The principle of genuine dry storage has always been the cornerstone for those dealing in mid-aged and older Pu'er teas. Many new tea enthusiasts often ask:
Is this tea genuine, and how do you authenticate it?
Is this tea stored dry, and what is the overall storage condition like?
How well has this tea aged, and does it have a good drinking value?
Facts speak louder than words, and today we will take our fellow tea lovers through the entire process of collecting and inspecting tea storage from a first-person perspective.
The weather was nice today, so I drove to the tea warehouse.
Preparations before collecting tea.
Today's collection site is located in a small town on the outskirts of Dongguan, one of my friend's family warehouses, storing around 500 tons of tea, valued conservatively at over 100 million RMB.
Upon arrival at the warehouse, I didn't rush to notify my friend to enter and inspect the goods; instead, I walked around the entire warehouse to observe its overall environment. There are many points of observation, which I will detail now.
Firstly, we need to know which floor of the building the tea warehouse is located. This consideration stems from Humidity control needs, and generally, storing tea on floors two or above is better if the warehouse isn't professionally equipped in all aspects.
This is because Dongguan is in the southern region of China, where the air humidity is relatively high in basements and on the first floor. During humid seasons such as the return of the south wind, water vapor may condense and accumulate on the ground, and there is also a risk of rainwater intrusion.
The warehouse I visited today is on the second floor of the building, mainly storing raw Pu'er with a small portion of ripe Pu'er segregated and stored in several rooms in the corner. This arrangement considers that storing raw and ripe teas together can cause flavor mixing.
In fact, this seven-story building is entirely owned by my friend, who has a wide range of interests, and the other floors are primarily used to store various treasures he has accumulated over the years.
Observation Focus Upon Entering the Warehouse
After observing the floor level, we can enter the warehouse. At this point, we don't rush to inspect the goods but focus on two more details. First, take a deep breath and sense if there are any odd odors in the warehouse.
Odd odors are the bane of Pu'er tea, and once absorbed, they are difficult to remove. This warehouse is very well managed, completely free of odd odors, and instead, the moment you enter, you are greeted by an inviting aroma, enveloping you in the scent of tea, which is very pleasant.
Then, look around and check if the warehouse corridors are equipped with temperature and humidity monitoring devices. In addition to basic thermohygrographs, large dehumidifiers are essential.
The large dehumidifier shown above is just one of many in the warehouse, ensuring that the humidity remains within acceptable limits. In Dongguan, the humidity is particularly high from March to June, making the use of these dehumidifiers necessary.
In earlier times, Dongguan warehouses typically used industrial fans for dehumidification, but not directly blowing on the tea, rather on the corridors and walls to increase airflow within the warehouse and quickly disperse moisture.
This step was challenging back then, requiring someone to be on duty constantly, and the fans had to run overnight, making it a tough working environment for those individuals.
Fortunately, such hardships have become a thing of the past, thanks to advancements in technology. Now, many tea warehouses utilize Internet of Things (IoT) technology, allowing us to monitor humidity in real-time via smartphones, which is both convenient and reassuring.
Regarding storage conditions, I would like to correct a common misconception. Many tea enthusiasts believe that dry and wet storage are extreme opposites and that there are significant differences between Kunming and Dongguan teas.
However, in my view, these theoretical concepts are not only difficult to implement practically but also hard to use as specific criteria to judge the inherent quality of a tea.
The most important thing is “natural storage and clean environment.” Here, “natural” means no artificial aging, and “clean” refers to suitable temperature and humidity, which eliminate the risk of product safety issues.
The key points for a Pu'er tea warehouse are humidity, temperature, and odd odors. A humidity below 30% is not conducive to the transformation of tea, while a humidity above 80% poses a risk of mold growth.
In other words, as long as the tea itself is sound, distinctions based on geographic location are secondary, and nothing is as simple as black and white.
The Essential Six-Taste Method for Tea Inspection
After these observations, we come to the main event of today's tea collection journey—the opening of boxes for inspection. Firstly, let me share a truth that I firmly believe in: the requirement for natural storage and pure tea aroma during inspection.
If any musty, damp, or warehouse odors are detected during inspection, it indicates a failure in storage management. If a tea cannot even guarantee basic safety, then its drinking and collection value are out of the question.
To ensure the safety of fellow tea lovers' drinking experience, I am currently using the most commonly used and authoritative six-taste method for tea inspection.
The six tastes refer to the review of tea characteristics from six different aspects: aroma, taste, leaf base, age, storage conditions, and appearance. This ensures that no detail of mid-aged and older teas is overlooked.
The confidence in collecting tea comes not only from years of experience but also from systematic knowledge accumulation.
Age
Regarding age, the most crucial aspect is authenticity. The production factory, the year of manufacture, and the packaging must all be authentic, not fakes or artificially aged new teas.
For some teas without specific age markings, specific circumstances must be considered. For example, this 7581 tea from the 1990s can be identified through three features: laser label, the 7581 characters on each Brick's side, and the inner flying mark of 12.
By consulting reference materials and comparing them with the packaging details of all batches of 7581 produced by the Kunming Tea Factory in the 1990s, along with observing the color transformation of the naked bricks and actual tasting, it can be preliminarily determined that this is a product from the mid to late 1990s.
Appearance
Many mid-aged and older Pu'er teas released from large warehouses are packaged in bulk with 84 or 42 cakes per Bamboo basket. When I opened the packages for inspection, I found that the first and last cakes had poorer appearances compared to the rest.
This is actually a normal phenomenon due to the frequent handling of these teas. The paper wrapping the tea cakes shows signs of collision damage caused during transportation. However, the middle cakes are cushioned and thus maintain excellent appearance.