Not my photo. This 3200 year old Pu-erh tree was auctioned for 1,750,000 RMB for 500gm(but only 100gm made) a couple days ago. That is about $57,800 USD for 100gm.
Miss Bai and her brother, mixed race of Dai ethnic, Han, and a…
Miss Bai and her brother, mixed race of Dai ethnic, Han, and a couple of other races, own and operate this Pu-Erh factory, an offshoot of the old Menghai Factory. They have their own touch about things: Miss Bai being a woman, runs a very clean facility with a particular perfectionist attitude towards quality in every piece of Bingcha or brick. Mr. Bai, her brother, is philosophical about things. The 1800 year old Pu-erh tree just died a couple of years ago here. Their own village has been care taking the trees for over 800 recorded years. It doesn’t matter, he says, if the Camellia Sinensis arbor type tree is incorrectly named Assamica, even though clearly Assam did not have a tea culture going back a couple thousand years, nor own existant trees in the thousands of years old. It’s all misclassified, but the Pu-erh folks don’t care. There is way too much demand for their tea and what goes into botanical encyclopedia concerns only the academics.
I am not sure I agree. The Chinese have always been a closed world and don’t play with the rest. They have way too many people, things happen in tremendous paces, and resources are too rich for them to worry about the outside world. Even the overseas Chinese tea merchants don’t care. I am the only one who complains about this it seems. Oh, the injustice of calling Camellia Sinensis Pu-erh, into Camellia Sinensis Assamica. Makes no sense to me at all.
Sheng Bing Cha going into a week long drying process in a 75…
Sheng Bing Cha going into a week long drying process in a 75 degrees C room. This allows the cakes to age well without molding for many many years to come. Should we live as long. At last, some really good Sheng worthy of aging till I’m 99 years old, ready to drink right before I draw my last breath. Worthy, absolutely worthy.
Pile fermentation for 40 days, an initial spritz of water and a…
Pile fermentation for 40 days, an initial spritz of water and a room of 60 degrees C, turned every 7 days. This is Shu Pu-erh in the making. Raw material is chosen for different lots of Bing or Brick. You can custom order: which mountain? They all taste different amongst the fabled 6. Elevation?1400 or 2000 meters or higher? Tree ages- old trees are plentiful here. Leaf ages and combinations of bud and leaf or more buds? Sheng for natural aging? Or Shu for instant gratification? Bing round disks? Bricks? Or 2kg bricks?
Miss Bai, formerly of the State owned Menghai Factory, was raised…
Miss Bai, formerly of the State owned Menghai Factory, was raised making tea in the factory since she was 14. For the past 20 years, she’s been making her own Pu-erh, both Sheng and Shu types. The spring time harvests from the Six Ancient Mountains can’t be beat- the scent of papaya, bamboo, earthy mushrooms all rolled into one. Here: Maocha, just sun dried after a whole day.
Drinkable antique
Finally negotiated a batch of ‘96 loose Pu-erh for our 15 year Pu-erh re-stocking! Well, it’s a true 17 year Pu-erh, which in tea years is like a 60 year old human? Most of the market place Puerhs are ripen to drink at 1 year old…