Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Special Puer Edition
Special Puer Edition
國際茶亭
Tea & Tao Magazine
September 2014
Regulars
03 Tea of the Month
Spring 2013 Sheng Puerh
Bing Dao, Yunnan
13 Gongfu Tea Tips
cha Dao:
25 Coming and Going Tea
Daoist wisdom by Solala Towler
39 Out of Bounds Tea
by Steve Kokker
37 tea legends
The Legend of Seven Sons Puerh Tea
45 Voices from the hut
A Russian Tea Wedding
57 Tea Wayfarer
Ville Sorsa, Finland
Letter from the Editor
I
n September, we enter the final quarter of the
solar year. It’s also a very important month in
the Chinese lunar calendar because it is the larg-
est moon. This month, the weather starts to get
cooler and the first hints of autumn arrive. We find that
our teas start to shift from green teas, sheng puerh or
more lightly-oxidized oolongs to darker, more heavily
roasted oolongs. Cliff Teas, especially, start showing up
with more frequency.
The Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival
(Zhongqiu Jie), is one of the most important Chinese hol-
idays of the year. The full moon of this month is consid-
ered to be the largest of the year, and family members
gather to have picnics or meals and stay up to see the full
moon, which is a symbol of abundance, harmony and
e
luck. It is also a romantic time, and you’ll see lovers out
Wu D
on benches holding hands celebrating the fullest moon of
the year. Chinese people eat pomelo as a symbol of for-
tune and abundance. They are huge and delicious, gifted
to the center from many family and friends. We also eat
moon cakes, which are traditional sweets with an egg yolk
in the center, combining sweet and salty—like life. (We rise up and live immortally in the sun, longingly watching
prefer the ones without the eggs, however, some of which his beloved. The two are only united at the full moon of
are made with amazing pineapple filling!) the Osthmanthus month (September), which is why this
Every year, children hear a retelling of the story month’s moon is the fullest and brightest of the year—tes-
of Hou Yi and Chang’e, who lived during the reign of tament to their love…
the emperor Yao, around 2200 BCE. Hou Yi was Heav- Membership around here is increasing all the
en’s archer and Chang’e was an attendant to the Mother time, and with hearts full of gratitude we acknowledge
of the West. They fell in love and were eventually mar- all the efforts you have put into helping spread the word.
ried. Some of the gods were jealous of Hou Yi, however, Thank you! We hope you feel like this is your Global
and slandered him to the Jade Emperor who then ban- Tea Hut as much as it is ours. Not only will you find an
ished the two lovers to live a mortal life on earth. Hou Yi improvement in the quality of these envelopes as mem-
hunted for the couple and they were abundant on earth. bership increases, but all the proceeds are going towards
At that time there were ten suns in the sky. Each one was a center that also belongs to you. All the tea and teaware
a three-legged bird that roosted in mulberry trees around here are for learning and sharing. And a little bit of that
the world. Each day, one of them would ride across the travels in each of these envelopes every month!
sky in Mother of the Suns’ chariot. One day, however, This is a good month to share some tea. We have
they all rushed out together and dried up all the lakes and an exciting month planned for you, with some great tea
caused a huge drought, killing many people. Emperor and articles to learn from. Aside from just inviting new
Yao asked Hou Yi to shoot down nine of the bird-suns, people into the Hut, take the time to look around and get
which he did. The emperor gave him a pill of immor- to know some more of the people already here. You might
tality as a reward, advising him to meditate and fast for find a lifelong friend sitting somewhere nearby! There’s a
a year to prepare himself. While he was away, Chang’e list of local tea sessions happening at the end of this maga-
noticed the light coming from the pill he had hidden and zine. If none are close to you, maybe it is time to start one
ate it. She floated up into the sky. Hou Yi tried to follow and get your name up on next month’s list!
but couldn’t. She floated up to the moon. Once there, she We hope and pray that the last quarter of this
coughed up half the pill and asked the rabbit who ruled year is as full for you as the bright and radiant Osthman-
the moon to make some more Elixir of Life for her lover. thus Moon. With this package of tea and magazine, we
If you look closely at this month’s full moon, you can still send our enduring affection. We also have added some
see the Jade Rabbit pounding herbs to make the elixir for prayers for your happiness, health and fortune! With
Chang’e. In the meantime, Hou Yi meditated enough to bowed heads and lifted bowls…
2
Tea of the Month
Spring 2013
Sheng Puerh
Bing Dao, Yunnan
茶道
3
The Name “Puerh”
The word “puerh” really doesn’t refer to a
kind of tea. It was once a city within the Yunnan
region of China. In 1950, after the Communist
Revolution, the city was renamed “Simao”. Then,
in 2007, after a tidal wave of puerh madness and
popularity, the local government made the deci-
sion to call the city by its original name, so it is
now once again called “Puerh”, as is the province.
Traditionally, Puerh was the market cen-
ter where all the tea grown in the region was
brought to be traded and/or sold. Later, all the tea
are in a big pond. The same is true impact is always more from Yunnan came to be known as “Puerh Cha
with Bonsai trees. People are this way complex, intricate and (普洱茶)” or “Tea from Puerh”. There are many
too: we only grow as much as we give subtle than we could markets today, like Kunming in Yunnan or the
ourselves room to… Every plant has ever imagine. And as biggest puerh market in Guangzhou, where pro-
a ratio between its roots and crown, we are finding out, ducers trade and sell tea. Many producers and
and when you prune the crown the our destructive intru- factories nowadays have contracts with particular
roots also shrink. Plantation tea is sion into natural ecol- farmers and buy their crops directly. Since the tea
pruned for easy picking. Many old- ogies is having many produced in Yunnan is so unique, puerh has come
growth puerhs, on the other hand, larger and unintended to warrant its own category of tea.
are plucked with ladders or climbed effects, over time and
by the pickers. space. There is no say-
Tea trees organize themselves, ing what the true rela-
in fact, in a living garden, rather than tionship is between the weeds, bugs, cannot distinguish a Living Tea gar-
being forced into rows like on a plan- snakes and even snake poop and tea den from the surrounding forest!
tation. They know which soil is more trees. How are the local squirrels Fourth, and the most obvious,
nutrient dense, and can support related to the tea trees? It may not be is that Living Tea is chemical free.
more trees clustered closer together, apparent, but if they cohabitate, they The evil triad (pesticides, herbicides
and which soil is less so, and so there are related. Maybe the discarded nut- and chemical fertilizers) that pollutes
they must grow more spaced apart. shells help fertilize the trees, or maybe our earth, animals, birds and people
Third, all Living Tea is ecolog- it is more complex by one or many is not sustainable and not a healthy
ical. It includes a vast array of bio- degrees: maybe the nutshells are food compromise. It doesn’t matter that
diversity. We always think that in to a certain insect that attracts a cer- a study proves that such pesticides
controlling a few factors in a mono- tain kind of bird which sings in a way can be consumed by people without
culture system we can generate sus- that tea trees enjoy, helping them to quantifiably detrimental effects. First
tenance for ourselves, but the overall flourish? True tea is ecological—you off, they destroy the environment,
4
Tea of the Month
often running down the mountains stantly shifting biodiversity and the which is of course tea!) It is likely that
and harming other ecologies as well. moist climate of mists and rains that these tribal peoples are related to the
Second, what are healthy amounts? roll through the valleys make this the same who crossed the Bering Strait
And how long was the study? Maybe perfect place to farm tea. and began Native America. They
the participants showed no deteri- The terroir of Yunnan also are deep and earthy people, with a
oration of health after a two-year includes the rich cultural heritage strong connection to the mountain
study (which would be a long one), here. Where there is such tremen- spirits and Nature. It was their ances-
but what happens when you con- dous vibrancy—and has been since tors who first gathered tea from the
sume pesticide-laden tea for ten the last ice age carved these valleys— forest, using it to commune with
years? Such chemicals are unhealthy people were of course attracted by Spirit, themselves and each other. We
for people and harmful to the earth. the easy life and abundance here. should follow in their footsteps!
They defeat the purpose of tea, which Yunnan has always been a meeting Every variety of tea on earth is
is to bring Nature to society. Master place of many people: Sino-Tibetans found in Yunnan, even the ones that
Zhou Yu always asks, “How can you who migrated here from the Hima- evolved elsewhere. They have been
sit in a beautiful tea room and con- layas, Han Chinese as well as the brought by modern farmers to grow
nect to Nature, when the thing you hundreds of aboriginal tribes who there, and most all of them are happy.
are using to connect was produced in migrated here from Southeast Asia. The vibrant soil and fertile energy
a way that destroys Nature?” These are some of the oldest cultures of Yunnan influence the tea, puls-
Finally, tea is a conversation on earth, with shamanistic traditions ing through the leaves, through the
between people and Nature. In the dating back to the dawn of man. (In liquor and into us. Sages of the Dao,
Chinese character for tea, the radical fact, the majority of Chinese herbs past and present, have always taught
for ‘man’ is right in the middle. Tea used in Traditional Chinese Medi- that there are what they call “Dragon
was traditionally always respected. cine originated in Yunnan, the best of Veins” running down into the Earth
Each tree was seen as a unique being,
with life and spirit and treated that
way. Most farms don’t treat animals or
plants in that way anymore. There is
no respect for the individual being in
any of the trees—you can hardly tell
where one ends and the next begins
on most farms. It is just uncountable
“tea”—product, value, stuff, object
for consumption, etc. Living Tea, on
the other hand, is cared for, plucked
and processed by hands and heart
that love Tea and Nature!
Two: Yunnan
It’s no wonder that Yunnan is
the birthplace of all tea. It is a magical
land, vibrant in flora, animal wonder
and distinctive culture. There is more
biodiversity “South of the Clouds”
than anywhere else in China, and
more than most places on earth. In
fact, 25% of all species in China live
in Southern Yunnan, which is tiny
compared to the vastness of China
itself. The soil there is rich and loamy,
and even plants found elsewhere are
bigger here. Rich mountain soil, con-
from the Heavens above, bringing and their roots grow slightly out- of such old trees, many of which have
“Cosmic Vitality” (yang) down into ward. The big leaf variety is older, seen millennia of suns and moons—
the energy of the Earth (yin). This while small leaf tea evolved later as the rise and fall of dynasties. Some
philosophy forms the basis of the tea traveled to colder climates, both were here before the pyramids were
ancient teachings of Daoist Geo- naturally and carried by man. Tra- built! And there aren’t many words
mancy (Feng Shui), which situated ditional Yunnan tea is big leaf, and that can describe the age and wis-
hundreds of the most famous and made from old trees grown in gar- dom that comes with consuming the
beautiful monasteries and hermitages dens or wild. energy of such an old life form.
in ancient China. And, so it is said, The age of these trees belies Such old trees are indeed plant
Yunnan has more Dragon Veins than wisdom. The depth of their roots teachers. They evolved to show us our
anywhere on earth! With such an connects them to the earth and all source. Most every tribe in Yunnan
environment as its birthplace, it is no the Nature and biodiversity around believes that they are descended from
wonder that tea developed into such them in a very powerful way. Ancient tea trees, and one even believes that
a powerful, rich plant. trees have such deep roots that all life on earth was born out of tea.
they are connected to the heart of This mythology holds great truth, if
the mountain, and many even get you but have a bowl of this month’s
Three: The Trees close to the geothermal warmth of tea and shift your perspective a bit.
The indigenous, wild, old trees the earth, absorbing this heat into Of course the plant kingdom is our
found in Yunnan are of the most their beings. Some of the trees are source; it is our source in the big way,
important aspects of why puerh tea is completely wild, while others were as we all evolved out of the plant
so unique. Remember, there are two planted by people and tended, but kingdom, as did all animate life on
general kinds of tea trees (every tea still live in the forest and are indis- this planet. It is also our source on a
tree is a unique being, so categorizing tinguishable form the jungle around more daily level, since all our energy
them is like categorizing people: use- them. In fact, a beginner would hike is plant energy. We breathe air made
ful but also dangerous). Big leaf tea into the forests of Yunnan and find it from plants, we eat plant energy
trees have a single trunk, and roots difficult to pick out the tea gardens if (whether you are vegetarian or not,
that grow down, while small leaf tea they weren’t pointed out by a guide. it’s originally plant energy). The plant
trees have many trunks, are bush-like There is a natural mystic in the leaves kingdom is indeed the source of life
6
Tea of the Month
on this planet, for it is through the on the Zhanarigeng Mountain, there and the spirit of the highest moun-
plants that the cosmic energy is trans- is a glorious spring the locals call the tains on Earth.
muted: they absorb the sun’s energy “Water of Stone”. From this fount,
and provide it to the rest of the life a great flow of water and life begins Five: The Midichlorians
forms on this planet. its epic course down the steps of
As the oldest beings alive, Yunnan, and eventually through six Like no other tea on earth,
plants have a lot to teach us, and countries on its way to the ocean. puerh has an amazing and won-
these old trees in particular. The old Through Yunnan it becomes the drous relationship with microbial
trees from this forest speak a gentle Lancang River (River of Countless life. Before it is even picked, puerh
language that we can easily learn and Elephants), in Thailand it is the Mae tea trees are covered in hundreds of
incorporate into our own, human Narn Khong (Mother of All Water), species of molds, fungi and bacteria.
vocabulary. We can learn to live in Cambodia the Toule Thom (Great The leaves are teeming with them.
closer to Nature and see ourselves in Water), and then in Vietnam the Of course, such bacteria play a role
it, as opposed to apart from it. Due Mekong. This “Danube of Asia” has in all life on earth. You and I are
to increase in demand, a lot of puerh ever been the mainstay of countless mostly composed of them. By num-
is now being produced on planta- animals and people on its 4,000+ ber, around 90% of the cells in our
tions. When this happens, you lose kilometer voyage from the Himalayas bodies are non-human DNA. The
this quality and the magic of puerh to the South China and Indian seas. bacteria in us are much smaller than
with it. The Chinese once called this great our human cells, though, so they are
body of water the “River of Nine much less of our mass. But if you
Dragons”, referring to the vivacity count the cells in a human body, they
Four: The Water are the vast majority of what we call
and spirit of the water elemental. The
Beyond just the combination pure glacial water that flows down “me”, and further testament to our
of rich soil and poignant mists, Yun- into the southern parts of Yunnan deep connection with everything
nan is also irrigated by one of the from that enshrined spring at the top around us!
most holy of all waters. More than of the world brings with it an incred- We need bacteria and other
5,000 meters above sea level in Tibet, ible amount of minerals, nutrients microbial life to survive. There is
—Wu De
8
Tea of the Month
The most important brewing tip for this month Puerh tea responds well to hotter water. Try using
is: don’t oversteep this tea! You will need a pot to brew a crab-eye water for this tea, or as close to a full boil as
compressed, strong tea like this month’s. Try using less you can get without rolling. The hot water will bring out
tea at first and then add more. In fact, that’s a good rule of more in the tea.
thumb for all tea preparation: you can always add more It may also be a good idea to share this tea after
but it’s a waste to take tea away! Less is more, as with breakfast rather than before. Young sheng puerh can
all things. Try flash-steeping the first few brews, which upset some people’s stomach, especially when empty.
means pour the liquor out as soon as possible. Later on, It is strong and astringent, aiding in digestion. You will
you can increase the time. find that it feels very comfortable to drink tea like this
after a nice meal!
Our tea of the month: front and back wrapper, inner receipt and
the cake. Notice the organic certification sticker on the back.
Tea-growing
Regions of
Yunnan
Wu De
11
150 km
There are many other pop- home of all tea. We especially feel this Recently, teas from other
ular areas producing puerh tea in in the “Five Mountains”. Our under- regions in Yunnan have also started
Xishuangbanna. The most famous standing, however, is based more on to become available, following the
in recent years is Lao Ban Zhang a feeling, a connection and affinity to great popularity of puerh tea in
(老班章), which is the most Tea and Her spirit than on any linear China. De Hong is one other region
expensive of all puerh tea regions. proof—take it or leave it… The five in the very west of Yunnan. Our
Nannuo (南糯山), Bada (巴达山) mountains all tea originated from beloved purple varietal red tea, which
and Menghai (勐海山) are amongst are: we have recently named, “Plum Blos-
other famous tea producing areas som Trail” comes from De Hong.
that are to the southwest of the river. 1) Ming Feng (鳴風)
The “Puerh” region is home to While it is nice to learn some of
2) Mang Fei (忙肺)
the city where this magic tea got its the names associated with the tea we
name. This is also where we took our 3) Mei Zi Qing (梅子菁) love, more information alone doesn’t
trip, covered in July’s issue of Global really improve your affinity with tea
Tea Hut. Qian Jia Zhai is in Puerh, 4) Wu Jia Zhai (武家寨) or your ability to appreciate it. It is
which means many of you will be 5) Da Xue Shan (大雪山) much better to travel to Yunnan and
drinking tea from there soon. Puerh meet the geography in person—or, if
is in the southwest of Yunnan, just There are many other that’s not possible, travel the regions
north of Xishuangbanna. tea-growing regions in Lincang, like by drinking your way through them.
The Lincang region is the Bing Dao, where this month’s tea In this way, your knowledge of puerh
northernmost of the three major tea comes from. Tea from this area has will be experiential! We hope to pro-
areas in Yunnan. It is also the birth- only blessed the market in modern vide more chances for you to do that.
place of all tea. The forests there have times, though the aboriginals have Of course, not all of our teas will be
the oldest trees, and deepest roots in been drinking this tea for millennia. puerhs, or even come from Yunnan,
Cha Dao. There is some disagree- The tea here is strong and deep, with but we will definitely be sending
ment amongst scholars as to the sun, moon, mountain and air pour- more of this magical tea—and from
origin of tea, but in traveling to the ing through it. different regions of Yunnan—in the
three major areas of Yunnan, we have coming months and years…
found that the Lincang region is the
Gongfu Tea Tips
The Center of a
Tea Session
Wu De
The production
& Processing of
Puerh Tea
Wu De
15
Puerh Is a Genre in Its Own Right
Puerh tea is sometimes put into the black
tea category (remember, this isn’t red tea, which
is mistakenly called “black tea” in the West), but
it should actually have a category all its own. Tra-
ditionally, all puerh was fermented before con-
sumption, whether artificially in the case of shou
or naturally over time in the case of sheng. As
we’ve mentioned elsewhere, tea lovers back in the
day considered new, sheng puerh as “unfinished”
and rarely drank it, except to see how it was aging.
Therefore, all puerh tea was fermented and fit
nicely into the black tea genre, which is catego-
rized by post-production fermentation.
These days, however, much more sheng
puerh is consumed young than old. And since
sheng puerh vastly overshadows shou in quantity
the final roasting to suit their tastes.) and sold some of their and in historicity (shou only dates back to the six-
Puerh, on the other hand, often trav- teas loose, though not as ties or seventies), sheng obviously typifies puerh
els to a factory for final processing: much as compressed tea. tea.
compression into cakes if it is raw, Although some of the tea One solution to this change in tea produc-
sheng puerh or piling and then com- that was sold loose was tion/consumption would be to put young, sheng
pression if it is ripe, shou puerh. fine quality, most of it puerh in the green tea category and aged sheng
Some varieties of puerh are was considered inferior. along with shou in the black tea category. But
also destined to become loose leaf. At We have a huge that seems much more confusing than just giving
the start, that means that they remain collection of loose-leaf puerh tea its own genre. We think that since it’s
“mao cha”, but once they are aged, puerh tea here. In fact, the oldest tea, and from the birthplace of all tea,
they are technically no longer “rough we have so much that we puerh deserves its own genre!
tea”. So an aged, loose-leaf puerh have also become collec-
shouldn’t really be called “mao cha”. tors of rare antique jars to
Traditionally, these loose teas store it all in. Loose-leaf
were the ones that were grown at puerh, no matter how old, is always shape, leaf color or size, compres-
smaller farms that didn’t have con- cheaper than puerh compressed into sion, etc. On the other hand, very
tracts with any factory—often from cakes. One reason for this is that the few aged loose-leaf teas are pure.
so-called “Border Regions” where cakes have an easily-verified vintage. Most of them are blends. Some were
Yunnan borders Laos, Vietnam or Though there are fakes, experts have blended during production, though
Myanmar. Such teas were then sold developed systems of identifying more often, tea was added later on to
at market, traded between farmers them, using a combination of fac- increase the quantity of an aged tea.
or bought and stored by collectors. tors from a kind of “wrapperology”, Sometimes blends of wet and drier-
You can’t be certain, however, that which identifies characteristic marks, stored teas, or even sheng and shou
a loose-leaf puerh is a Border Tea, color changes, etc., in the printing of are mixed to make a tea seem older
as the big factories also packaged the wrappers to the cake itself—its than it is. When drinking aged loose-
16
Puerh Edition
leaf puerh, it is a good idea to only place outdoors and indoors. The tea erations of experience the farmers
rank them relative to other loose-leaf is withered outdoors for some time can tell by appearance and feel when
puerhs, rather than believing in the and then placed in a well-ventilated the leaves are sufficiently cooked,
date the merchant has given. While room, often shared by members of a and their timing is as impeccable
some loose-leaf puerhs do have a dis- particular farming village. as any time/temperature-controlled
tinct vintage, most are blends. Look- The heating process/firing (sa machine elsewhere. Scientifically,
ing at the wet leaves after steeping chin) is literally performed to remove the process is removing certain green
will also verify this. the raw flavor of the tea leaf. This enzymes within the leaf that lend it
Beyond that, cakes have been occurs in the production of most all the raw flavor, which in some variet-
found to have more Qi than loose kinds of tea (except white tea, which ies is too bitter to be drunk. As we’ll
leaf puerh, so that if the same tea categorically skips this process). In discuss later, the sa chin of puerh is
were left loose and processed into a Yunnan, the heating process is still less-pronounced than in many other
discus (bing, 餅), for example, and often done by hand in large wood- kinds of teas.
then aged for thirty years, the cake fired woks. The temperature must After the leaves are fried they
would have more Qi than the loose remain constant and the leaves have are kneaded (ro nien). This process
leaf. Having done several experi- to be continuously turned to pre- also occurs by hand on most puerh
ments where we stored the same vent any singeing. In larger farms, farms or villages near old trees. A
exact tea from the same farm in both though not often in Yunnan, this is special technique is used to knead
loose leaf and cake form, we can say done in large barrel-like machines the leaves like dough. This bruises
for sure that the compressed teas age that spin around like a clothes drier. the leaves and breaks apart their cel-
better, and not just in terms of Qi. With puerh, however, the firing is lular structure to encourage oxida-
They are better in every way: flavor, still done by hand, once again lend- tion, and later fermentation (fa xiao,
aroma, etc. They also age faster and ing tradition and wisdom to the 發酵), which will occur through the
more evenly. One possible reason for puerh process. Workers sift the leaves various methods (explained in the
this is that the steam used to com- around in circular motions ensuring box about sheng and shou puerh on
press the cakes seals the bacteria in, that they never touch the wok for the opposit page).
and the inner moisture creates a longer than a blink. Through gen- ...continued on pg. 19
better environment for them to do
their work. Still, despite the fact that
cakes are better, loose-leaf teas are
often great deals since they are much The Processing of Mao Cha
cheaper than cakes of the same age.
It’s like choosing a more affordable
antique teapot with a chip under the
lid versus a perfect, very expensive
one. Depending on your budget, the
former may be the better choice.
Processing
The freshly plucked leaves are
carried back to the house or village
and gently spread out on bamboo
mats to be slightly wilted before they
are heated to remove the raw flavor.
The purpose of wilting the leaves is
to slightly reduce the moisture con-
tent in the leaves so that they will
be more pliable and less likely to be
damaged when they are heated. This
process must be watched carefully so
that the leaves do not oxidize more
than is absolutely necessary. For
that reason, wilting typically takes
Green puerh (sheng 生), often called “raw” or Black puerh (shou 熟), often called “cooked” or
“uncooked”, is produced without any fermentation “ripe”, is produced through a processes that ferments (fa
(fa xiao) during the production or compression of the xiao) the tea to varying levels before it is compressed.
cakes. The fermentation of these cakes occurs slowly Called “wo dui (臥堆)” in Chinese, this step in puerh
through an aging process that takes seventy years to production is akin to composting. The tea is piled, moist-
reach complete maturity. These sheng cakes are by far ened and then often covered with a thermal blanket to
the more valuable of the two varieties of puerh and rep- increase internal heat. Sometimes previously fermented
resent the traditional method of puerh production. tea is introduced to promote certain bacterial growth.
Sheng puerh is said to be fully mature at around The process could be stopped at any time, though a typ-
seventy years. Of course, we can enjoy aged puerh at any ical, “full” fermentation runs from forty-five to sixty
time, and each age has its own charm. Young puerh has days. Different factories may adjust the length of time
characteristics unlike any tea, as does teenage puerh, that a tea is piled based on their recipes, the kind of
middle-aged and fully-matured. Nowadays, as vintage tea they use, or the desired level of fermentation. Most
sheng puerh gets more and more expensive, many peo- older shou tea was fermented only partially, whereas the
ple consider thirty-year-old tea to be very old. Still, there majority of shou produced today is stronger, fully fer-
is a reason why puerh experts have always said seventy mented tea.
years was full maturity: after around seventy years, the Ripe (shou) puerh can never attain the quality
changes in the physical characteristics of the puerh will of flavor, aroma or Qi as a properly aged sheng puerh.
slow down enough to say they have stopped chang- The process of piling puerh to artificially ferment it was
ing. In other words, the tea liquor isn’t going to get any developed in the late sixties and then licensed for com-
darker, and the flavors, aromas and mouthfeel of a tea mercial production in 1973, which is usually the date
this old are changing so slowly, you will have to find a most books will cite as the beginning of shou puerh.
much older specimen to see the differences. Of course, Factories were looking to mimic the qualities of aged
all things equal, the older the better. sheng in less time. Of course, they were not successful.
As puerh ages, the rate of change decreases, so What they did create, instead, was a whole new category
the difference between a five and ten-year-old puerh is of puerh tea to be evaluated and enjoyed by itself, and
more pronounced than the difference between a thirty according to its own criteria of quality, rather than com-
and forty-year-old tea. After seventy years, the tea has paring it to sheng puerh.
reached the point that its leaves won’t get any darker and Ripe tea doesn’t age the same as sheng. If the tea
the liquor will look the same as a one-hundred-year-old was partially fermented, however, it will age. Since many
tea, though the latter may have more Qi and a slightly early ripe teas were only partially fermented, they can
different flavor profile. even be sold as sheng to the uninitiated. Fully-fermented
ripe teas tend to mellow out over time, loosing some of
the rough, “pondy” or ammonia flavors associated with
such a long period spent piling.
Puerh Edition
It takes skill and method to lated room used earlier for wilting and helps further the natural vibra-
achieve a gentle bruising without during the hot hours of the day. The tions present in the tea. Not all puerh
tearing the leaves. We have personally leaves will be inspected hourly and is processed in this way, especially
tried this in Yunnan and Taiwan, and when they have dried sufficiently, with all the innovation and change in
found it is very difficult to achieve. they will be bagged and taken to the the modern industry—though, ide-
We invariably tore up the leaves. The factory to be processed, or to market ally, we want tea made in traditional
farmers, however, can go through the to be sold as loose leaf. ways.
movements with surprising speed. The two most distinguish- Once the leaves are processed,
Finally, after the mao cha has ing aspects of puerh production are they will often go through their first
been kneaded and bruised it is left to the sa chin and the sun drying. The sorting (fan ji). A second sorting
dry in the sun. Once again this pro- firing of puerh tea does arrest oxi- will occur later at the factory itself.
cess must be monitored carefully to dation, as in all tea, but it is usually This sorting is to remove unwanted,
prevent any unwanted oxidation or less pronounced than other kinds of ripped or torn leaves, as well as the
fermentation from occurring. Usu- tea, leaving some of the enzymes in leaves that weren’t fired or rolled
ally, the leaves are dried in the early the tea alive, as they help promote properly. At this stage, the factory/
morning and late evening sun, as fermentation. Then, after firing and producer may ask the farmer to sort
midday is too hot. They will move rolling, puerh is sun dried. This gives the leaves according to size, called
the leaves into the same well-venti- it a certain flavor, texture and aroma “grade”. This practice is becoming
rarer, however, as the prices of old-
growth puerh increase. Nowadays,
farmers sell most everything. Some-
The Processing of Puerh at the Factory times, they don’t even sort out the
broken or mis-processed leaves.
At the Factory
Upon arrival to the factory,
the mao cha goes through its second
sorting (fan ji). This is often done
by hand even at the larger factories,
though some have large winnowing
machines. And most have strict rules
controlling the diet of the sorters. Tea
is an extremely absorbent leaf and will
be altered by any impurities. Sorters
therefore shouldn’t eat chili, garlic or
onions. Nor can they drink alcohol
the night before a sort, as it will be
secreted through their skin and con-
taminate the leaves. The sorting that
occurred on the farm was more cur-
sory and based solely on leaf size or
“grade”. This second sorting is more
detailed and thorough. The leaves are
distinguished not only by their size,
but also by their quality, type (old
or young growth, which mountain
they came from, etc.), and other cri-
teria that are constantly changing.
Larger factories often have mao cha
arriving from all over Yunnan and
therefore employ experts to monitor
all sorts of conditions to determine
which leaf size, which locations, etc.,
will have a good harvest that year.
...continued on pg. 21
19/ Processing Puerh Tea
The best puerh teas are still processed by hand, and in the old
ways. This tea is being sun-dried on the roof of a house.
20
Puerh Edition
lower shou tea than a new tea could
produce. Other times the tea that
was inferior and didn’t make it into a
cake, is then sold loose leaf later, and
labeled “aged” to help market it.
Once ready, the leaves are care-
fully weighed and placed into cloth
compression bags or metal pans.
The texture of these bags can be seen
imprinted on puerh tea if one looks
closely. They are not used to package
the tea, only in the compression pro-
cess itself. They are made from special
cross-woven cotton. Strangely, even
the larger factories that we’ve visited
still use antique-looking scales to do
their weighing. Along with human
error, this explains why even new
cakes are often incorrect in either
direction by a decimal of a gram (of
course in aged tea this is usually due
to pieces breaking off).
Steam is used to prepare the tea
for compression. The steam is care-
fully controlled—mostly automatous
in the larger factories—to ensure the
leaves are soft and pliable, but not
cooked or oxidized in any way. It is
More and more, factories are tar- gle tree, since they receive different
basically a process of slight rehydra-
geting collectors by creating limited sunlight. There are merits to both
tion. The steam softens the tea and
edition sets, with cakes from certain kinds of cakes, and it seems point-
the cloth in preparation for compres-
mountains, for example. less to say that one is better than the
sion. Sometimes the steaming takes
There is a lot of discussion other in general. It would be better
place before the tea is placed into the
nowadays about the differences to talk about specific teas, as a certain
cloth, using metal pans instead. In a
between single-region and blended blended cake may be better than a
non-mechanized factory a wooden
puerhs. For the last fifty years, most given single-region cake or vice versa.
table is placed over a heated wok full
all puerhs were blends. The factories The trend towards boutique,
of water. The steam rises through a
would collect the mao cha from var- private and single-region cakes has
small hole in the center. This is far
ious regions and then blend them in also changed the way that puerh is
more difficult than the automatic
ways they thought improved the tea: produced. For example, some cakes
steam generators at larger factories
choosing strength and Qi from one are made on site and completely
because the temperature control is
region, blended with sweetness and processed by the farmers themselves.
lacking and the leaves can end up
flavor from another, etc. In this way, Most tea, however, still travels to
being burnt. It requires the skill of
cakes would be more balanced. In factories for sorting (blending) and
generations to successfully steam the
the last fifteen years, there has been compression. What was once one of
tea this way.
a trend towards single-region cakes, the simplest teas, at least as far as pro-
The compression process
and with it the idea that such tea is cessing goes, has now become com-
was traditionally done with stone
more pure. It should be remembered plicated by the vast industry that has
block molds. The tea is placed in
that all old-growth puerh is actu- grown up around it.
the cloth, which is then turned
ally a blend, since no two trees are Mao cha can sit in a factory
and shaped into a ball. The nei fei
the same. So even tea from a single for a long or short time, depend-
is added at this time—an “inner
mountain will be a blend of different ing on many factors. In doing so, it
trademark ticket” compressed into
teas. If you are sensitive enough, you technically ceases to be “rough tea”.
the tea to establish branding. The
can even distinguish the leaves from Sometimes tea is aged for a while and
cloth is then twisted shut and cov-
the eastern and western side of a sin- then piled to produce a nice, mel-
ered with a stone mold block.
...continued on pg. 23
21/ Processing Puerh Tea
The Shapes of Puerh Cakes
1 2 3
4 5 6
22
Puerh Edition
The producer would then physically to days and sometimes even up to a bamboo forest. The Bamboo bark
stand on the stone block and use his week. Some big factories use ventila- conserves the freshness of the tea and
or her weight to compress the cake. tion systems and/or fans to speed up makes packaging easier. Twelve tongs
In some of the smaller family-run the process. are then further wrapped using Bam-
factories, puerh cakes are still created When they are finished dry- boo, into a jian (件), which is twelve
using this method. On our recent ing, the cakes are taken off the shelves tongs of seven, so eighty-four bings
visit to Yunnan, we had the chance to be packaged. Each generation of in all. Other shapes of compression
to make our cakes by dancing around cakes has its own unique character- include bricks (zhuan), mushrooms
on the stone molds, to the delight istics with regards to the wrapping (which look like hearts to the Tibet-
of the Chinese audience present. paper, printing, style of Chinese ans they were primarily exported to,
Larger factories often have machines characters, nei fei, etc. As we dis- and thus named “jing cha”), bowl or
for compressing their cakes, though cussed earlier, there is a whole sci- nest shapes (tuocha), and sometimes
some still produce some of their ence of “wrapperology”. Each decade melons. We have found that the dis-
cakes in the traditional way. Some are brought revolutions in the printing cus-shaped cakes (bings) age the best.
hand-operated presses that require process worldwide, so it seems obvi-
the operator to pull down a lever and ous that the larger factories would
Puerh production may seem
press the cake into shape; others are change their printing methods. Also,
complicated at first, but it really isn’t
automatic and occur with the press of the wrapping paper in particular is
that difficult to understand. We hope
a button. We even saw one machine handmade, and a lot can be discerned
that the basics we’ve covered in this
that was capable of compressing via fibers, texture, and the appear-
article, along with the accompanying
twelve bings simultaneously. ance of the paper as well as the ink
charts, will help simplify the process
After compression, the cakes color. It is impossible to forge many
for you and increase your under-
are taken out of the compression of these paper and ink combinations
standing of the more linear aspects
cloths and placed on wooden shelves and make them appear aged.
of puerh tea. By including other arti-
to dry. They are still slightly damp Discus-shaped cakes, called
cles about the energetics of puerh in
from the steam at this stage. Many “bingchas” are individually wrapped
this issue, as well as past and future
larger factories have a separate room in handmade paper and then bundled
issues, we hope to fulfill you in a
with tons of shelves lined with dry- in groups of seven (qi zi, 七子) called
more balanced way. Thus, our under-
ing cakes. The cakes are monitored tongs (桶). Each tong is wrapped in
standing of puerh will be more holis-
and often even stored on particular Bamboo bark (tsu tze ka, 竹子殼).
tic, including its history, production
shelves that are numbered according Sometimes English articles mistak-
methodologies and other informative
to their processing time. Different enly assume that these are bamboo
approaches along with a spiritual and
types of puerh leaves and different leaves. Actually, bamboo trees shed
vibrational understanding of this
shapes or levels of compression will their skin whenever they get bigger
amazing tea.
affect the amount of time that is or sprout new stems. You can see this
needed to dry the cakes, from hours material covering the floor of any
Having a lot of information about puerh is no ture. But these are not so worthwhile without experi-
substitute for drinking these teas, and really only useful ence. What would books of tea information be without
in purchasing tea, establishing or verifying a vintage or any tea to drink? Consequently, be sure to temper all
having discussions with connoisseurs. To us, Tea is med- this left brain with some right, all this mind with some
icine, and aged puerh teas hold the highest vibration. spirit—all these tea words with some tea wisdom!
Puerh is magical in its ability to connect us with our-
selves, Mother Earth and each other. It is stronger and
more vibrant than most other teas. We hope to cover Tea
from many perspectives in these pages, including linear
information about tea, tea production, history and cul-
Coming and
Going Tea
Solala Towler
26
Here are some old tea trees:
I n coming to understand the history of puerh, especially the last century or so, you include heritage and historicity into
your appreciation of this magical genre of tea. For a long time, aged puerh was the mark and measure for every discussion
of the genre. In those days, we rarely drank any newborn tea, except to see how it was aging. So you really haven’t explored
puerh as a genre until you’ve also had some aged tea. We hope this article helps you on that journey.
It should be noted that most all the terms used to identify the families and eras of puerh tea began for the most part
with the scholarship of the 1990’s. During their own times, these teas were everyday commodities, and names and trends
always changed with the times. Also, one should remember that the lines between these eras, while based on reason, are ulti-
mately arbitrary. Though most scholars agree in general, certain vintages right near the boundaries might slip into either age
depending on what one reads.
Throughout the coming pages, we’ll discuss the eras of puerh tea, accompanied by pictures of the rare and priceless
teas from the Masterpiece Era...
Young or Old
As puerh ages, something magical happens and it as “unfinished tea”, but things have certainly changed in
changes from a bitter, astringent and strong brew to a the last ten or fifteen years.
dark, smooth, soft and sweet ambrosia. There is no tea Time passes, as it does, and rather than feeling
as nice as a well-aged puerh! Back in the day, when aged down about this, we’ve discovered a whole new dimen-
puerh was readily available, people rarely drank new- sion to enjoying puerh! Young and old puerh needn’t be
born tea, except to check how it was aging. Nowadays, compared against one another, but rather appreciated
exploration of new regions in Yunnan, exciting new and used medicinally—each for her own reason. We
teas and the rarity of aged puerh have all shifted the tea used to only evaluate new tea based on how it would age,
world and much more newborn puerh is consumed. As but now we drink it for its own sake. There is a great joy
this shift was happening, many who had been drinking in drinking newborn puerh, like this month’s, and also
aged tea were saddened by the very sudden increase in in aging it, watching it change over time. We’ve learned
price, as many vintages became way too expensive for to appreciate all the different ages of puerh from new
all but the richest amongst us. Previously, it was thought to adolescent to well-aged. They each have their place
that puerh couldn’t be called “puerh” unless it was fer- and season to be brought out and shared with beautiful
mented. Tea lovers back in the day thought of new puerh guests like you!
29
One version of the now legendary 1950’s Red Mark
The Antique Age Kong have reported that 10 jian (or an issue. However, all the cakes did
“cases”, each with 84 cakes, therefore have a nei fei or “inner trademark
This era of tea includes all
equaling 840 cakes) was enough for ticket” embedded into the tea just
the tea that was produced prior to
the entire island for one year. The like the ones of today. Many also had
the formation of Communist China
demand for puerh was low because a nei piao or “stack ticket” that rested
in 1949. All of the factories from
the retail price was relatively high in each stack of seven cakes (tong).
that time were private businesses
compared to other teas. Nevertheless, Other than the leaves themselves,
and none had anywhere near the
many would argue that the cleaner these trademarks are really the only
output of those today. Many of these
and more natural farming methods way that collectors can tell cakes
trading firms also dealt in other
and environment lent these cakes apart, especially ones from the same
goods as well, like rice and other
a certain majesty not found in any factory, like for example the Red and
agricultural products. Puerh tea was
of their descendents. The fact that Blue Mark Song Ping Hao cakes. The
just one commodity amongst others.
many of these teas are now 70 or leaves in these ancient cakes were
Some of them were even owned by
more years old, coupled with the fact larger-leaf blends, and were harvested
single families, like the legendary
that very few were produced to begin completely from old-growth trees.
Song Ping Hao and Tong Qing Hao.
with, makes them extremely rare and When the “New China” was
They were often small, rural houses
valuable—sometimes costing more established in 1949, the central
where tea and other products were all
than a hundred thousand USD per government declared that all industry
processed completely by hand. The
cake. belonged to the people. Even the tea
demand of the market at that time
The cakes from the Antique industry was handed over to the local
was small and annual production in
Era were never wrapped with an government. These changes closed
numbers that would make even the
outer wrapping paper. Perhaps it was these family-run, private businesses
state-owned factories of later years
considered too costly at the time; in the 1950’s and the Antique Era
scoff. Old tea house owners in Hong
and preservation wasn’t as much of came to an end.
30
Puerh Edition
The Masterpiece Era distributing Chinese tea to all eight used to wrap seven cakes into tongs
directions of the world. didn’t change in the Masterpiece Era:
The start of the Masterpiece
Red and Blue Mark teas, as they still used bamboo bark with
Era began with the creation of the
well as others from the Masterpiece soft bamboo twine to hold the tong
state-run factories, like Menghai,
Era, are now also very rare. While closed.
which is still in existence today
they aren’t as expensive or as difficult The Masterpiece Era is
(though it is privately owned now).
to find as Antique Age teas, many considered to be the 1950’s and
In order to control and stabilize the
vintages are quickly approaching 60’s, and characterized by four main
production of tea in Yunnan, the
comparative values. Like the older categories of tea. Some authors
“China Tea Corporation, Yunnan
teas, these too are treasures. subdivide these cakes into more
Branch” was created. They had their
Tea cakes in the Masterpiece varieties. This list is, therefore, a
own logo, brand and trademark—
Era are distinguished from earlier gross simplification, as most Chinese
established in 1950, and registered
ones by the obvious change to using anthologies will include some
with the central government in
outer wrapping paper. All these cakes later teas in this era, as well as sub-
1951. This trademark is the now
were wrapped in handmade papers divide these categories into many
famous “8-Zhong Tea” character
with the “8-Zhong” trademark in cakes. Nevertheless, this is a start to
that is in the center of all the cakes
the center. The name of the “China understanding the Masterpiece Era:
from the Masterpiece and later Seven
Tea Corporation, Yunnan Province
Sons eras. The character “zhong 1) Red Mark Round Cakes
Branch Company” was printed in
(中)” means “middle” or “Middle 2) Red Mark Tie Bing (iron discus)
a ring around the central character,
Kingdom”, viz. China. Eight of them 3) Grade A & B Blue Mark-
and read from right to left (which
surround the character for tea (茶) Round Cakes
helps distinguish these cakes from
since that number was considered 4) Artistic Font Blue Mark-
later ones produced in the Seven
lucky. It also symbolized the goal of Tie Bing (iron discus)
Sons Era). The style and methods
...continued on pg. 33
changes in packaging at this time, production of that design makes the beginning of the Newborn Era,
like the use of metal wires to tie tongs, the delineation between the Seven the production and variation of puerh
factory and batch codes and even Sons Era and what scholars call the tea has increased in a whirlwind of
changes to the design of the nei fei “Modern” or “Newborn Era” difficult volume. Also, more single-region tea
tickets compressed into the tea. indeed. However, most all puerh is being made these days and there
historians end the Seven Sons Era has also been a dramatic increase in
Newborn Era sometime in the mid to late 1990’s. what we call “Boutique Tea”, which
For us, 1997 is a good time to mark means private, small productions
Different authors end the the end of this era because the private made by shop owners or puerh lovers
Seven Sons Era at different times. orders made by tea merchants to the who travel to Yunnan themselves
Many modern factories are still national factories increased drastically to see the trees and order cakes to
producing cakes with the same after 1997. In addition, different their taste. (Like our amazing cakes,
packaging designs as those made kinds of wrapping styles emerged discussed on pgs. 43-4)
during this era, and the continuous alongside the Seven Sons style. Since
Three Eras of Puerh /34
Puerh Edition
Factory Codes and are often very complicated. The final number in the
Different factories follow different four-digit code refers to which state
Many state-produced bingchas
guidelines and/or change them over factory produced the cake. Knowing
have a four-digit production number.
time. Generally, though, the first the factory can often help determine
This trend began in the late 1960’s
grade leaves are the smaller ones, the tea-growing region in which the
or early 1970’s and consequently
buds, and then the bigger the leaves raw material was farmed as well. In
doesn’t apply to very old antique
and further back up the stem, the those days there weren’t so many
puerh. These were internal factory
higher the grade. In the olden days, factories as today. As we mentioned
batch codes originally and were only
the first four grades were often used above, these recipes are now copied
known and used by factory workers
to process bowls or nest-shaped teas or commemorated by many different
and merchants who ordered from
(tuochas 沱茶) and mushrooms factories, so the last number has
them. Nowadays, however, the old
(jingcha 緊茶) and larger fifth less relevance in modern times. The
recipes have become famous and
through ninth grades were reserved numbering for the factories is as
many companies, small and large,
for bingcha and brick puerh. This follows:
are trying to reproduce the famous
has changed in the modern era.
“7542” or our favorite, “8582”.
Nowadays all different kinds of cakes 1 Kunming Tea Factory (昆明茶厂)
Consequently, it’s worth knowing a
are made from the selection of grades. 2 Menghai Tea Factory (勐海茶厂)
little of what these codes are about.
The word “grade” can 3 Xia Guan Tea Factory (下关茶厂)
Basically, the first two digits are
occasionally confuse English- 4 Feng Qing Tea Factory (凤庆茶厂)
the year in which that production was
speaking people. This is because the 8 Hai Wan Tea factory (海湾茶厂)
first started. If a particular mixture/
grade mentioned above is not always * “8” was also used by
processing procedure marketed well,
relevant to quality. Of course, a Long Sheng Tea factory
it was then continued the next year,
first grade leaf is more expensive by in the past (龙生茶厂)
sometimes even for decades to the
weight because the buds are smaller 9 Langhe Tea Factory (郎河茶厂)
present. In other words, if the first
and there is a lot less of them. But Sometimes factory codes are
two digits are “75,” this means that
price and quality are not always also followed by a dash and then a
this particular production method/
commensurate. The word “grade” number of the particular batch. This
mixture was first begun in 1975. This
in English also denotes “quality” doesn’t occur that often, though. But
doesn’t mean that the tea itself dates
and is therefore misleading. There when it does, it can help identify the
to 1975. It could be a 2006 cake. It
are two Chinese words, one for the vintage as long as one knows how
just means that the recipe itself began
grade (dang ji 等級), i.e. size and many batches are produced each year.
in 1975. The methods used to blend
location of the leaves on the plant, Below is a summary, then, of the four
and process puerh tea into cakes are
and another for the quality of the numbers present in a factory code
often experimented with until better
leaves/tea (pin tze 品質). Many times with an example for clarity:
formulas are developed.
the first leaves are better quality, but
The third digit refers to the leaf
not always.
size or “grade” used in production
of the cake. Grades of teas were
75 4 2
These two numbers refer to the
date in which this processing This digit refers to the This last number refers to
method began, so that in the case average size of the leaves the factory that produced
of this tea, processing began in used, often called “leaf the bingcha. So this cake
1975. It unfortunately doesn’t de- grade”. So this tea is com- was made by Menghai Tea
scribe the date of the actual tea, posed of 4th grade leaves. Factory (勐海茶厂).
as many production processes are
carried on for many years.
1 2 3
4 5 6
3 Inner Receipt (nei piao, 內票) 6 Big Label (da piao, 大票)
This is a paper that is sometimes inserted be- Da piao were big brand labels that are attached
tween the cake and the outer wrapping. Not to each jian. This sometimes is still practiced,
all cakes have them. They often contain details but it was more prominent in previous eras.
about the production, region and sometimes They often detail the batch, recipe, etc. We have
even advertising. Some vintage nei piao even one from the Antique Era in the center.
have broken English ads promoting the health
benefits of puerh.
36
Tea Legends
The Legend
of Seven Sons
Puerh Tea
Wu De
37
cup and giggles. “You got it, the tea
revived the old coot!” He laughs.
“The tea also showed that
old dodger a vision... and he had
an idea. He summoned his seven
sons and told them all to travel to
distant, remote tea mountains and
bring back the amazing old tea leaves
that grew there. The sons obediently
started doing this and brought the
leaves back home to be processed.
Over time, they had to travel fur-
ther and further afield, but they did
earn enough to start families of their
own... Hopefully, not as big as their
old man’s, though!”
“The daughter stayed with the
old couple, as she rightly should since
that old mom went through so many
births to bring her into the world!”
The old man slaps his knee, taking
another sip. The liquor is starting to
turn from deep black and brown to
amber and red. “The father renamed
her ‘Nu Er Cha’, which means
‘Daughter Tea’. Those sons all settled
down in the mountains that are to
this day named after them, though
they always sent tea home and came
to visit now and again like good
brats…” Funny old guy!
“Each year, they would also
bring a cake of their best tea, from
the oldest and wisest trees to gift to
their father. He would drink that tea
himself, aging what he couldn’t use
in bamboo bark. The aged tea helped
him live a long and healthy life,
and he never swooned into a coma
again—especially now that his house
was finally quiet!”
“And over the many long
years he lived, he also shared that tea
with all the other villagers, and the
man both start to get funnier and pouring out another pot into the many guests that come to disturb
you too roll around a bit, laughing stained old cups. “The seventh son, such toothless old men,” he winks
with glee. “They went to bed without Wu Liang, came to a distant moun- playfully. “Some even came from far
a resolution. Over the coming days, tain where it was told that there was away. And to all of them he would
the poor old man was so distraught a magical elixir that could cure any- proudly hold up a bamboo bundle of
and worried about his children that thing. He hiked up an old, worn trail seven cakes and proclaim, ‘This is my
he fainted, and fell into an illness… and found an ancient and mystical Seven Sons Tea!’”
Maybe he wasn’t so smart, after all…” tea tree with thousands of years of The old man pours a last brew
“All his seven sons were sad. canopy rising up into the sky. He from the wizened pot, as we look
Their father had fallen ill worrying prayed at the altar there and plucked around at all the bamboo tongs on
about them. They therefore ventured a few of the leaves, rushing home… the shelves, each with seven cakes
off in seven directions to find some I bet you know what happened, eh?” inside…
medicine for Old Ba… Now, this is He looks down at your recently-filled
my favorite part,” the old man says,
38
Cha Dao
Out of
Bounds Tea
Steve Kokker
40
Cha Dao
Tea and Tantra tea—this time an unopened 800g a tantric tea session, there may be a
basket from the 1980’s. There was few obvious destinations, but just
There was another recent tea
quite a lot of excitement in the air stay focused. The tea can surprise
event that stepped out of the bound-
that this tea had been packed over you.” What soon followed was unlike
aries of our usual experience. We
30 years ago and had been meditat- any other moment I had experienced
dubbed this the Tantric Tea Temple,
ing all the while, waiting for us to during a tea session. Someone started
after an actual space run by Tantra
open it up again! Shashi started with laughing, at first just gently, as if
teacher Shashi Solluna. We met at
a heart-opening meditation exer- the laugh had bubbled up uninten-
the recent Tantra Festival in Estonia,
cise, which centered us and provided tionally from deep within. Then a
where she was hanging out in our
the perfect ambience into which few more laughs, starting to sound
Chado tea tent, and it turned out
tea could start flowing. Recently, I free-flowing. Another, and then
that she was so into tea that she had
have also found that a short, loosely another started laughing after this,
merged tea drinking sessions in with
guided meditation before a tea ses- genuine just-for-its-own-sake kinds
her tantric courses in Thailand. Her
sion helps a great deal to shed every- of laughs: mouth relaxed, with the
space there was called the “Tantric
day concerns. sounds emerging from the middle of
Tea Temple”. Of course, we hit it off
We enjoyed a few bowls of the chest (versus those throat laughs
and after being taught a lovely Guan
the black brew in silence and then I we often use to signal joy to others
Yin Qi Gong ritual by a lake, we
gently suggested that during the next but are not very deeply felt). Soon,
decided to set up a tea session before
bowl, we all shift our focus on ‘where about five of the eleven gathered were
she left.
the tea goes’ as it slips into our bodies laughing quite uncontrollably, shak-
In attendance were three tan-
at the back of the throat: To follow ing their heads, moving shoulders
tric instructors and some friends.
the liquid as it dissolves into us. To rhythmically and enjoying the feel of
Inspired by the heart-opening theme
simply see ‘where it goes’. There were big smiles on their faces. Fantastic!
of the eve, I again chose a Liu Bao
a few giggles. “Well, seeing as this is
42
Puerh Edition
茶道
43
ening harmony through the spirit Meets Life”. 100% of the profits from ing our new center! This price does
of tea. We seek to build commu- this tea will be put into savings towards not include shipping, which will be
nity through our mutual love of tea the building of Light Meets Life, which quoted to you and depend on your
as plant medicine, Nature and as a will also be a free space to learn med- country. If you are interested in hav-
spiritual vehicle. Our current center itation and Cha Dao. None of the ing one of these 150 cakes or have
(Tea Sage Hut) in Miao Li, Taiwan, proceeds from this cake will be used any questions that weren’t answered
hosts hundreds of visitors each year. towards our current center or any here, please contact us at:
They come to learn meditation, Cha other project.
Dao and to deepen bonds with this globalteahut@gmail.com
growing, worldwide community. All The minimum donation
room and board, tea and teachings for one of these amazing cakes is
are free. In continuation of this, we 100 USD. You are welcome to donate
plan to build a bigger, more perma- anything beyond that, knowing that
nent center, which we will call “Light it will help bring us closer to build-
44
Voices from the Hut
A Russian Tea
Wedding
An Interview with Katya & Denis
茶道
Long-term
Storage of
Puerh Tea
Wu De
50
Puerh Edition
encourages the fermentation process
(filling the whole center with the
strong fragrance of tea); the Autumn
acts as a kind of buffer, as the humid-
ity and heat decrease slowly; and then
the tea “rests” in the winter, when the
humidity and heat are much lower.
Much more goes into storing puerh
than just the humidity level, in other
words. It does indeed need moisture
and heat, though you might say that
in order to remain healthy, the bac-
teria and other microorganisms in
and on the tea, which cause the very
fermentation that results in the mag-
ical transformation of puerh tea over
time, need oxygen, humidity and
heat. And that’s the tripod that sup-
ports the aging of all puerh tea. The
“
“
seasonal variations only complicate
the process and show with greater
clarity the beauty and dexterity with And you must view your
which Nature wields her creative
powers.
cakes as living things.
Teas that are too dry will die.
And you must view your cakes as liv- Traditionally, teahouses and create a tea that still bears some white
ing things. A friend recently visited collectors kept tea in basements and flakes from its period in wet storage,
us from London. Since we are both beneath hills to speed up the aging even though it has an overall dry
lovers of Zhou Yu’s teas, we drank process. This is called “wet storage.” profile. Unless the cake is very seri-
some nice 2005 and 2006 cakes. Most experts agree that a relative ously wet, these conditions can be
He was shocked. By the end of his humidity of around 70% is ideal overcome with time, and often only
trip, after visiting Zhou Yu and try- for puerh, though it may go higher affect the surface of the cake, depend-
ing some of these teas again, he said seasonally and still be “dry.” Longer ing on the degree of mold and how
he realized that his teas were in fact exposure to higher levels of humid- tight the compression is. I have little
dying in the part of England he lives ity will speed up the fermentation experience drinking any of the other
in, as the humidity is too low and/or and make it a “wet” tea. Wet stored kinds of mold—red, green, yellow,
the seasonal fluctuations in tempera- tea has always been subdivided into black, etc.—but I have heard from
ture/moisture/oxygen aren’t suitable. mild, medium and heavy wet. Even several different teachers that all of
We’ve had similar results comparing those who prefer wet stored tea will them are potentially unhealthy and
the same tea stored here and in Rus- agree that the first two are almost to be avoided. We have, however,
sia. always the best, though I have seen drunk gallons of the white mold—
Today, when we say that one rare examples of heavy wet teas that and eaten it on fruit—and so have
should “dry store” one’s high-qual- were excellent. teachers of mine for decades, with-
ity teas, this means in a place where Sometimes, tea and fruit in out any harmful side effects. More-
the humidity is neither too high nor this part of the world develop a over, scientists studying aged puerh
too low; a place that obeys the sea- seasonal, white mold. Finding this in Taiwan concluded that all mold
sonal fluctuations that makes puerh on vintage puerh is very common, is killed in waters of eighty degrees.
healthy, which is why I actually prefer and while it does usually signify the Anyway, if the idea of drinking bacte-
the term “well stored” to calling such tea was wet stored for at least some ria, fungi or mold makes you squea-
tea “dry stored”. Given the choice, time, depending upon the amount of mish you should get out of the puerh
though, I would take a tea that was mold, it is not necessarily an indica- (and cheese) genre categorically. Even
too wet over a tea that was too dry tion of its overall character. A short newborn, raw (sheng) puerh is cov-
any day of the week. We’ll get into period of wet storage followed by a ered in bacteria, and often fungi and
why in a minute. couple decades of drier storage might mold as well.
52
Puerh Edition
No matter how careful you your wallet will not be as happy) but However, I have met several people
are, it isn’t easy to store anything well equally excited at the prospect of around Asia who actually like that
for fifty years! And many experts argue another specimen that costs a third flavor. I myself prefer the taste of
that puerh only reaches excellence at of the price because there’s a chip on “well stored” teas—meaning properly
around seventy or more years, though the inside of the lid—especially if, stored as discussed above—and store
it may be “drinkable”—well-fer- like us, you’re a collector that actually the center’s own high quality teas in
mented, in other words—in as little uses his/her pots. The same argument that way. Still, I cannot wave a wand
as 20-30 years, depending on how applies to buying vintage puerh— over all the vintage tea out there and
it is stored. Still, keeping anything vintage anything—and always has! change it. As I drank my way through
in mint condition for decades is not Most of the mustiness in wet all the vintages and tons of loose-leaf
easy, as any collector of antiques can stored puerh tea rinses off quickly. teas as well, I came to appreciate that
testify. Just as we must forgive a dent “Last thing in is the first thing out” as wet stored tea represents a huge cat-
or scratch in a hundred-year-old ket- Master Lin always says. A longer rinse egory of tea, and I have had really,
tle or teapot, we must also excuse usually takes care of it, and there are really wet teas that turned out to be
some slight misfortunes in equal- also some other brewing techniques awesome and dry ones that were not
ly-aged puerh, especially when the to minimize or completely eradicate so good, and vice versa.
price candidly reflects these issues, the musty flavor should you dislike We recently found a big jar of
which it does in any honest shop. If it: using extra leaves is one; using early 80’s tuocha, for example, that
you collect vintage teapots, for exam- charcoal and an iron tetsubin to get were very heavily wet. This is always
ple, you are of course thrilled to find a deeper heat that penetrates the leaves a good thing, because the extremely
Qing pot in mint condition (though is another. There are still others… tight compression of tuochas ren-
ders their fermentation unbearably
slow. We brushed the cakes off with
a toothbrush and left them in the sun
for an afternoon. Then, we brought
them in and broke them up com-
pletely. After that, we returned them
to the sun the next day for a couple
hours. When they cooled, we tightly
sealed them in a large, glazed pot that
was completely free of odors and left
them for around six months. We also
added some white charcoal to help
purify and absorb unwanted odors.
When we opened the pot, we covered
the mouth with cloth and let them
sit, exposed to air, for another two
weeks. Then? The tea was amazing!
All the worst parts of the wet storage
(the musty flavor and smell) had gone
and what was left was a clear, bright
tea that tasted so much older than it
was—with strong Qi to boot! This
is just one example of many of the
awesome wet stored vintages I have
had. Also, this is not the only method
of “cleaning” and “revitalizing” wet
stored puerh. There are others.
If we were going to spend a
few thousand dollars on a well-aged
cake of tea, we would of course find
the cleanest, best-stored cake we
could find. Nonetheless, reading or
hearing such evident truths has led
some people to the mistaken notion
54
Puerh Edition
acidic to smooth and creamy, gather- They simply check on the tea now Check the teas now and again and
ing Qi until it is aged to the point that and again. If it smells too wet, they move them to less humid places if
it causes one to fall head over heels move it to a higher shelf. Teas they they become too wet. Those teas we
into a state of bliss—all that happens want to let age a bit slower, more wish to slow down, we put in odor-
due to a completely natural process. “drily”, they encase in cardboard less cardboard. Those we wish to
Humans are involved; I’m not argu- boxes, usually with a slight cutout speed up, we put in unglazed pots on
ing that they aren’t. The center of to admit oxygen (of course, they are the floor with cloth over the opening,
the character for tea has the radical produced from recycled, odorless or simply keep lower down where the
for Man. But when I ask all the old cardboard). Some, and we follow humidity is higher (a lower floor,
timers how they created these incred- this method, even put tong-sized lower shelf, etc.). When the tea is fer-
ible “well stored” vintages of tea, they boxes within larger boxes, doubling mented to the desired degree, most
invariably exclaim “create!”—mock- the protection. For most warehouses, collectors will also break it up and
ing my choice of words—“I didn’t do most of the time, the bamboo wrap- let it breathe in an unglazed clay jar
it. I just put the tea on a shelf and left ping used to package seven cakes before drinking, to expose the inner
it alone for fifty years.” Zhou Yu then (tong) is protection enough. Still, if parts of the cake to more oxygen and
added, “This is just one of the trea- a tea is moldy, they brush it off and allow the Qi to begin moving. And
sures of Nature, and no amount of move it. Thus, checking to make sure yet all of this assumes something
explanation can make it any less mys- the tea isn’t too wet or moldy is really implicitly: location!
tical!” I’d have to agree: like any of all that goes into their “storage meth- The fact is that all we really
you, I am anxious for more scientific odology”. Beyond that, they come know about well-aged, “well stored”
research into puerh tea, and will read into the warehouse once or twice a teas is that they can achieve that qual-
about the results with as much excite- year and clean. Nature does the rest. ity in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam,
ment as any tea lover; but there’s no So what, then, do we really Malaysia and to a lesser extent in a
explanation that can make these know about producing “well stored” few other places. Some masters argue
changes any less awe-inspiring in my puerh tea? Puerh needs humidity, that many factors beyond climate are
view—just as no meteorological elu- heat and a bit of oxygen. It is best relevant to this, arguing that Feng
cidation could deflate the power of kept away from light, and of course Shui (Daoist geomancy) and other
the experience I had in Tibet seeing it should not be near any kinds of mystical forces play a part in the
colored lights off the cliffside of a odors, as it is very absorbent. Sheng transformation of tea. Whether you
temple there! and shou teas should be separated. regard any of that as important or not
Most of the old timers in Sometimes different vintages are sep- doesn’t matter. The fact is that all our
Hong Kong, as well as Zhou Yu, arated as well, usually by age rather great vintage teas at this point were
Master Lin and others I have a more than kind. At times, however, it is stored in these places. The best ones
personal relationship with, have all good to have old tea with new as it were stored carefully, and the lower
showed me their warehouses and helps it to age. (Maybe the bacteria quality, often “wetter” ones weren’t—
storage “techniques”. The fact is that and other microbes move from the it’s really that simple. This should, in
there isn’t much method to it at all. well-aged tea to the newer cakes.) fact, come as no surprise, since there
57
Inside the Hut
In Los Angeles, there are Global Tea Hut events every
Thursday at 6 PM and Sunday at 9:30 AM. To reserve a
spot, email Colin at livingteas@gmail.com. The community
in LA also has a new meet up page: (http://www.meetup.
com/Los-Angeles-Tea-Ceremony-Meetup/).
In what ways am I making a difference This month, our dear friend and Chinese doc-
to my world, my loved ones and others tor, Andy, moved to Miao Li to live at the center
in my community? permanently. Yeah!
Tea Inspired Poetry
When you hear the splash of the
water drops that fall into the stone
bowl, you will feel that all the dust of
your mind is washed away.
—Rikyu
www.globalteahut.org