is the most import- and will even give a means by which to tea. The trailhead sign points out that ant, because even though we are going measure this statement, always remem- although this method of brewing tea to discuss some of the special teaware bering the two warnings listed above. has expanded beyond its original bor-

31 Getting Started in Gongfu Tea

茶人: Shen Su (聖素)

ders and changed in many ways, this meditation, teaware is paramount. remember that you are the most im- particular path of gongfu tea is refer- This surprises many people, but it’s ac- portant element! There is often en- ring to the traditional form as it arose tually quite clear because fine teaware try-level teaware at more affordable in Chaozhou. Because this path has will improve any tea, whereas cheap prices, but saving up to buy a treasure been paced by many tea lovers before teaware will take away from what ev- that will befriend your tea practice for us, it has been kept in pristine form for ery tea really has to offer. Therefore, we a lifetime can also be a rewarding part hundreds of years, clearly outlining the start by sourcing good quality teaware of the process. Master Lin has a saying way and always staying connected to that facilitates the main function of that, “not all expensive things are nice, its origin. Without getting attached to gongfu tea: to make the best cup of tea but all nice things are expensive.” Of the sign itself, we move onward feeling possible. Many excited tea lovers save course, there are rare garage-sale excep- confident and privileged to have re- up much of their money and mistak- tions and price is not the only indica- ceived this useful information at such enly budget for expensive tea, but as tor of quality, but it’s a useful saying an early stage in our practice. the sign suggests, it will greatly benefit to keep in mind when navigating the your gongfu tea practice to invest in overwhelming world of teaware. great teaware first. This doesn’t neces- Another good piece of advice Wu Teaware Before Tea sarily mean that such teaware is expen- De often gives is that “maybe” always sive, although it can be relatively more equals “no.” This means that if you ar- Almost immediately down this expensive than teaware used in sim- en’t sure about authenticity, don’t buy graceful looking path, you come across pler brewing methods. Money should it. (Unless the price is very low.) a weather-worn sign and on it is writ- never prevent you from enjoying and Strolling along, we’re left to ponder ten in fading but bold characters: practicing gongfu tea. You can still fol- what makes teaware great and what “Teaware Before Tea.” If you’re get- low the guidelines of this article and kind of teaware is necessary to make ting into gongfu tea, then aside from can also work with what you’ve got; gongfu tea?

32 Gongfu Teapot The Four Treasures

Making gongfu tea doesn’t actually require that much teaware, and as we say in this tradition, “as the person seeks the leaf, so the leaf seeks the person.” That saying holds true for both tea and teaware. If you set out with an open heart and clear mind to find the best teaware to make fine tea, you’ll find that as you continue down this gentle path, such teaware might just meet you part of the way! Traditionally, there were four pieces of teaware essential to make gongfu tea: a purple-sand clay zisha teapot from Yixing, antique porcelain cups, a tea boat, and a mulberry creek brazier and kettle. Choosing and acquiring these four treasures will be the most tangible first step as we invite the method of gongfu tea brewing into our lives.

Purple-Sand Clay Teapot: Sourcing through experimentation, to really put Master Zhou! We can be rest assured an authentic purple-sand clay teapot these claims to the test? In any case, that the pots coming out of Master will be the first uphill stretch along the you’re convinced that it’s worth it to Zhou’s studio, like Starry Sky teapot path. It might prove so steep at times source the real deal so you can find out and the Heart Sutra Ju Lun Zhu (巨輪 you may need to stop and catch your for yourself and see if purple-sand clay 珠)are made of authentic purple-sand breath! You might come across branch- is worth all the hype. clay from Yixing. If you already have ing paths with cheap and shiny teapots Sometimes, Wu De reflects on the one these pots, it would be an excellent or perhaps easier routes dressed in red times when his teacher taught him standard by which to compare other or yellow clay pots, but you’re commit- how to tell the difference between pots if you’re in the market. As chajin, ted to staying on the main path for the authentic and fake zisha teapots. For our tea karmas have aligned so that we time being. And not to worry; you can him, it often meant taking a real zisha have access to such high quality mod- see where the incline ends, so it’s just a pot with him to compare when look- ern teawares, especially in a sea of so matter of perseverance to get there. It ing at pots on the market. We can’t all many fakes and phonies and a world is true—finding authentic purple-sand expect one-on-one teachings from a where authentic teapots, especially an- clay can be challenging, and more so master to differentiate real zisha from tique ones, are few and far between. As with each passing year. This is because fake zisha, and to the untrained eye well, Wu De wrote a definitive article the ore used to make such clay came it can be very difficult to see, but all on how to choose an Yixing teapot in from two mines in the Yellow Dragon is not lost. We are quite privileged our September 2017 Extended Edi- and Blue-Green Dragon mountains through our mutual relationship with tion. An extensive article on Master of Yixing. Those mines were closed Global Tea Hut, Light Meets Life, and Zhou is also detailed in the same issue. in the late 1990s and have remained shut ever since, meaning the reserves of ore are finite and dwindling as it is refined into clay and used to make all sorts of different Yixing wares. There- fore, not only does it become more difficult to source, but more expensive to buy over time as it becomes rarer. Yet, you trudge on, wondering why purple-sand clay is so important? There are so many other teapots that basically look the same. Could the material really make that big of a difference? You are determined to find out! It turns out that purple-sand ore is composed of a special blend of miner- als and compounds that when refined into clay and made into a teapot de- velops a magical ability to smooth out and improve the structure of water and tea. Its composition apparently has a double-porous structure, allowing it to breathe and retain heat better than any of the other available ores and clays, lending itself to more patient, smooth and balanced tea sessions. You wonder to yourself if there is a way to learn this

33/ Getting Started in Gongfu Tea 潮汕四寶

Antique Porcelain Cups: The temperature is rising as we stroll along and catch our breath. Old thick trees line the path at this point, but nascent growth is also prominent under the canopy. The next treasure on the list is antique porcelain cups. What a lucky find it would be to acquire some antique cups, from times when this path was just being blazed a few hundred years ago. However, we are more than happy to accept a part of the trail that suggests starting out with more modern, standard gongfu cups that are all the same size, shape, and color, and cost not more than a meal or two. The body of these cups is shaped like a tulip that slightly flares out at the rim to comfortably meet the lips. They are great to practice with in the meantime, as we work towards the ideal of antique cups. They seem very suitable to use for experiments as well, seeing as they are all identical. What a great and easy find! With a pot in hand and a handful of cups, we’re halfway down this treasure trail.

The Tea Boat: A light drizzle dampens your path but creates a glistening, refreshing scene as you walk along. Little puddles form filling the ruts of this otherwise rugged terrain. The tea boat is surprisingly essential and equally easy to source. As you may have seen, we always shower the teapot with hot water both before and after steeping the tea. The water that is used to shower the outside of the teapot must collect into a shallow dish, which we call the tea boat. Because showering is so important (as we will see later), the tea boat is equally important. An ideal tea boat would be made of excellent purple-sand clay just like your teapot, but like the cups, there are simple alternatives that suit the function just fine. In fact, a shallow dish of any material that fits your pot and has walls high enough to collect water could be used as your tea boat.

Mulberry Creek Brazier and Kettle: The whistle of a distant creek catches your ear from time to time but never reveals its location. There are some mountains off in the distance and some nearby openings among the trees that look inviting for tea. You’ve almost got everything you need. Originally, local white clay from Mulberry Creek in Chaozhou was used to make kettle and stove sets for hundreds of years because it made nice water for tea. However, Mulberry Creek’s location is no longer known. That means only antique sets are available to us now, which are rare, fragile and expensive. If we were to stick to this condition, it would be too difficult for all tea lovers to acquire the fourth treasure. Therefore, in the spirit of tea, a suitable adaptation is necessary. So long as you find yourself a good heat source and a good kettle, then you can prepare good water for tea, and the four treasures are complete! And yet, the trail appears to unravel a little more, though a little undefined around the edges, leading into an unclear opening that fades into the forest shadows. Peering through, you dis- cover a concealed sign. Brushing away the cobwebs and dried branches that shroud the sign, you find there is an unmentionable treasure (or perhaps the fifth treasure) otherwise known as the waste-water basin, or jianshui (建水). It makes sense, really, because if you’re showering your teapot, then where do you discard the collected water from your tea boat? Luckily, any bowl or bucket will suffice, though an elegant one in the future might be nice. Back into the light of day and onto the clearly defined path, you reflect on all the signs that guided you along. There is a renewed vitality in each step, and you feel as though you could hike among the clouds on the highest peak, but quickly you arrive at that grassy opening you saw before. A Chajin from another time has left some charcoal, a gourd canteen, an old-looking pouch full of tea leaves and directions to a nearby spring…

34 Gongfu Teapot Other Modern Adaptations

As we learned before, this gong- connection with the spirit of tea over For example, we (and others) have fu brewing method is rooted in decades of dedication and practice is found through experimentation that Chaozhou and has been preserved and a skillful place from which to allow small tea trays for cups and coasters passed down to us in a very pure form. changes to arise, if they’re necessary meet both conditions to improve the We are very fortunate indeed. You may to suit the modern times. Changes tea and the service of tea, especially notice other adaptations beyond the should facilitate both the function of when they are made of fine purple-sand four treasures, such as the rectangular the brewing method itself and service clay. Though they aren’t necessary, they tray that holds our cups, and coasters to your guests. In the case of gongfu can enhance your tea. to place our cups on when serving tea, therefore, changes should facilitate To continue the metaphor of gong- guests. Remember, this is a 300-year- making the best cup of tea possible, fu tea as a path, we have left you with old brewing method rooted in tradi- and if it doesn’t serve that function, five more trails to tread, each one in tion and refined over those hundreds then it’s not a change worth consider- the form of an experiment. Though of years; it’s not something to toy ing. And how do you go about deter- there are many more, these are the five with or manipulate out of personal mining whether it improves your cup essential ones to traverse in order to preference or lack of understanding. of tea or not? That’s where experiments assist your learning and enjoyment of Changes that stem from a place of ego, come in and why it is important for gongfu tea as a new practice in your quick and convenient mindsets and/ all beginners to participate. They give life. Happy trails, and congratulations or profit are not the right changes to us an experiential understanding of on embarking on the gongfu tea jour- make. Changes that stem from a deep why it is we’re doing what we’re doing. ney to many bright cups!

35/ Getting Started in Gongfu Tea Basic Gongfu Experiments to Get Started

For each experiment below, it important to use a tea that you are very familiar with. We often use a lightly oxidized tea and brew it in smaller amounts, about 1-2 grams depending on the size of the brewing vessel. If you use too much of a dark, aged or complex tea, it will be distracting and difficult to notice the subtle differences when comparing teaware and brewing methods. It will be assumed that you need the four treasures for most experiments. Otherwise, any additional materials will be detailed in the procedure. You’ll want to have a notebook to record your findings. Write as many details as you can, including date, materials used, procedure, observations and other remarks. This will be very useful in the future when you come back to do the same experiment again. It will also help you gauge your progress. As you record your observations, remember—it’s not about what you think is better or worse, but any differences you notice. Being able to notice that there is a difference based on the teaware or method used is good enough. Focus on the Ten Qualities of a Fine Tea, and set flavor and aroma aside as much as possible for the time being. How does the tea feel in your mouth and in your body? Maintain a quiet ambiance throughout each experiment so everyone can focus on the tea. Feel free to discuss the outcomes once everyone is finished. Note that we won’t reveal the conclusions of any of these experiments. That is completely left up to you! It’s more fun learning through your own experience anyways, and there’s no pressure to find a right or wrong outcome. Al- ways stick to your experience and be open to the fact that next time a new subtlety may reveal itself to you that you weren’t sensitive to the first time. We’re not here to convert anyone to our brewing method, but rather to give you a platform upon which to have fun and learn to make better tea through your own experience.

Choosing Water

The best and easiest way to improve your tea is to improve your water. Tea is 99% water, so obviously better water will go a long way towards helping you make better tea.

Procedure:

For this experiment, buy at least three different bottled waters. Ran- domly choose two, pour equal amounts into two cups, and drink them side-by- side back and forth. Make notes of any differences you notice. Based on the ten qualities, choose one of the two bottles which you feel is more suitable to make tea, and then compare it against the third bottled water. Re- member, water should have no aroma or flavor; it should quench your thirst, and like any good tea, should be round, smooth, soft and easy to swallow. Continue with this process of elim- ination until you’ve decided which water you feel is most suitable for tea. If you have a good source of spring water, perhaps compare your top bottled water to the spring water and again, see if you can notice any differences. (We recommend studying the “Ten Qualities of a Fine Tea” before doing this experiment, especially. It will be extremely helpful.)

36 Gongfu Teapot Essential Three Cup Experiment

This is one of the most important and simplest experiments to do. It’s the one I do most often with guests at the center. It’s also an excellent example of why the first line in the gongfu poem is so important: “Preserve heat and begin to absorb 三 peace...”

Procedure: Before the water is fully boiled, pour it into one of three identical cups. There 茶 is no need to pre-warm your cups. Pour half the water from the first cup into the second cup. Then pour half the water from the second cup into the third cup. Starting with the last cup you poured into, quickly drink back and forth between all three cups recording your observations as you go. Repeat at least three times, making sure to pour accurately from each cup to the next. You could easily do this experiment with more than three cups. 杯

Pre-heating the Cups

This is another eye-opener. Many people think we are cleaning our cups between each steeping, but actually we are preheating them. What for? And does it really make a difference?

Procedure:

Prepare everything as usual, using two cups per person. Only pre-heat half of the cups with boiled water and don’t pre-heat the other half. Pour off the water from the pre-heated cups into your waste-water basin, and soon after pour the tea into all your cups. Drink both cups back and forth, recording your observations as you go. Repeat two or three times.

37/ Getting Started in Gongfu Tea To Pitcher or Not to Pitcher That is the Question

To really understand when and when not to use a pitcher, this experiment is essential. What are the pros and cons of using a pitcher, and do the sacrifices outweigh the gains? Where and when did the pitcher even come from? What’s the 茶 most appropriate situation to use a pitcher?

Procedure: Line up your cups and a glass or porcelain pitcher. It’s often difficult to pre- 海 heat all the cups and the pitcher, unless there’s only one person, so don’t worry. Just steep the tea and pour back and forth into your pitcher and HALF the cups. Immediately pour the tea from the pitcher into the other empty cups. Take both cups, one with tea from the pot and the other with tea from the pitcher, and drink them back and forth recording your observations. Repeat the experiment at least three times and take notes. 否

38 Gongfu Teapot

Heavy Showers Predicted

You’ll notice we shower our gongfu tea with heated water both before and after steeping the tea inside. The results of this experiment always surprise me.

Procedure: 重 For this experiment, you will need to do three consecutive steepings. Order matters, and you will need to pay careful attention at each steeping. For the first round, with the tea inside your teapot, shower the outside of your pot with hot water, lift the lid and steep the tea, then close the lid and completely shower the pot again. This will be called “showers before and after.” Pour the tea into your 淋 cup. Drink quietly and record your observations focusing on the sensations in the mouth. For the second round, shower the pot before you fill it, but not after. This will be called “showers before.” Again, pour the tea into your cup, drink, and record. For the final steeping, fill the pot and only shower afterwards—“showers after.” Drink that cup. It’s difficult to repeat this experiment once the leaves have been steeped a few times and the pot thoroughly showered. You could simply repeat the experiment 水 later with fresh leaves.

Bonus Experiment: Color Gradient

I recently came back to this experiment and marveled at how revealing it is—not to mention it is so simple that I could do it in tandem with almost every other experiment or during solo tea sessions. I hope you’ll include this one often in your experiments because it’s so interesting to see a color mapping of your entire tea session! What does a uniform color gradient imply? How about sudden changes of color from one cup to the next? The proof is literally in the cup!

Procedure:

With as many of the same white porcelain cups as you have, simply brew tea as usual, but instead of pouring into one cup, pour into two. Drink and enjoy one cup and place the other somewhere in front of your tea stage. Repeat the process, setting one cup aside from every brew, steeping as many times as you have cups (and continue to steep more beyond that!). Once finished, you should have a lineup of cups with a very revealing color gradient that shows you how consistent or inconsistent you brewed your tea.

39/ Getting Started in Gongfu Tea

The 印Masterpiece 級 Era of Puerh普 Tea 洱 The Masterpiece號 Era Red Mark 級 Master Chen Zhitong is one of the world’s leading experts on puerh tea, and a dear friend and teacher of ours. His book “The Profound World of Chi-tze (深邃的七子世界)” is the reference bible in the puerh world. We are honored to translate some chapters from it for you here. This is yet another seminal trans- 紅 lation brought to you by Global Tea Hut! 茶人: Chen Zhitong (陳智同) 印

ed, most striking of colors, has Round Cake puerh teas are all imbued that made the tea. Thanks to the big, special significance in Chinese with an indelible sense of historical sig- eye-catching red characters printed on culture, with its connotations nificance and cultural memory. the outer wrappers and the festive, aus- Rof new life, new beginnings and cel- Red Mark Round Cakes (hongyin picious feeling they created, the “Red ebration. But the association of the yuancha, 紅印圓茶) are familiar to all Mark” name spread quickly. Red Mark color red with puerh tea is not as sim- lovers of puerh tea, but also unfamil- Round Cakes have always been made ple as a mathematical equation: “red” + iar. They’re familiar because they were with the best raw tea leaf, while leaf “puerh tea” = “red puerh tea.” Rather, once widely circulated on the market, from the coastal areas was made into the intervening variables of history and yet unfamiliar in the sense that they round puerh tea cakes with a green cultural values have produced a tea all come from a bygone era; they most “tea” character on the packaging. So, that will make any puerh aficionado likely come from trial batches of round it’s evident that the Red Mark name wistful: Red Mark Puerh. cakes produced between 1942 and originated mainly from the character- After all, Red Mark Puerh is not just 1958 for sale outside of China. After istic packaging of these cakes, which a star performer of today’s state-run tea that time, more than a decade of war are as follows: factories; it also represented a favorable and unrest saw production halt up un- start for the state-run factories when til the change in political regime. A. The packaging of all Red Mark they became involved in Yunnan’s tea The varying manufacturing styles Round Cakes is printed in red ink. industry—red packaging for the first and changes in the circumstances and B. The paper used to wrap the cakes new batch of tea. The founders of the market also introduce a multitude of is always handmade cotton paper or Fohai Tea Factory, Mr. Fan Hezhun factors into the subject of the vintage, long-fibered paper, which have quite (范和鈞) and Mr. Zhang Shicheng blend and distinguishing of Red Mark dense fibers. They are hand-printed in (張石城), endured some challenging Round Cakes. the woodblock method using cinnabar times. Two years after starting their So, before we get into discussing ink. factory, they finally officially com- the characteristics of the Red Mark menced production in 1942; their Red Round Cake market, or the differenc- C. The labels are printed entirely in Mark Round Cakes seemed to mark es in classification, vintage and blend, traditional Chinese characters, with- an auspicious start for the factory, just we’ll first delve into two other aspects: out any Roman Pinyin/English text. like the red envelopes of money that the origin of the “Red Mark Round people give out as gifts at Chinese New Cakes” name and the characteristics of D. Thenei fei (內飛) or “inner brand Year. As the first batch of tea produced their shape and packaging. tickets” inside the wrapping all bear after the establishment of the People’s The “Red Mark” name began as the Eight-Zhong (ba zhong, 八中) Republic of China, it was also seen as a shorthand term used on the tea brand, while the later Seven Sons Tea a symbol of the continued growth of market, alluding to the red packag- Cakes (Chi Tze Bing, 七子餅) all have socialist China. Whether produced in ing—it had nothing to do with the different nei fei indicating the name of the 1940s or 1950s, aged Red Mark actual names of the production units the manufacturer.

43 紅印 Masterpiece Era

E. Except for the Grade A Red Mark Factory period (1942–1950) and the part of the factory’s product line—it cakes—which also have the words Hai Tea Factory period (1951–1957). also produced quite a lot of green and “Grade A” (jia ji, 甲級) added—and red teas. the “revised edition” cakes with extra The Fohai Tea Factory Period paper stuck on them, the color and This period is further divided into 3. Before the Fohai experimental tea font of the printed characters is iden- the early period (1940–1942) and the factory commenced production, it was tical on all Red Mark Round Cake later period when production resumed engaged in buying compressed tea and wrappers. in the post-Sino-Japanese war era round tea cakes from private tea busi- (1944–1949). nesses. So although the factory wasn’t F. The outer bundle of all Red Mark officially operational until 1941, it was cakes is made completely out of bam- Early Years: 1940–1942 already selling tea via subcontractors boo. According to the Memoirs of Mr. from 1940. Subsequently, the Fohai Fan Hejun, the Fohai factory was estab- Tea Factory continued to employ this So, aside from their uniform pack- lished in 1940. Around two years later strategy of purchasing finished teas aging style, Red Mark Round Cakes the factory adopted a new mechanical and on-selling them to supplement are also quite distinctive in terms of production method and began encour- low output. So it stands to reason that their vintage, printing style, market aging tea farmers to produce and sell if Red Mark tea was already being pro- characteristics, blend and what they their own tea as subcontractors. Most duced during the Fohai Tea Factory era, are like to drink. In the following pag- of it was compressed tea intended to be its estimated age can be shifted back es, we’ll take a detailed look at each of aged for sale. The experimental tea fac- in time by two years. According to A these in turn—but first, let’s start with tory produced its first batch of tea in Brief History of the Growth of the Fohai a brief overview of the five main types 1942. The manufacturing conditions Tea House (佛海茶莊發展史略), in of Red Mark tea, namely Grade A Red at the Fohai Tea Factory had several 1940 the experimental Fohai Tea Fac- Mark Round Cakes, early-, mid- and characteristics that differentiated them tory put up a large amount of capital late-period Red Mark Round Cakes, from those of the People’s Republic era to purchase tea at high prices, name- and paperless Red Mark Round Cakes Hai Tea Factory, which are as follows: ly around 35,000 dan (1,750 metric with soft bamboo packaging. tonnes) of extra tight (compressed) 1. Production was carried out using tea and around 7000 dan (350 metric machines, and output was undoubt- tonnes) of round tea cakes, which re- Vintages of Red Mark Tea edly quite high. After the People’s sulted in Fohai’s highest output. Republic of China was established in The Red Mark tea produced during There are two main approaches to 1949, Mr. Tang Qingyang (唐慶陽) the Fohai Tea Factory era (in other discussing the vintages of Red Mark took over the management of the fac- words the earlier vintage Red Mark Round Cakes. As the era involved is tory—by this time, all the machinery Round Cakes) are known as Grade now some time in the past, we’ll look had been stolen to be sold off, result- A Red Mark (jiaji hongyin,甲級紅 at these approaches in two separate ing in poor manufacturing conditions 印) or early Big Character Red Mark sections. The two viewpoints of the that were inferior to those of the earlier (dazi hongyin,大字紅印). Grade A tea’s age differ by about a decade, so Fohai Tea Factory era. From this, we Red Mark can be basically classified this warrants a detailed discussion and can infer that the output of the Fohai into two groups by time period: early a certain amount of flexibility in our Tea Factory was much higher than one and late. The earlier Red Mark tea took approach. On top of this, Red Mark might imagine. longer to produce, and displays wide Round Cakes have already existed on variation in blend style, belying the in- the market for several decades, and 2. The Fohai Tea Factory era was a fluence of inconsistent manufacturing the market has had its own established time of competition with privately-run conditions during those years. Because conclusions from quite early on. Of tea enterprises; as well as Mr. Bai of this, according to the owners of particular note are the opinions of Mengyu’s (白孟愚) Mount Nannuo Hong Kong’s old tea houses, there was Hong Kong’s former tea house own- Tea Factory, there were also other pri- a demand for the Red Mark tea that ers and puerh tea merchants, which vate enterprises producing tea. In re- they ordered to be blended using Blue represent two basic points of view. To sponse to the competition for raw leaf, Label Songpin brand (藍標宋聘號) start, let’s discuss the first point of view Mr. Fan developed a strategy of unified tea, which had been aged for 75 years. which has been around since the early transportation and sales among the tea This meant that the blend style was days. farmers, and acted as a guarantor to quite consistent, and involved a high help the farmers take out loans from ratio of buds. This resulted in a much the Dianfu Bank (滇富), which gained more robust tea than ordinary Red Estimating Vintage: Approach One him preferential access to the raw leaf. Mark, with a rich aroma and a stronger This approach appears in the Mem- This provides a major testimony as to orchid fragrance. From my experience oirs of Mr. Fan Hejun (范和鈞先生 the consistent quality of Red Mark of drinking Blue Label Songpin, the 回憶錄), as well as in Puerh Tea (普 Round Cakes—after all, the first prod- style is extremely similar, but Grade A 洱茶) and Records of Puerh Tea (普洱 uct of a new factory can naturally be Red Mark has a more robust quality. 茶記). It essentially divides Red Mark expected to be of high quality. That The estimated vintage of early-peri- cakes into two periods: the Fohai Tea said, round tea cakes only represented od Red Mark Round Cakes and Grade

45/ Masterpiece Era: Red Mark (Hong Yin, 紅印) A Red Mark Round Cakes is around people, so tea for cross-border sale was sons for resuming production. I’m of 1940–1950 (excluding the period from a major focus of production. Subse- the opinion that whether or not the 1942–1944 when production was sus- quently, the government of the Peo- tea was actually exported is not really a pended). According to the Yunnan ple’s Republic of China even imple- valid question given the circumstances Province Tea Import–Export Company mented measures such as price control at the time. I’ve heard that there was Records (雲南省茶葉進出口公司誌), for cross-border sales and subsidies for conflict among the right-wing and left- output took a nose-dive amid the eco- shipping costs. So, evidently cross-bor- wing restaurant owners in Hong Kong nomic depression following the civil der sales of compressed tea not only at the time, and only the left-wing war, so we can infer that the majori- supplied a needed commodity to the owners were able to purchase any tea. ty of early-period Red Mark was pro- Tibetan people, but also played an im- This is worth considering in the con- duced roughly between 1940–1947. portant role in moderating sentiment text of the above argument. So, this gives us a reasonably accurate in Tibet. picture of the probable vintage. The Hai Tea Factory of this period 2. The puerh tea industry had become had some clear differences from the The Hai Tea Factory Period an important part of Yunnan’s econo- earlier Fohai Tea Factory in terms of In 1951, Mr. Tang Qingyang my, and provided an avenue to improv- operating structure and surrounding founded the Fengqing Tea Factory, and ing the living standard of rural farmers circumstances. Here’s some detail on in the same year he officially re-start- as well as reinstating jobs in the post- these points of difference: ed production at the Hai Tea Facto- war era. At that time, Hong Kong also ry. There were two main reasons for had a high demand for puerh and had 1. The production model had now re-opening the factory: the ability to trade with Eastern Europe changed as part of China’s planned and the Soviet Union. Hence, recover- economy. This meant that provin- 1. There was a high demand for coming living standards and maintaining cial tea companies oversaw the pro- pressed tea cakes among the Tibetan sales to Tibet were the two main rea- duction of all the raw leaf (maocha).

All Red Mark cakes used the same type of red ink and were printed on thick, handmade cotton paper. The labels use traditional Chinese characters and do not have any Roman Pinyin or English text like later cakes do. The design of the wrappers also shifted at the beginning of the Masterpiece Era to the “Eight-Zhong” style, which is the same except for the Grade A Red Mark.

八中茶

The tongs of red mark are, of course, made of bamboo, often thicker than other bundles. The nei fei of Red Mark cakes also changed, heralding the beginning of the Masterpiece Era. They too have the “Eight-Zhong” logo printed on them. All the cakes in the Chi Tze Era also have this nei fei, though the sizes and ink change in that era.

46 Masterpiece Era

They were also in charge of distribu- was only in use from 1950 onwards— 2. After the Fohai Tea Factory ceased tion and sales of both raw leaf and fin- prior to that, during Fan Hejun’s era, production in 1942 and before the ished tea between each province. Man- the company was called the “China retreat of the Kuomintang, a lot of ufacturing, on the other hand, was the Tea Trading Company” (中茶貿易公 raw leaf (maocha) and finished tea was responsibility of the individual tea fac- 司), leading some to conclude that all stockpiled at Baoshan. Due to the war, tories, so there was a division of labor Red Mark teas were produced in the the tea industry in Yunnan was on the between production and sales. 1950s. In addition, the bright red of verge of shutting down altogether, so the packaging represents the red of many private merchants probably also 2. During the war, the factory’s ma- socialist China, symbolizing hopes for had some raw leaf and finished tea chinery and equipment had all been the future of the new People’s Repub- stored away. This meant that when stolen, and there was practically noth- lic. On top of this, the Eight-Zhong production resumed in 1950, it’s quite ing left. Hence, production methods logo—so called because it features the likely that these reserves of old tea were shifted from mechanical to manual, character zhong (中) from the word used to make compressed tea cakes, which presumably resulted in de- “China” (zhongguo, 中國)—was reg- with packaging that featured bright creased production volume. istered in 1950, providing further ev- red printing to symbolize the new era idence that Red Mark teas are all post- of socialism. 3. Due to the decreased output, some 1950 products. Personally, I think this of the factory’s products in the early point of view also has a reasonable I brought this point up recently period after production resumed were amount of credibility—however, there during a tea session with Mr. Zhou actually purchased as finished prod- are a few more factors that we should Yu (周渝), and we were both in agree- ucts from suppliers among the local consider in evaluating the vintage. ment about it. I also mentioned a piece population. So from 1955–1956, even of supporting evidence, which is this: though it was the early days of the Peo- 1. The Fohai Tea Factory era and the it’s clear that Red Mark Round Cakes ple’s Republic, private enterprises still Hai Tea Factory era didn’t operate ac- and Red Mark Tie Bing (“iron discus,” existed alongside the state-run tea fac- cording to the same system. On a po- 鐵餅) were not all produced in the tories. This was mainly due to the low litical level, this change was due to the same year. The packaging style is not production output from the factories defeat of the Kuomintang and the birth all the same, with the vintage differing and the importance of compressed tea of the new People’s Republic of China. between the large-character Red Mark sales to policies aimed at maintaining Furthermore, Mr. Tang Qingyang (of cakes (including Grade A Red Mark) stability in Tibet. I believe those were the Fengqing Tea Factory) also allocat- and the small-character Red Mark the main factors that allowed individ- ed some technicians from the Yiliang cakes. There’s also quite a marked dif- ual tea businesses to exist for a period Tea Factory and other factories to work ference in vintage evident when drink- of time even after the socialist People’s on reviving the Fohai Tea Factory. ing the tea; it’s not overly subtle. A Government had been established. (This information appears in the afore- consensus was reached on this long ago mentioned Import-Export Company on the Hong Kong and Taiwan mar- So, from this discussion, we can see Records.) So it’s clear that there wasn’t kets, and prices also vary accordingly. that early- and late-period Red Mark much continuity from Fan Hejun’s Therefore, this theory can be consid- tea was likely produced during the Hai era—in fact, the physical factory where ered credible, and is still quite widely Tea Factory era. Because of the involve- they resumed production was probably endorsed today. It’s a rational conclu- ment of subcontracted suppliers the Mr. Bai Mengyu’s Mount Nannuo Tea sion when you consider the wartime blends are not consistent, but because Factory, rather than the original Fohai circumstances of that era. the tea was hand-processed the quality Tea Factory (since the latter had lost Whether Red Mark teas originat- is certainly not inferior to that of early most of its equipment). There’s much ed from the Fohai Tea Factory era or Red Mark. Given the scarcity of Red debate surrounding this; the assertion the Hai Tea Factory era, they are a Mark tea in today’s market, there’s real- that the Eight-Zhong brand was estab- very representative product. While it’s ly no way to distinguish between early lished in 1950 due to the formation possible that their vintage is even ear- and late Red Mark in terms of sales; as of the new People’s Republic would lier than the 1950s, no matter which long as it’s been stored in good condi- be an unassailable claim if it weren’t of the above two theories you ascribe tions there’s no mistaking the authen- for the change of political regime in to, the time range still only differs ticity of the tea. Whether it’s early or the preceding years. But during the by a few years. Whatever the case, it late Red Mark, you can be confident it war-torn era of the Fohai Tea Facto- won’t change the market status of Red will be a wonderful tea. ry, a chaotic period where production Mark Round Cakes; aside from their halted in 1942 and was resumed (it’s recognizable packaging, these old teas not certain by whom) on a small scale are also clearly identifiable by drinking Estimating Vintage: Approach Two in 1948, it’s entirely possible that the them. It’s not by chance that teas of The second approach to estimating Eight-Zhong brand was in use earlier such astonishing quality and rich char- the vintage of Red Mark Round Cake but wasn’t registered until 1950 after acter as Red Mark fetch a high price on tea centers around the company name the change of regime. As yet, there is today’s market; their value also reflects printed on the packaging: “China Tea not enough proof to draw a solid con- the imbalance between supply and de- Corporation, Yunnan Branch” (中國 clusion; however, it’s certainly at least mand, as these teas are quite scarce and 茶葉公司雲南省公司). This name worth discussing. enjoy a high degree of recognition.

47/ Masterpiece Era: Red Mark (Hong Yin, 紅印) Above left is the leaf of normal Red Mark, which has a lot of buds, much more than other types of tea. The right is the highest grade of Red Mark. Below is Grade A Red Mark, with the “jiaji (甲級)” stamp. The printing of the Grade A Red Mark is the same style as the Red Mark Iron Discus (Tie Bing, 鐵餅), which is below right. The Grade A Red Mark is the pinnacle of puerh from the Masterpiece Era.

Grade A Red Mark

Grade A Red Mark tea is considered C. According to the recollections of based on their wrappers and packaging a “non-standard product.” In 2000, I Hong Kong tea house owners, there styles: was the first to publish materials re- were also some cakes from which the garding Grade A Red Mark on the tea seller had cut away the “Grade A” char- 1. Grade A: Dark Blue Edition market. At that time, there was little acters on the wrapping and patched 2. Grade A: Sapphire Blue Edition information about Grade A Red Mark, the gap with plain white paper, wheth- 3. Grade A: Revised Edition and this tea had not been around on er due to difficult sales or a change of 4. Grade A: Standard Edition the market for as long as some of the buyer. Under the circumstances of the other “Mark” teas (yin ji cha, 印級茶). period, it was quite commonplace to Regardless of what’s printed on the Grade A Red Mark was mostly avail- change packaging to adapt to the pro- packaging, these four versions are all able in Taipei, so people didn’t tend to duction or sales environment, so it’s Grade A Red Mark tea and are virtu- know much about these teas, let alone not unreasonable to suppose that amid ally indistinguishable in terms of qual- drink them. Even today, although it’s the chaos of wartime and the challeng- ity and vintage—at the time, tea cakes now well-known, there’s still a lack of es it posed to transportation, sellers with all four types of wrapping were information regarding Grade A Red might have revised the packaging in packed together in the same bamboo Mark. So, we will now explore several search of a buyer. tube. In my experience, the Standard aspects of Grade A Red Mark, includ- version and the Revised version are the ing the shape and packaging, market D. There are also some Grade A Red most common. Those with the “Grade characteristics, blend, drinking and Mark cakes without the “Grade A” A” characters are very rare—on av- evaluating quality. characters, and without the white pa- erage, a case of twelve tong (bamboo The packaging of Grade A Red per patch-up job indicating that the tubes) of tea cakes will only contain Mark tea displays the following char- two characters had been cut away. about ten to fifteen of them. Since acteristics: Rather, the lettering is similar to that they’re so rare, being lucky enough to of the early period Red Mark cakes, count one of them among one’s col- A. The characters printed on the wrap- but the print specifications are the lection is exciting indeed. An A-grade ping are in the early Red Mark style. same as for the Red Mark Tie Bing, so tea makes for A-grade drinking and an there’s no danger of confusing the two. A-grade collector. These teas are really B. The words “Grade A” jiaji,( 甲級) To summarize the above points, we the best of the best when it comes to are added on the paper wrapping be- can classify Grade A Red Mark cakes the Masterpiece Era, and a real joy to low the central Eight-Zhong logo. into four different categories/editions drink with friends.

48 Masterpiece Era

The Antique Era teas known on the and Grade A Red Mark teas, both have of teas produced by the private mer- market today (in other words, those a very lasting flavor; the Grade A Red chants during the same period. During produced by private tea companies Mark, with its excellent quality and its the later Hai Tea Factory era when di- with a vintage earlier than Red Mark sixty-odd years of aging, does indeed rector Tang Qingyang was in charge, it Round Cakes/the Masterpiece Era) have an even more admirable character was even easier to acquire raw leaf un- have a da piao (大票) or “big label,” than privately-produced teas from the der the planned economy; add to this a slip that gives product information same period, or even later. So, Grade the fact that processing was all done by about the tea. The da piao from brand A Red Mark Round Cakes are a better hand in the early stages, and one can names such as Puqing, Cheshun, purchase than late-period teas made by well imagine the fine quality that re- Tongqing Twin Lions and Fu Yuan private tea enterprises. I’m confident sulted. Chang all contain details such as the that anyone who has drunk these teas While the “A Little Bit of Red” edi- features of how it was produced, the will readily agree with this opinion. tion cakes have unique printed charac- blending method or the registration After all, buying high-quality tea at an ters on the wrapping, in terms of tea year. The product descriptions all re- optimal price makes good sense from a blend they are more or less similar in flect a set of essential values and view- market standpoint. style to Grade A Red Mark. The over- points, no matter which brand they After being on the market for a cer- all character of the tea essentially shares came from. They are the same values tain period of time, Grade A Red Mark the classic Red Mark style of mouth- that we still maintain today and apply prices are as follows: if we consider feel and fragrance; it’s on the robust when evaluating puerh, namely: available volume, those teas that are the side, with a full mouthfeel and a rich scarcest—the dark blue and sapphire flavor. Aside from the standard plum 1. Choosing spring tips blue edition cakes—fetch the highest and orchid elements in the aroma, it 2. Using a high ratio of buds price, and people are most reluctant to also has quite a strong medicinal fra- 3. Highly skilled processing, firing and sell them. Next come the Revised Edi- grance. I believe that the vintage is rolling tion and Standard Edition cakes (the reasonably early. I find “A Little Bit of ones whose lettering is the same as that Red” to be quite a unique tea within The first two items on the list refer of the Red Mark Tie Bing). So, even the early-period Red Mark category, to the method of selecting and blend- the exact same tea, of the same quali- but it’s extremely rare. Even up until ing the tea, while the third refers to the ty, varies in price. This is testament to now I have had no intention of driving processing technique. the diversity of the puerh tea market; up the price; after all, there’s always a The concepts of choosing spring these “limited edition” Grade A Red market for rare items—the only issue tips and using a high ratio of buds are Mark Round Cakes are the first choice is the shipping. Lucky is the collector the most important when it comes to for drinking and the dream of many a who can get their hands on some! puerh tea, because the blend directly collector. There really isn’t too much diversity influences the quality and mouthfeel. when it comes to classifying early-pe- Aside from having slightly different riod Red Mark teas, because they are a lettering on the packaging to standard Early-Period Red Mark “standard product” and were produced Red Mark cakes, Grade A Red Mark is for a fairly long period of time, unlike blended using a higher ratio of buds, Early-period Red Mark is consid- the short-lived made-to-order Grade A which means that its flavor is more ro- ered a “standard product” among Red Red Mark. According to my experience bust than that of other Red Mark teas. Mark teas. The packaging can be essen- with puerh, early-period Red Mark The aroma is strong and yet follows in tially divided into two types: does have some diversity in terms of the tradition of “orchid fragrance Red blend. While the flavor and character Mark,” but with more of a rich, mellow 1. Large Character Edition are of course similar in style, the blend quality. Grade A Red Mark teas which 2. “A Little Bit of Red” Edition can display some marked differences— have been aged only using the “dry you can see them simply by looking storage” method have an even more The paper used for the wrapping at the leaf. Hence my classification of intense flavor if drunk before the tea can roughly be divided into three early-period Red Mark into two basic has been completely “awakened,” giv- types: types based on the differences in pack- ing the drinker a completely different aging and blend. There are two main experience than other Red Mark teas 1. Handmade thick-fibered paper reasons behind these differences: and making the uniqueness of Grade A 2. Handmade thick cotton paper Red Mark stand out even more. 3. Handmade thin cotton paper 1. According to Hong Kong’s early According to Hong Kong’s tea tea merchants, the changing blends of house owners, the Grade A Red Mark Basically, whichever type of paper Red Mark tea were influenced by the cakes were blended using Blue Label was used, the quality of the large char- buyers who commissioned them. Be- Songpin tea, made with the best Yiwu acter edition early-period Red Mark fore standardized production formulas Zhengshan spring tea. From compar- displays a certain amount of consisten- such as 7572, 7542 and 7532 began to ing the surface of the two teas, I’ve no- cy. This is mainly because during the take shape, there was no effective link ticed that the style of blend is indeed early Red Mark period, the producers between market demand and adapta- very similar. From my personal expe- had priority access to the raw leaf, so tions to production methods. Blend- rience of selling Blue Label Song Pin the quality is much higher than that ing was far more random in this era.

49/ Masterpiece Era: Red Mark (Hong Yin, 紅印) Grade A Sapphire Blue Grade A Dark Blue Grade A Revised Edition 甲級紅印寶藍版甲級紅印深藍版甲級紅印修正版

Grade A Standard Edition Early-Period “A Little Bit of Red” Early-Period Large Character 甲級紅印普通版早期紅印一點紅紅印早期紅印大字紅印

Middle Period Wide Character Middle Period Thin Character Middle Period Extra-Thin Character 中期紅印中字紅印中期紅印細字紅印中期紅印超細字紅印 Masterpiece Era

Production was largely under the con- 1. “A Little Bit of Red” Edition Add to this the fact that Red Mark trol of the China Tea Corporation, 2. Standard Edition teas have already been around on the which regulated the tea factories. market for a long time, and the result Grade A Red Mark, which is already In terms of the paper type, ear- is that mid- to late-period Red Mark quite a vigorous tea, of course had even ly-period Red Mark can be divided is now very scarce. Because of this, more of an irritating quality back then into three categories: with the exception of Grade A Red when it was freshly produced; this was Mark, the market value of early- and not at all suited to the tastes of Hong 1. Handmade thick-fibered paper mid-period Red Mark is really about Kong tea drinkers, who were used to 2. Handmade thick cotton paper the same, while late-period red mark is the mouthfeel of shou puerh. So the 3. Handmade thin cotton paper worth about 15% less. In my opinion, appearance of Red Mark Round Cakes, though, because of the limited quan- with their superior leaf and blend and In terms of blend, early-period Red tity of Red Mark in general, in the fu- smoother mouthfeel, was largely in re- Mark can be divided into two catego- ture it will be difficult to make these sponse to the changing market. ries: sorts of finer distinctions. However, from a scholarly standpoint, a system- 2. During both the Fohai Tea Factory 1. Using more buds atic classification and discussion of the and the Hai Tea Factory eras, the facto- 2. Using larger leaves different types of Red Mark tea and ries used methods such as cooperating their quality is still very important in with private tea producers and on-sell- In today’s puerh market there’s an order to establish the right values on ing of finished tea to supplement their overwhelming demand for early-peri- the market. limited production capacity. So it’s not od Red Mark; in the newer markets in The division between mid- and surprising that the teas have slight dif- China’s big cities there’s an especially late-period Red Mark is mainly based ferences in blend style. enthusiastic search for information on changes in the lettering printed The blend style of standard edition about Red Mark Round Cakes. On on the wrapping. In fact, in terms of early-period Red Mark cakes can be the Taiwanese market, the price of “standard product” Red Mark, the classified into two types: early-period Red Mark is fairly consis- quickest way to get an initial idea of tent, at around half the market value the vintage is simply to take a look at 1. A blend with a high ratio of buds. of Grade A Red Mark. “A Little Bit of the packaging—what do the characters 2. A blend that uses larger leaves. Red” edition Red Mark teas, on the look like? The reason for this is that the other hand, are very scarce, so the mar- paper wrappers were hand-printed us- The “Little Bit of Red” early-period ket value is the same as that of standard ing wood-block printing methods, so Red Mark teas are made using more edition Grade A Red Mark. The above the more prints that were made, the buds, but have a different flavor when can serve as an approximate reference fuzzier veins of ink appeared around drunk. If you compare them to other for the current state of the market, the edges of the carved pattern. After a Red Mark teas, they show the differ- with the exception of teas that have certain period of time the carved wood ence in quality between Red Mark been subject to inferior storage condi- block would need to be neatened up teas, which leads us to the following tions. around the edges, resulting in an in- conclusion: creasingly thinner font, which became The diversity in blend styles is suffi- the main way to distinguish Red Mark cient proof that Red Mark teas are not Mid & Late Red Mark teas. It’s worth emphasizing again here all of the same vintage, but were made that I am simply presenting a systemat- over a certain period of time. Mid- and late-period Red Mark teas ic discussion of the ways to distinguish The method I use for distinguish- are those which are generally acknowl- Red Mark teas: I didn’t invent these ing the teas is to classify the early-pe- edged to be of a later vintage; at the methods—they’ve been established riod Red Mark cakes into three basic latest, we can estimate that they date to for quite some time. According to my categories of blend style. Actually, we the trial production in 1958 of “over- experience of drinking Red Mark tea, could further divide these into sub-cat- seas export round tea cakes,” meaning this method of classification is both egories, but since our senses have their that these teas were being produced relevant and reliable. limitations, it makes sense to stop at over a period of about seven years. If we take the wrapping as our yard- three. The most important thing is to This represents more than half of the stick, the principle of categorizing Red clearly convey my main point, which is total production period of Red Mark Mark Round Cakes into early-, mid- that Red Mark Round Cakes, although Round Cakes, so the amount of mid- and late-period teas is that the wider they are all of a consistent quality, dis- to late-period Red Mark is also equal the printed red characters are, the old- play much variation in terms of flavor. to about half of all the Red Mark in er the tea. You can see this at a glance One only needs to taste them atten- existence. Its production period over- from the pictures below. tively and with an open mind to see laps with those of Pink Edition Blue Mid- and late-period Red Mark the truth in this statement. Mark Grade A and B Round Cakes tea appears to have already grown out In terms of the printing on the and Green Mark Tie Bing. But because of the green, astringent phase and wrappers, early-period Red Mark can it was still made with the same blend settled into an aged flavor. Popular be divided into the two categories/edi- style as the early-period Red Mark, opinion among aged puerh tea cake tions we mentioned earlier: the quality was consistently high. tasting circles holds that among all the

51/ Masterpiece Era: Red Mark (Hong Yin, 紅印) Comparison紅印和藍印之比較 of Red & Blue Mark

This is a comparison of Red and Blue Mark cakes. The Red Mark cakes’ blending is obvious as the buds are apparent and predominant. The processing is also better and the grade of tea higher, which is obvious from looking at the leaves. The buds are arranged clockwise, spiraling. They resist the compression, as they are juicy and bright. The Blue Mark leaves are larger, from later in the season, with less buds. The edges of Red Mark cakes are reddish from the juice and buds, whereas the Blue mark cake is dark near the edges. The tong/bamboo wrapping of Red Mark is softer than Blue Mark, which is more stiff.

Red Mark leaves

Red Mark tong Red Mark cake

Blue Mark leaves

Fu Lu Gong tea tong (for comparison) Blue Mark tong Blue Mark cake

50 to 60-year-old aged puerhs, the Red is considered “antique tea.” Personally, worthwhile to buy a Red Mark Round Mark Round Cakes from the state-run I refer to any of the privately-produced Cake instead, thanks to their consis- tea factory era are the most consistent teas younger than Red Mark Round tent quality. This tea is rich and robust in quality. This is one of the main Cakes (whose production period over- in flavor, with an enchanting hint of reasons why Red Mark is such an im- laps with Red Mark) as “antique-like orchid emerging through its strong portant category of tea, along with its teas,” meaning that the packaging style plum-camphor aroma. Just as robust historical significance in marking the resembles that of the antique teas. is the bright and rousing red of the li- beginnings of the state-run tea factory. Some examples are Fu Lu Gong Cha quor, an image of steadfast passion and Of the many teas produced by pri- Tribute Tea, Tongchang Huangji Blue vitality, reminding us of the hardships vate businesses that are now known as Round Cakes and Sipu Gongming and chaos that the China Tea Corpo- “antique teas,” those that surpass Red Tribute Tea, all of which are somewhat ration survived through. This moving Mark Round Cakes are so few that younger than Red Mark Round Cakes. color, the red of the rising sun, carries you could count them on your fin- They are also priced lower than Red a lot of memory and emotion. gers. On the Taiwan and Hong Kong Mark Round Cakes, which goes to market, Red Mark Round Cakes are show that the market is quite fair—if the standard for differentiating aged you’re thinking of buying some cheap teas—anything older than Red Mark “antique-like” tea, it’s really more

52 The Masterpiece號 Era Blue Mark 級 This section is also from Master Chen Zhitong’s book “The Pro- found World of Chi-tze (深邃的七子世界),” which is one of the most important books on puerh in the tea world. There is a great depth of wisdom here, and a window into another era of tea, both in terms of the Red and Blue Mark cakes, but also 藍 to the time the book was written, in the early 2000s, when such teas were more readily available, 茶人: Chen Zhitong (陳智同) 印

lue Mark tea cakes, like Red But the blue color has faded with the the all-red one that is featured on Red Mark Round Cakes, were passing years, and the characters un- Mark Round Cakes: in the center of named after their packaging. derneath stand out as clearly as ever, as the circle of red zhong (中) characters BThe term “Blue Mark,” as it is cur- if mocking this futile cover-up attempt (meaning “China”), the cha (茶) char- rently used, does not strictly denote that only succeeded in making them acter (meaning “tea”) is green instead only Blue Mark Grade A & B Round even more conspicuous. of red. Similarly to Red Mark Round Cakes—rather, it’s a blanket term used The name of these Blue Mark Cakes, there is no Roman Pinyin/En- on the market to refer to a range of Grade A & B Round Cakes got around glish lettering, only Chinese charac- teas that came into circulation after quickly, and from then on, any teas in ters. Red Mark Round Cakes. It really just the Blue Mark family that were import- refers to the general category of Blue ed from Hong Kong’s tea houses were 2. There are two different fonts that Mark teas, rather than distinguishing collectively called “Blue Mark” (some can appear on the packaging: Song in detail between the different types of examples are Artistic Font Green Mark Font and Artistic Font. packaging. Round Cakes and Song Font Green The name “Blue Mark” (lan yin, Mark Round Cakes). In my view, since 3. The wrapping is all made of hand- 藍印) originated from the consumer the collective “Blue Mark” term is al- made cotton paper, of which there are market. Unlike the term “Red Mark” ready well established on the market, two types: thin handmade cotton pa- which came from the Hong Kong we might as well honor the existing us- per and thick-fibered paper. market, the “Blue Mark” name came age while also adding a definition and from the Taiwanese market (in fact, a more detailed classification system 4. In terms of the printed text, the tea in the early Hong Kong market it was to contribute toward improving the cakes can also be classified into two called “Green Mark,” which is actual- transparency of information available editions: Peach and Vermilion edi- ly a slightly more accurate description on the market. tions. because of the green “tea” character in The teas in the Blue Mark fam- the Eight-Zhong logo on the packag- ily include Blue Mark Grade A & B After Blue Mark tea cakes had ing). The main reason for the name is Round Cakes, Artistic Font Green appeared as a successor to Red Mark that the majority of teas that entered Mark Round Cakes and Song Font Round Cakes, teas produced by the the early Taiwanese market were Blue Green Mark Round Cakes. To start state-run tea factories gained the most Mark Grade A & B, which are different off, here are the common features market recognition. However, Blue from other products in the Blue Mark of the packaging of these three teas: Mark Grade A & B Round Cakes, Ar- tea category. Blue Mark Grade A & B tistic Font Green Mark Round Cakes Round Cakes have the words “Grade 1. All Blue Mark tea cakes have the and Song Font Green Mark Round A (jia ji, 甲級)” or “Grade B (yi ji, words “China Tea Corporation Yun- Cakes are completely different in 乙級)” printed on them, and the char- nan Branch” (中國茶業公司雲南省 terms of vintage and blend style; they acters have been stamped over with 公司) printed in red characters. The were produced over different time pe- a rectangle of striking dark blue ink. Eight-Zhong logo is different from riods and have their packaging styles.

53 藍印 Masterpiece Era

All the Blue Mark cakes have the “China Tea Corporation Yun- nan Branch” (中國茶業公司雲南省公司) printed in red characters, but the “Eight-Zhong” at the center changes from the red mark cakes of earlier in the period to a green one. There is no Roman Pinyin or English, which is one of the characteristics that distinguishes the Masterpiece Era cakes from the later Chi Tze Era cakes. There are two different fonts: “Artistic” and “Song.” There are also Peach and Vermilion ink styles.

Artistic Font Peach Edition

The paper is handmade cotton, like Red Mark, but is divided into thick and thin styles. Above left we can see the blue stamp from which this tea is named. To the right is Red Mark for comparison. Below left is thin paper, and to the right is the thicker version, which has apparent fibers in it.

Vermillion Edition, Grade B

So there isn’t much consistency or con- Cakes. Later in the article we will look made paper doesn’t necessarily follow tinuity in the quality of Blue Mark teas; at them one by one for a more compre- a regular pattern, but we can still make this is also an important characteristic hensive understanding of each. a basic analysis based on the examples of the Blue Mark family of products, we have. It shouldn’t be very contro- and has afforded the subsequent gen- 2. Two printing styles: The cakes can versial to include paper type as an ele- erations of tea lovers the added delight basically be categorized into the Peach/ ment to consider when attempting to of predicting and imagining what a Pink Edition (taohong ban, 桃紅版) classify these teas. certain tea will be like. Beneath the and the Vermilion Edition (zhuhong fragrant, curling tea steam, this antic- ban, 硃紅版). According to my years ipation really brings out the joy and of experience drinking these teas, the Vintages of Blue Mark warmth of tea collecting. Peach Edition teas tend to be of an ear- The products in the Blue Mark tea lier vintage, while the Vermilion Edi- The production period of Blue family can be classified according to tion teas tend to be somewhat later, so Mark teas basically stretches from the two different types of paper wrapping, we can use this feature to make a rough time of the re-opening of the Hai Tea four categories of text and two differ- classification. Factory in 1950 until 1958, the time ent printing styles. Here is some more of the trial production of Seven Sons detail on these distinctions: 3. Two types of paper: The paper type tea cakes (Chi Tze Bing, 七子餅) for can be roughly divided into thin cot- overseas sale. The Peach Edition cakes 1. Four categories of text on the pack- ton paper and thick-fibered paper. The date to the earlier years, so before 1955, aging: Blue Mark cakes can be divided majority of Peach Edition wrappers while the Vermilion Edition cakes are into Blue Mark Grade A Round Cakes, are printed on the thin cotton paper, likely from the later years, 1955 on- Blue Mark Grade B Round Cakes, Ar- while the Vermilion Edition teas tend wards. (This is being proven by new tistic Font Green Mark Round Cakes to have the thick paper. In reality, the information uncovered through ship- and Song Font Green Mark Round thickness and fiber density of hand- ping receipts.)

55/ Masterpiece Era: Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印) These are all Grade A Blue Mark cakes. The top version is the Peach Edi- tion and the bottom is the Vermilion Edition. The top is thin cotton paper, and the bottom is thick with visible fibers. Blue Mark tongs are softer and thinner than Red Mark, but, as you can see, the bottom Vermilion Edition has a much thicker bundle than the Peach Edition above.

The general market opinion is that duction volume. Because the tea was Round Cakes and Artistic Font Green Blue Mark Grade A & B and Artistic all handmade, the output wasn’t high, Mark Round Cakes are of the same Font Green Mark cakes are of an ear- and after production resumed, the vintage as late-period Red Mark. These lier vintage, with the added distinction factory’s technical and management teas all display very similar qualities; between the Peach and Vermilion edi- staff had all changed. To get back on one only needs to taste them to recog- tions, and that Song Font Green Mark track to large-scale production would nize this prevalent system of classifica- cakes were produced later. Although of course take some time, so it’s easy tion has a well-considered foundation. the Peach Edition teas are really quite to see why output wasn’t high during Of course, this well-established classifi- good, they didn’t appear on the market that period. cation system has had an influence on until later so don’t have as much mar- the market status of these teas, and on ket recognition; likewise, the “brand 2. The private enterprises stopped pro- their price. power” of Song Font Green Mark ducing tea in 1956, which indicates cakes has suffered largely due to their that production at the state-run fac- In summary, throughout the early inconsistent blend quality. But it’s im- tory had stabilized. Since the unstable market when there was a lack of clear portant to consider the changing pro- production conditions of the preced- information, Blue Mark cakes did not duction environment of the period in ing years had gradually been overcome, have nearly as stable a value as Red a discussion of Blue Mark tea vintage. output was naturally higher at this Mark tea. This was partly because Blue Here are some of the relevant points: point than in previous years. Mark teas were more numerous, and partly because a dozen or more years 1. From 1951–1956, when the Peo- 3. The production period of earlier ago, the Vermilion Edition Song Font ple’s Republic of China was newly es- Blue Mark teas overlaps with that of teas had not yet aged for long enough tablished, manufacturing conditions late-period Red Mark Round Cakes, to lose their green, astringent quality. were poor, so the factory subcontract- and it’s generally recognized that Peach Only a few seasoned tea enthusiasts ed private tea producers to bolster pro- Edition Blue Mark Grade A & B knew of the Peach Edition Blue Mark.

56 Masterpiece Era

They had aged for longer. And, on top the China Tea Corporation, but later tea. However, as the tea has aged and of all this, the blend quality of Song on the packaging paper still remained grown out of the green and astringent Font Green Mark was quite inconsis- even after the tea was no longer in sup- stage, this singular character has gained tent. Thus the category of Blue Mark ply. So, although there are Grade A and a certain richness, adding to its full, teas took shape, but only Blue Mark B versions of this tea, there isn’t much robust flavor and heralding the emer- Grade A & B Round Cakes and Artis- difference between the two. In his book gence of another enchanting tea to en- tic Font Green Cakes really flourished Puerh Tea (普洱茶), Mr. Deng Shihai ( joy in addition to Red Mark. on the market. Today, however, all teas 鄧時海) expresses the same view. I can Blue Mark Grade A & B Round in the Blue Mark family have now also endorse this opinion based on my Cakes are the current market leaders in graduated past the green, astringent own experience of drinking Blue Mark terms of value, mainly thanks to their stage, and as a category they are already teas over the years. unique packaging and comparatively quite rare; because of this, Blue Mark early vintage. Peach edition Grade A teas have now established an enduring 2. The emergence of policies such as & B Blue Mark is the market leader reputation among aged teas. the compulsory mixing together of within the Blue Mark category, so in Grade A and B teas for sale goes to Taiwan the Peach Edition teas are val- show that tea production during the ued about 10% higher than the Ver- Blue Mark Grade A & B early days of the Hai Tea Factory oper- milion Edition. This also indicates that ated according to a production-driven as transparency of information has im- According to the recollections of model, and market demand couldn’t proved, today’s prices really are repre- Hong Kong’s tea house owners of the exert any influence on the production sentative of the quality of the tea. I be- era, Blue Mark Grade A & B tea cakes unit. This environment was very dif- lieve this is an inevitable market trend. were born out of a need to differentiate ferent to today’s situation, where every new tea from the existing Red Mark aspect of production—from the style teas. After the establishment of the of tea to the blend and even the shape Artistic Font Green Mark People’s Republic, when director Tang —is dictated by market demand. Qingyang (唐慶陽) oversaw the fac- Artistic Font Green Mark Round tory revival (including resuming pro- As we discussed earlier, the paper Cakes (美術字綠印圓茶) are named duction of Mount Nannuo Tea), the wrapping of Blue Mark Grade A and for the artistic calligraphic script used factory focused on producing tea using B Round Cakes comes in Peach and on the packaging, which is the same raw leaf from the area around Mount Vermilion versions; the bamboo outer font that appears on Blue Mark Tie Nannuo and Mount Bada. So, to dis- packaging of the Peach Edition cakes is Bing (“iron discus”) Round Cakes. It’s tinguish this tea from Red Mark, they softer, while the Vermilion Edition has generally thought that this has some made the “tea” character (茶) in the a more rigid bamboo bundle (tong). connection to the Xiaguan Tea Facto- center of the Eight-Zhong logo green Since the Peach Edition cakes have soft ry—a theory that is worthy of discus- instead of red. Later, market prejudice bamboo wrapping of the same style as sion. between the grades caused some com- Red Mark Round Cakes, we can infer Up until 1984, all tea orders were plications, so they stamped dark blue that the Peach Edition cakes are of an handled by the Yunnan Province ink over the Grade A & B characters to earlier vintage, since this was likely a branch of the China Tea Corporation, conceal them and packaged the cakes result of adapting to the production which meant that the provincial tea up for sale with both grades mixed to- methods already in use at the time— corporation was also in charge of the gether. Given the circumstances at that then as now, this is a natural rule of packaging. So the “artistic font” used time—the tea house owners recall that saving on production costs. on the packaging likely represents the only those who were sufficiently left- The blend style of Blue Mark Grade prevalent style when the tea was pro- wing in their political leanings were A & B Round Cakes is actually quite duced, and probably wasn’t unique to even able to purchase tea—it’s quite similar to that of Red Mark Round the Xiaguan Tea Factory; however, it is believable that this sort of thing might Cakes, but they are made using raw very likely that the raw leaf did come happen. leaf from the coastal regions and dis- from the Xiaguan area. This is also the So, from observing the teas them- play an excellent blend. The blend and reason why when I visited the Xiaguan selves and using information from oth- leaf texture of the Vermilion Edition Tea Factory in 2003, all the early-vin- er sources, we can reach the following cakes is not quite as good as the earlier tage teas in their collection didn’t have conclusions: Peach Edition, and the ratio of buds is any paper wrapping. less pronounced; all in all they make Artistic Font Green Mark cakes are 1. The processing method used for for just slightly inferior drinking in easy to recognize amongst other Blue Blue Mark Grade A & B Cakes was terms of vintage and quality. Mark cakes. The packaging of Artistic very likely that of the first batch of tea When drinking Blue Mark Grade A Font Green Mark tea cakes is all of the in the early days. There are two pos- & B tea, the aged plum aroma is strong same style, design, printing and color, sibilities: (1) that it was made using and singular, and the medicinal aroma with the following features: an experimental processing method, is no less prevalent than in mid-period and (2) that it was a made-to-order tea Red Mark; however, the flavor is a little 1. Thin cotton paper commissioned by Hong Kong tea mer- one-faceted and not quite as rich and 2. Peach edition printing chants from the provincial branch of complex as Red Mark Round Cake 3. Soft bamboo outer wrapping

57/ Masterpiece Era: Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印) Grade B Peach Grade A Peach 乙級藍印桃紅版甲級藍印桃紅版

Song Font Peach Artistic Font Song Font Vermilion 藍印宋體字桃紅版藍印美術字藍印宋體字硃紅版

Grade B Vermilion Grade A Vermilion 乙級藍印硃紅版甲級藍印硃紅版 Masterpiece Era

On the left is the Artistic Font Blue Mark, Peach Edition. It has handmade thin cotton paper, and a softer tong. To the right is the Song Font Blue Mark. The top is the Peach Edition and below is the Vermilion Edition. The top version has thick paper with fibers and a soft bamboo tong. The bottom also has thick paper with fibers, but has a hard- er bamboo tong. The Song Font Blue marks are considered lower quality for Masterpiece Era tea, falling somewhere between the Grade A and B Blue Mark cakes and Chi Tze Era cakes.

The uniform packaging of Artistic Round Cake tea has a similar flavor to available knowledge on these old teas, Font cakes reflects the early-period Tongchang Huangji (“Yellow Mark”) in the hope of offering a clear, calm style, and the leaf and blend are dif- teas. It also bears similarities in aro- spring amid the chaotic torrent of in- ferent from most Blue Mark Round ma to Chen Yun Gui Mark tea—the formation. Cakes. They have a rich flavor, much only difference is in the degree of ag- livelier than that of Blue Mark Grade ing. This indicates a certain amount of A & B cakes. However, they are also continuity in tea-making in Yunnan; Song Font Green Mark the rarest product in the Blue Mark in the same vein, the packaging bears family. Any of you who have tasted witness to the changes in the market Song Font Green Mark Round Artistic Font Green Mark Round Cake and production environment over the Cakes (宋體字綠印圓茶) are consid- tea will no doubt have been drawn in years. ered a fairly “standard” product within by its unique sandalwood aroma (a People generally like collecting the Blue Mark family of teas. It’s gener- variant of the camphor fragrance), and rare treasures, and Artistic Font Green ally agreed that these teas, both Peach will know that it more than lives up to Mark Round Cakes certainly fall into and Vermilion editions, were produced its artistic reputation. this category. Minimal quantity and by the Hai Tea Factory between 1954 The Artistic Font Green Mark maximum quality guarantee a stable and 1960. Back when Song Font cakes Round Cake tea blend is reddish in position on the market, and Artistic first hit the market, they hadn’t yet color with quite a high proportion of Font Green Mark tea is priced just passed the green and astringent stage. buds, similar to Grade A Red Mark as high as Blue Mark Grade A & B. In particular, the later Vermilion Edi- Round Cakes. The character of the What’s more, it’s also much rarer than tion cakes with thick-fibered paper tea is strongly evident in its mouth- Blue Mark Grade A & B, so on today’s wrapping fell well short of the earlier feel, and it has a richly layered flavor. market, any Chajin who wishes to buy Blue Mark Grade A & B and Artistic The leaf used for Artistic Font tea is a cake of Artistic Font Green Mark tea Font cakes in terms of the aged flavor probably from the Yibang area. Aside will require a great deal of luck and te- that comes out in drinking. from its unique camphor/sandalwood nacity. In my experience, Song Font Green aroma, it also has a faint medicinal fra- No change in any element of tea Mark tea falls somewhere between the grance. It’s clear from drinking it that production happens by chance; it’s al- masterpiece-era “Mark” teas and the it differs in style from classic Yiwu teas; ways due to some aspect of the man- later Seven Sons Chi Tze Bing cakes. however from my long experience of ufacturing conditions or a shift in the On today’s lively market, Song Font drinking privately-produced teas, I’ve market. It’s for this reason that we en- tea is gradually gaining acceptance, ir- found that Artistic Font Green Mark deavor to collate and make sense of the respective of price or vintage. On the

59/ Masterpiece Era: Blue Mark (Lan Yin, 藍印) early Taiwanese market, due to a lack made of handmade cotton paper, are paper. Most of the Peach Edition Song of transparent information, Song Font hand-printed in the woodblock style, Font cakes tend to be wrapped in the Green Mark tea had a somewhat nega- only have Chinese characters and don’t thin cotton paper, but be aware that tive effect on the market value of Blue contain any product information slips. this isn’t true of all of them; in my Mark teas as a whole. In fact, Peach However, we can certainly still make a experience there isn’t necessarily a cor- Edition Blue Mark Grade A & B and few points about the characteristics of relation. Artistic Font Green Mark teas, as well Song Font Green Mark Round Cake as Red Mark, not only overlap in vin- packaging: Song Font Green Mark Round tage, but also have a unique style; it’s Cakes are the most readily available tea true that they were undervalued on the 1. Other than the fact that the lettering in the Blue Mark category, so they are early market. However, there’s one big appears in Song-style font, the content more easily purchased than the other difference between Red Mark and Blue is the same as on the Red Mark cakes. masterpiece-era “Mark” teas. Because Mark teas on today’s market, namely However, the colors of the Eight- of this, they are priced around 10–20% that early-, mid- and late-period Red Zhong logo are different from those of lower than Blue Mark Grade A & B Mark Round Cakes are all very consis- Red Mark cakes, with the central cha Round Cakes and Artistic Font Green tent in terms of quality and aging, and character printed in dark green instead Mark Round Cakes—a reliable mar- all fetch a similar price. of a uniform red. ket response. But despite the greater Within the Blue Mark category, volume of Song Font Green Mark, its on the other hand, Grade A & B Blue 2. Song Font Green Mark packaging quantity is still limited; in my opinion, Mark and Artistic Font Green Mark can be classified into Pink/Peach and Blue Mark teas were previously subject have their own unique quality, while Vermilion editions, with the Peach to significant undervaluation. Then, Song Font Green Mark is noticeably Edition teas generally acknowledged in 2003, when demand for old puerh lower in quality. That said, given the as belonging to an earlier vintage. Al- (especially these masterpiece-era Mark rarity of these old teas, a lower price though they are not as old as the Blue teas in their original packaging) surged still has a certain appeal of its own, Mark Grade A & B and Artistic Font in Malaysia, Korea and large Chinese does it not? Green Mark teas, judging from the cities and people were buying it up at The packaging of Song Font Green vintage and packaging they are still any price, the value of Blue Mark tea Mark Round Cakes is fairly uni- similar in style. quickly stabilized. form in style, with the printed wrappers displaying the typical features of 3. The paper wrappers are made of ei- “Green Mark” teas: namely, they are ther thin cotton paper or thick-fibered

60 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 wonderful 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 Gordon Arkenberg.

was introduced to Tea through chance when offered the job as cinematographer on the documentary The Mean- I ing of Tea. I was two years out of college and there is no amount of understatement to the fact that my professional experience was minuscule. On the other hand, there is no amount of overstatement to the fact that I was desperately in need of work and talked my way onto the job. The beauty of filming a documentary is that the work is a total immersion in the subject. So, what began as just another job in a freelance life, became a great treasure to me. From afternoon tea in England, through the mint green tea in Morocco, to the whisked tea ceremony in Japan, there arose a common thread: a love for a plant and the compassion to serve it to others. Every country revealed a new historical facet and each person served a beautiful cup, but Taiwan is where I found the practices that resonated most. Each day we filmed in a new location and each night the sound recordist and I would stay up late into the night reconstructing that day’s gongfu ceremony from memory and scrutinizing over the differences from the previous sessions. Even though we both lost valuable sleep, there was a childlike wonder to the tea practices we witnessed, and it took all our attention to grasp every detail. (If you are wondering why I didn’t just review the footage each night, I should mention that all our tea ceremonies were filmed on 16mm film.) Returning to New 茶人: Gordon Arkenberg York, I began meager steps towards looking for a community and serving gongfu tea to friends with all the unnecessary ac- coutrement foisted on me by the tea industry. must be attuned to every moment. The fact that one’s images While working on the The Meaning of Tea was a fast and are not revealed until after film processing and printing re- expansive introduction to tea, there was an unresolved ques- quires a strict discipline and intimate understanding of the tion on my mind. While collecting and drinking tea with oth- imaging chain. And yet, one must also learn the hard lesson ers is enjoyable, I didn’t particularly enjoy the social preening that when you see a great image but your camera has the involved in discussing, but more often arguing, over subjec- wrong type of film, you must let go of your attachment. There tive qualities such as aroma and flavor. So, from where arose is even an alchemy to developing film and photo paper that this oceanic calm I felt in preparing tea and the deep and in- has obvious parallels to brewing a cup of good tea. tractable pull to serve others? Returning to Taiwan for anoth- There is so much to share through tea, most importantly er project in 2008, I had the great fortune of meeting Wu the interconnectedness of all things. This is why I don’t mind De and filmed him drinking tea up in the mountains. At this stories about Zen masters serving tea and perhaps even a time, when Global Tea Hut was still a future dream, the stark well-placed koan to appear in the middle of my science class. difference between tea as a way of life and tea as a beverage Serving my students a bowl of tea at the break in class is an reoriented everything I had learned. important pause in their hectic academic schedule and per- I believe my attraction to tea is rooted in the way I ap- haps teaches them more than I did in the previous hours. My proach photography and teach my Science of Cinematogra- partner, Erika Houle, and I shared tea and our love at our phy course—as a practice with an emphasis on process and wedding. With Global Tea Hut, we share a community that is attention to both the general and particular. I learned to make as deep and wide as the sky. I could go on, but enumerating photographs with analog technology, which has humorous all the lessons I’ve learned from Tea would be akin to fitting parallels to Zen discipline. For instance, you only get a fleeting an infinite universe into a finite space. Best to go have another opportunity to expose a few frames of film so your attention cup of tea...

61/ TeaWayfarer Inside the Hut

Coming Soon to Global Tea Hut Magazine

茶主题: Tea & Diet 茶主题:Classics of Tea 茶主题:Chajin & Teahouses 茶主题: Hunan Thousand Tael Tea

Global Tea Hut is looking for an SEM and We are looking for a PR person with experience Facebook ad professional to help us set up and opti- who can help us spread the word about Global Tea Hut. mize evergreen SEM and Facebook campaigns in order The job entails contacting blogs, magazines and other to reach people we might not otherwise reach. We want periodicals to send sample issues to review, and trying to work with someone who is deeply experienced in this to facilitate interviews for articles, radio, television, field, and who will be thoughtful and loving. Volunteers podcasts, YouTube channels, etc. Also, if you know have done a great deal of the groundwork already. We anyone with a podcast or video channel who would need the right person to take their efforts the last mile. fit us and would be interested in interviewing Wu De For compensation we can offer tea and a small mone- or another student, please let us know. Help us get the tary consideration. Let us know if you can help! word out and grow this amazing community!

Wu De will be in Estonia and Holland this coming February. We hope to see some European friends at these events. The events will be in the second half of the month. Stay tuned to our website for details! Center News Before you visit, check out the Center’s website (www.teasagehut.org) to read about Check out our live broadcasts on Facebook, In- the schedule, food, what you should bring, etc. stagram and soon YouTube, which we do every month. Make sure you apply early for courses as they Also, check out our “Life of Tea” podcast on Sound- fill up fast. This is why we need a bigger, more cloud and “Brewing Tea” video series on YouTube! awesome Center.

The schedule for the first half of 2019 is We have created a vast array of teaware for this already posted on the website. There is no need community, both for bowl tea and gongfu tea. There are to rush, though, as we will be using a new also some amazing Light Meets Life teas this year, in- method for selecting participants in ten-day cluding a gorgeous shou puerh, some dian hong cakes, courses, considering for Global Tea Hut mem- a sheng puerh and an aged Liu Bao as well! bership and duration of membership.

We have been contemplating a big decision for the last year, finally coming to a conclusion: Starting next year, in 2019, all ten-day courses December Affirmation at the Hut will be 100% tech-free, meaning no I am awake computers, cell phones or other devices for the duration of your stay! Every day, I fall into an automatic zone, where I am acting based on the force of habit. I choose to We are saving up to buy or lease a van to be present and awake, to make time to be present drive you around during service periods and to and aware and to enjoy being present and aware take you to the tea farm and mountain to fetch so that my decisions are conscious. water during courses. 印級普洱

www.globalteahut.org GLOBAL EA HUT The masterpiecest Tea magazine in the world! Tea & Tao Magazine Sharing rare organic teas, a magazine full of tea history, 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.