Is old tea really like cryptocurrency – and what types of tea are the most sought after?
Tea time. That beautiful moment of the day when you can relax, enjoy a hot beverage, socialise and nibble on snacks. Imagine, in the past, the poets of ancient China would brew a pot of tea and light incense in their villas to create a harmonious atmosphere conducive to freethinking and creativity. Now, fast forward to the present. People still enjoy tea, usually as a community in a tea house or the form of a casual bubble or milk cap tea from one of the many stands. And if you want to be bougie about it, have high tea in a fancy hotel with a plate of scones and delicious clotted cream.
Tea is serious business. Wars have been fought over it. The British were so thirsty for it, they conquered and colonised to ensure they had a steady supply. It can be argued that Hong Kong owes its very existence to tea. Who could have predicted that a little leaf plucked from a tree in Yunnan during the Tang dynasty would have such consequences?
These days, Da Hong Pao tea, for example, goes for US$1.2 million per kilo – one of the world’s most expensive.
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To enjoy tea is, in a sense, to experience time. On the one hand, you are experiencing its history; on the other, you are appreciating the time and process of ageing the leaves for its desired flavour.
Aged teas or ageing teas is an art form that is subject to constant debate, especially in the Pu’er tea world. But before we begin, let’s define “aged teas”.
“Aged tea, to me, is when you store the already harvested and processed tea for further ageing,” says Vivian Mak, founder of MingCha, a tea house with a 20-year history in Hong Kong.
Most people usually equate Pu’er – a famous black tea originating from wild tea trees in Yunnan Province – with aged teas. But in fact, oolong and white teas are also suitable for ageing; it is only floral oolongs and green teas which are not. “Green and floral oolong are meant to be savoured fresh, to enjoy the aromas and refreshing crispness,” says Mak. “The purpose of ageing teas is to mellow them out and give them a rich, velvety, full-body and lingering aftertaste. It also gives the tea hidden, subtle, layered flavours which awaken once you brew it. Aged tea is like a sleeping beauty.”
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There are different schools of thought when it comes to ageing tea. One argues for “wet” storage, which refers to a higher-humidity environment such as typical Hong Kong weather. The higher humidity is supposed to speed up the ageing process by stimulating oxidation, altering the flavour. However, some tea practitioners find that this introduces new, unwanted notes from the environment into the flavour profile. So, they advocate “dry” storage (around what would be comfortable inside a house). This might be a slower process, but it is more controlled. You can account for the amount of light, humidity and temperature affecting the tea ageing process.
Tradition dictates that teas, whichever way they are stored, should be compressed into a discus cake form, then wrapped in paper, and kept away from light. Mak, however, likes ageing her prized Pu’ers uncompressed and loose in a laminated foil bag. “Paper can’t fully protect the tea from moisture, light or air. Also, when tea leaves are compressed into a cake, it tends to age unevenly, with the outer layers being more exposed to environmental factors than the core.”
So, what type of aged tea is the most sought after? “If you look at the current market, the undisputed king of aged tea would be sheng (raw) Pu’er,” says tea connoisseur Holly Hayes, who gave us an intimate tea tasting experience at the gorgeous resort of Amanyangyun on the outskirts of Shanghai. “I’m also a big fan of shou/shu (artificially fermented) Pu’er and aged white tea, and I’ve tasted an aged tieguanyin (Iron Buddha, a type of oolong) that revolutionised my view of that tea.
“The practice and popularity of intentionally ageing tea for very long periods of time is a recent development, having only started in the 1980s,” Hayes says. “I’m excited to see how it develops and expands into other types of tea over the next few decades.”
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As with most things food and beverage-related, it all comes down to personal preference, but there are a few generally agreed-upon rules for picking a quality tea, according to Hayes. “You want whole leaves that were picked by hand and are in good shape,” she says. “Leaves from older tea trees are particularly sought-after. In the Pu’er market, ‘wild’ or ‘forest’ trees are strongly preferred over ‘garden’ or ‘factory’ ones planted by farmers, and fetch a premium since they are rarer and harder to harvest. And each area of the Pu’er growing region in southern Yunnan claims that its tea is the best. When it comes to cakes, hand compression tends to be preferred over machine compression, but there is a continuing debate over what degree of compression is right.”
Leaves from older tea trees are particularly sought-after. In the Pu’er market, ‘wild’ or ‘forest’ trees are strongly preferred over ‘garden’ or ‘factory’ ones planted by farmers
The value of aged Pu’er is often more about the status it gives the owner. “People believe the value of tea appreciates,” says MinCha’s Mak. “So it’s a bit of investment, much like real estate and art. I know people who have floor after floor stocked full of Pu’er cakes that they will never drink.”
Hayes concurs. “Really old Pu’er is a bit like cryptocurrency in that way – there are certain people in the market who are there because the product itself has value to them, but there are also plenty who are only in it for the money. One of the most memorable sheng Pu’er I’ve tried was picked that same year, and while it could never have been confused with an old tea, it was quite enjoyable nonetheless.”
According to Hayes, a particularly rare and iconic Pu’er to get your hands on if you are looking to play the tea-stock market game is the 1988 Qing Bing.
Once you have your prized tea and want to taste it, this is what you have to do. Wash the aged teas twice to let the compressed leaves loosen up, and some of the musty flavours dissipate. Aged teas typically yield more steeps than teas that are not processed for ageing. Ten or more steeps is typical for Pu’er teas. Aged teas are often good boiled in a kettle because they will improve in flavour if they are left on the heat for a long time: half an hour, an hour, or even longer. You can keep refilling the kettle until the colour lightens and the tea loses its flavour. For steeping, a classic Yixing clay pot is a popular choice, and the temperature should be around 100 degrees Celsius. But price tags for good ones usually run into the thousands, so if it is out of your price range, go with porcelain.
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Now with all that information, it is finally time to sit and enjoy a quiet moment with fragrant, carefully brewed tea. The essence of tea should still be that of calmness and serenity. While the specifics can be overwhelming, enjoyment is of the utmost importance. “You should like the tea first and then have it aged to see what it will become,” says Mak. “Always trust your senses. Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s good or right for you.”
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Tea has come a long way since a little leaf was plucked from a tree in Yunnan during the Tang dynasty. Now we have Pu’er, oolong, white and green teas