Very strenuous indeed, hiking up some steep hills to the natural habitat of the ancient wild tea trees. At 1960 meters, the sudden incline caused a bit of palpitation. But it’s all worth it, to see a forest full of knarly characters, most trees being between 800 to 1500 years old. Seeing one or two old tea trees is one thing, but an entire forest filled with Ent like beings with all different personalities, is another….
Being Indiana Jones, even for a tea version, is rather strenuous. This morning, at Nannuo Shan, visiting with the ancient tea trees. It’s hard to keep track after a few hundred years, particularly for the ethnic minorities who often don’t even have a written language. These trees are likely thousands of years old, based on the circumference of the trunk at base. High elevation means slow growth, so based on growth rate vs trunk size, they can estimate the age. Here in the woods full of old tea trees, the steep hills without a road, I began my full day of trekking.
I’d like to think that tea brings all kinds of people together in the world, and good tea, of course, comes from nice people. Here is Mr. Bai of the mixed ethnicities, his mom, his daughter, and the string of garlic to ward off evil. I guess somethings are universal.
The 3 member purchasing committee of Zhong Cha covers 3 different ages, experiences, male vs female palates and 2 out of 3 has to agree on the lot. Definitely a more professional way to go about curating tea for all kinds of consumers, as opposed to a very personalized selection based on my palate alone.
So, it’s time for me to get two staff to step up, fast, maybe 3, so I can retire?
Back to business. The old Menghai factory is now Tae Tea, and the old Yunnan Import Export company ‘China Inc.’ has folded into Zhong Cha Company, which is the largest State owned brand of teas. (中茶). Tae is privately owned and produces the largest quantity of Pu-erh today. Above: the old Menghai factory is still going strong. Professionals for Zhong Cha is tasting and grading Maocha, the raw material, to determine its future life. These pros will say: the more you taste Pu-erh, the more difficult your job is as you become acquainted with such a huge myriad of permutations….
