Trees

The price of a ten-year-old Pu'er tea cake generally ranges from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan. Among them, the more affordable Pu'er tea cakes are usually those that are over ten years old, made from old tea trees, and priced in the range of several thousand yuan. A Ten-Year-Old Tea Cake Is Valuable A ten-year-old tea cake is valuable. Long-term aging gives the tea a more unique flavor, making it more valuable for both collection and investment. Especially with a tea cake aged for over ten years, which has undergone longer maturation, its quality improves, and prices typically range between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan. Of course, the price may fluctuate depending on the scarcity of the tea and other factors. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, the price of Pu'er tea cakes is relatively higher, around 2,000 to 3,000 yuan, while in mainland China, ten-year-old Pu'er tea cakes are priced between 1,000 and 2,000 yuan. A Ten-Year-Old Tea Cake Is Not Valuable It's not valuable. If Pu'er tea is not sold as a complete set, its price isn't high, and a conclusion can only be reached after tasting. With an increase in brand recognition, the value of tea…

First article: Representative Varieties and Three Aromatic Zones in the Yiwu Tea Area (click to read); Second article: Dongguan Warehouse, Kunming Warehouse, Hong Kong Warehouse, Flavors, White Frost, "Warehouse Manipulation" Issues (click to read); Third article: Storage Cycle Issues for Yiwu Green Bud Tea (click to read); Fourth article: Storing Puer, Pursue Famous Mountain Origins or Quality? Fifth article: Differences in Small Heap Fermentation, Large Heap Fermentation, and Tea Evolution Ripe Tea Techniques? The following is Part Four, focusing on storing Puer, pursuing famous mountain origins or quality? Shi Yun: I would like to express great appreciation for Teacher Li Yang's sharing. A young lady just now wanted to ask President Zheng and Teacher Li Yang about a conversion issue. Zhou Xin: Teacher, regarding storage, for example, Tianmen Mountain, does it mean that as long as its glycoside content is high, and the catechin and caffeine content is low, it suggests that it requires higher humidity? And Menghai tea, with higher catechin and caffeine content, has lower humidity requirements, only forming white frost when humidity exceeds 14%. This is the first time I've heard this, so I want to confirm if my understanding is correct. Zheng Shaohong: Indeed. For instance,…

Puer tea does indeed improve with age, primarily because the chemical components within the leaves undergo carbonization over time, significantly altering the taste. Once it has been aged for 15 to 20 years or more, the brewed tea becomes even more enjoyable. However, it is not recommended to store the tea indefinitely, as this can cause the loss of its nutritional components. Is Puer Tea Better with Age? The saying that Puer tea improves with age comes with conditions. Not all Puer teas benefit from extended storage. The longer aging process enhances the aroma and flavor, making the tea more complex and desirable. As a result, older Puer teas are often more expensive. However, there is an optimal period for aging, during which the unique qualities and aged aroma develop. This transformation is due to post-fermentation processes that occur in storage, where compounds like polyphenols, amino acids, and sugars change, leading to an ideal color and aroma. If stored improperly or for too long, the quality can deteriorate, and beneficial components may degrade or oxidize, losing the tea's characteristic flavors. Conditions for Puer Tea to Improve with Age 1. Good Raw Material Sunlight, soil, climate, and temperature fundamentally determine the…

Ancient tree black tea is a high-quality type of black tea. Its raw material is the fresh tender leaves from wild-growing ancient tea trees that are over 300 years old. The production volume is low and the costs are high, so the price of ancient tree black tea is relatively expensive! The taste of ancient tree black tea is full and rich, and it can be steeped many times, which is why tea enthusiasts like it. Generally, on the market, mid-to-low-end varieties range from around 200 to 5000 yuan, and there are also authentic, high-quality old trees whose prices range from 5000 to tens of thousands of yuan. Therefore, ancient tree black tea at 700 yuan per kilogram is not considered expensive. Price of Ancient Tree Black Tea Generally speaking, the price per kilogram of ancient tree black tea ranges from several hundred to several thousand yuan. Some prestigious varieties can even reach tens of thousands of yuan per kilogram. However, it should be noted that there are many fake and substandard products in the market. Therefore, when purchasing, one should choose a regular channel and carefully examine the product packaging and labels. Different qualities and grades mean different prices.…

Slight Cold, the twenty-third solar term of the year. From today onwards, we enter the coldest period of the year. Slight Cold marks the lowest temperatures, with only a few historical instances where Great Cold was colder than Slight Cold. Now that it's cold, brewing tea is probably what tea lovers look forward to every autumn and winter. In the freezing cold, gathering around a stove to brew tea with a few friends, whether discussing poetry and philosophy or not, the sound of boiling water and swirling tea leaves brings out the words that float from the teapot mouth. These are the words brewed by the tea maker all winter long. A gentle fire burns away to bring forth the next spring. Drinking tea, regardless of social status or wealth, is always part of people's leisure lives. Drinking Tea Selecting the right tea to drink should be based on the season and environment. Warming and heat-repelling fermented teas are typically black tea, dark tea, ripe Pu'er, Liubao tea, and aged white tea. Warming and Heat-Repelling Fermented Teas As a fully fermented tea, black tea undergoes enzymatic oxidation due to the action of oxidase on tea polyphenols, converting much of it…

Tea tree cuttings are the primary means of propagating clonal tea seedlings. First, select a good mother garden of tea tree cultivars. During spring planting (February to March) or autumn planting (September to October), prune red-brown, semi-lignified, healthy, pest and disease-free branches with full axillary buds from the mother garden. Cut the branches into short cuttings 3 to 4 centimeters long, each with one leaf and a full axillary bud. Ensure that the cut is smooth and diagonal. (1) Method for Cutting Insertion Thoroughly moisten the seedbed before cutting insertion. Once the surface soil is no longer sticky, draw lines according to the length of the tea leaves. Generally, the row spacing for the cuttings should be 7 to 8 centimeters, and the plant spacing should be 2 to 3 centimeters, ensuring that the leaves do not overlap. Hold the lower part of the leaf of the cutting with your thumb, index, and middle fingers, then insert the cutting straight or slightly diagonally into the soil. The depth should be such that only the petiole is exposed. While inserting, lightly press the soil around the cutting to ensure it is firmly in contact with the soil, which aids root development.…

On July 1, our city experienced heavy rainfall, with 24-hour accumulated precipitation exceeding 100 millimeters at 23 monitoring stations, the highest being 172.9 millimeters at Changling station. The intense short-term rainfall led to landslides, collapsed embankments, mud accumulation, and waterlogging in some tea gardens, causing varying degrees of flood damage and related secondary disasters. To minimize losses from tea production due to disasters, Tongcheng Kangzhiyuan Family Farm promptly launched science popularization activities for disaster mitigation in tea gardens. Tea farmers can take the following remedial measures: 1. Drainage and Clearing of Silt and Waterlogging For tea gardens with standing water, drainage ditches should be promptly cleared and dredged, and deep trenches opened to drain the water as soon as possible, avoiding waterlogging that could harm the tea trees due to prolonged water accumulation. At the same time, mud, sand, stones, and other debris that have washed into the tea garden, as well as mud on the branches and leaves of tea plants, should be cleared away promptly. Efforts should be made to reduce soil moisture and environmental humidity as soon as possible to prevent root rot or decay caused by prolonged soaking of tea trees. 2. Restoration of Tea Gardens…

Pu'er tea is produced using two methods: artificial heap fermentation (ripe tea) and natural fermentation (raw tea). Artificial fermentation is a modern tea-making technique invented in Yunnan, involving the rapid fermentation of sun-dried green tea through heap fermentation, followed by steaming and pressing into solid shapes or left loose. Natural fermentation is a traditional method that involves steaming and pressing sun-dried green tea into solid shapes to preserve its aging potential. Pu'er Ripe Tea: Heap Fermentation Heap fermentation is a process used in making Pu'er ripe tea and is critical in determining the quality of the tea. A certain amount of sun-dried green tea is piled up to maintain a stable temperature within the pile, then the piled tea is moistened to initiate fermentation. The height of the heap can be adjusted as needed, usually reaching around one meter. As fermentation begins, the pile needs to be turned to manage temperature and fermentation conditions. Each master has their own judgment, but the core principle is to create an environment conducive to the activity of microorganisms in the tea while inhibiting the growth of unwanted bacteria, ensuring even and smooth fermentation. During turning, if moisture levels are insufficient, they need to…

Spring brings warmth, and all things come back to life. After a winter of dormancy, tea trees sprout fresh green buds, and spring tea takes center stage. However, newly harvested tea still carries some "fiery" and "green" flavors, making it slightly astringent. If the new tea is left for a period to naturally age, its taste will become even more delightful. For Puer tea, which is renowned for getting better with age, the storage process is crucial as long as the raw materials and production methods are sound. Storage Methods for Puer Spring Tea Maintain Dryness: Puer spring tea should be stored in a dry environment to avoid dampness. Desiccants or dehumidifiers can be used to absorb moisture from the air. Avoid Direct Sunlight: Puer spring tea should be kept in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause the loss of nutrients in the tea, affecting its quality and taste. Sealed Storage: Puer spring tea should be stored in sealed containers to prevent air exposure. Sealed bags or jars can be used to store the tea. Avoid Odd Odors: Puer spring tea should be stored in a clean area free from any odors. Use sealed bags…

Puer Tea Sealed Storage Experiment Sealed storage of Puer tea inevitably involves the issue of oxygen supply in the warehouse. According to post-fermentation theory, Puer tea requires oxygen and a certain level of humidity for post-fermentation, so the tea storage warehouse needs to be ventilated to allow the tea to undergo post-fermentation. However, many people have found that when tea is stored under ventilated conditions, while the infusion color turns red, it loses its aroma after two or three years, and the bitterness and astringency do not diminish over time. Additionally, under ventilated conditions, the tea's aroma naturally cannot be preserved. In fact, the later changes in Puer tea are influenced by two factors: one is microbial fermentation, which is an external effect; the other is the action of active enzymes within the tea leaves, which is an internal effect. After sealing and controlling the humidity, Puer tea does not require microbial fermentation, but instead relies primarily on the active enzymes present in the tea to facilitate its transformation. When storing tea in a sealed and oxygen-deprived environment, how would Puer tea change? This question led me to conduct an experiment on the effects of oxygen in sealed storage. Experimental…

For tea trees of different ages, the methods of mechanical pruning vary. For young tea trees, the primary focus is on shaping pruning; for mature tea trees, light and deep pruning are predominant; and for old tea trees, rejuvenation pruning and stump cutting are mainly conducted. Generally, pruning around the time of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) yields good results. However, from an economic perspective, young tea trees should be pruned at the beginning of Lichun (Start of Spring), while other tea trees should be pruned after tea picking. Light Pruning Light pruning effectively promotes the sprouting and growth of tea buds. It also increases the density of productive branches, widens the tree canopy, and creates a favorable picking surface. For mature tea trees, light pruning should be conducted every two years, timed when the upper part of the tea tree stops growing. In regions prone to frost damage, pruning can be done half a month to one month before the spring sprouting of tea buds. For famous tea gardens, light pruning can be conducted after spring tea picking. During light pruning, hedging shears or pruning machines are primarily used to trim off about 4 cm of foliage and branches from…

Tea enthusiasts who enjoy tea are certainly familiar with Pu'er tea, but not all may know how to fully appreciate it. Today, let's discuss the seven steps to enjoying Pu'er tea together. Step 1: Observe the Tea Mature production processes ensure consistency in the shape of the compressed tea cakes, which are evenly formed and tightly compacted. Since the introduction of electrostatic dust removal machines, contemporary Pu'er teas from reputable manufacturers do not contain foreign objects. However, before 2004 when these machines were not widely used, older teas might have some impurities as they were manually screened. The color of Pu'er tea can help distinguish between raw and ripe varieties: ripe Pu'er is dark brown, while raw Pu'er ranges from dark green (young) to brownish-red (aged), with loose or compact leaves that become dry and lustrous over time. Step 2: Feel the Tea Feel the compactness of the tea; a loosely packed tea will age faster under the same storage conditions compared to one that is more tightly packed. When breaking off a piece of the tea, check for consistency throughout – some teas have higher-grade leaves sprinkled on the surface for better appearance, while others use a uniform grade…

To prevent drought damage in tea gardens and reduce losses in tea production, supplementary measures to replenish water and suppress evaporation can be taken before the onset of drought. These include irrigation to supplement water, loosening the soil and weeding, inter-row grass covering, etc., to maintain and regulate soil moisture and improve the microclimate around the tea plants, thereby enhancing the tea trees' drought resistance. Irrigation Replenishment Tea garden irrigation methods include furrow irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation, among others, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Furrow irrigation is suitable for flat tea gardens and can quickly increase soil moisture levels, promptly rescuing drought-stressed tea trees, but it consumes a large amount of water, has a small impact on air humidity, and can lead to waste of water resources through surface runoff and deep seepage, as well as damaging some of the topsoil structure. Drip irrigation reduces evaporation and saves water, but it requires a higher initial investment and cannot effectively improve the microclimate of the tea garden. Therefore, in recent decades, sprinkler irrigation has been the primary method used for drought prevention and mitigation in tea gardens. Sprinkler Irrigation can not only increase soil moisture but also lower…