01Hong Kong Storage (HK)
When it comes to Hong Kong storage, many Pu'er Tea enthusiasts and merchants often equate it with damp storage. Damp storage refers to the aging process being somewhat out of control due to excessive humidity or light mold and spoilage. However, Hong Kong storage is simply a term and does not necessarily mean damp storage. The term only represents a concept of storage. Similarly, many tea enthusiasts in the north misunderstand Guangdong storage, assuming it has a storeroom flavor.
It's important to emphasize that most of the high-priced old teas, including those from the mark-level and imprint-level categories, have been stored in Hong Kong. This has contributed a large number of quality aged teas. Decades of accumulated experience and techniques in storage have also created a unique quality of aged teas from Hong Kong storage that is difficult for other storages to replicate. This is very much worth learning from by Pu'er tea merchants. Early Hong Kong storage typically had two types: ground storage and dry storage.
Ground storage was natural storage, building warehouses.
It is said that when Hong Kong tea merchants built tea warehouses, they had specific requirements, choosing locations on the hillside facing southeast, building semi-underground warehouses. In such an environment, there was no need for artificial humidification; ventilation management alone was sufficient. However, I believe that constructing warehouses in this way was rare. Land in Hong Kong is extremely valuable, so spending such a high cost to build a warehouse on a hillside is questionable, especially since suitable land may not have been available.
I believe that for early Hong Kong tea merchants, having a warehouse for use was already a good condition. After all, ground storage is a natural method with less human intervention, which makes it harder to control. If there was more rain and higher humidity, the transformation effect we usually refer to as “Hong Kong storage” would easily occur.
Dry storage involves artificially controlling the humidity and temperature of the warehouse, avoiding light and wind, to achieve the desired transformation effect.
The decades of accumulated storage experience in Hong Kong is still very much worth learning from. For example, in addition to managing temperature and humidity, they also manage direct sunlight exposure, minimizing light by covering windows. Another important factor is that larger quantities of tea in storage yield better results. If the warehouse is small with fewer types and quantities of tea, the transformation effect will be less effective.
Furthermore, the position of the tea should be frequently adjusted, similar to turning over piles. Every so often, the tea at the bottom of the shelves should be moved to the top, and the tea near the edges of the warehouse should be moved to the center. This ensures a more balanced transformation effect and better overall quality.
The effects of Pu'er tea stored in different locations vary depending on the storage environment and how human intervention is carried out. Therefore, it's important to reiterate that Hong Kong storage does not necessarily equal damp storage; these concepts should not be conflated.
02 Kunming Storage (KM)
Kunming has a high altitude, a spring-like climate all year round, and low humidity. Overall, the climate, temperature, and humidity are relatively stable.
This makes the management of Kunming storage less challenging compared to Hong Kong and Guangdong storages. Coastal areas have high humidity and frequent rain, making it easy for tea to become damp during years with heavy rainfall, leading to a higher rate of spoilage. However, this situation doesn't occur in Kunming storage.
In simple terms, the management of Kunming storage is straightforward and requires little effort. You can place the tea anywhere, and the chances of it becoming damp are minimal. As a result, the loss rate of Pu'er tea stored in Kunming is significantly lower.
However, Kunming storage also has its drawbacks.
Firstly, Pu'er teas stored for around ten years tend to develop a fresh grassy flavor.
Not all Pu'er teas develop this flavor, and not all cases are particularly strong. The proportion varies. If stored for about 30 years, the fresh grassy flavor is generally absent.
Given consistent storage conditions, why do some Pu'er teas develop a fresh grassy flavor? This is related to the raw materials and processing methods. Pu'er teas made from well-controlled raw materials and processing methods are less likely to develop a fresh grassy flavor, and the degree of the flavor will be milder.
Secondly, the expectation for the improvement of the “the older, the better” aroma in Pu'er tea is not as high in Kunming storage as in Guangdong storage.
Pu'er teas stored in Guangdong may undergo significant transformations, while those in Kunming storage are more stable, with less chance of surprises.
Kunming storage is very popular in northern regions. The overall characteristic of products from Kunming storage is that their aroma is more prominent and direct, unlike the aroma of teas from Guangdong and Hong Kong storages, which is integrated into the tea liquor.
03 Dongguan Storage (DG) (Guangdong Storage)
Public data shows that Dongguan has a storage capacity of over 400,000 tons of tea, mainly Pu'er tea. The formation of Dongguan storage has a certain historical context.
In the early days, Dongguan was undergoing rapid industrial development, with factories being built everywhere, resulting in a surplus of vacant factory buildings. Early collectors rented these factories and converted them into tea warehouses. Many tea warehouses in Dongguan were originally manufacturing plants.
The characteristics of Dongguan storage include: first, having enough factory space and warehouses; second, having specialized workers who can be employed at any time.
Dongguan, known as the capital of manufacturing, has a large workforce trained under the management of manufacturing industries. Thus, it has transformed into a professional, centralized, and scaled tea market and tea warehouse, which is the greatest advantage of Dongguan storage.
Additionally, many investors in Dongguan are Hong Kong and Taiwanese merchants, some of whom love tea. Pu'er tea, being suitable for investment and collection, aligns with their interests. They invest in Dongguan and earn money, and also have the funds to invest in storing Pu'er tea.
Thus, the formation of the “capital of tea storage” is closely related to Hong Kong and Taiwanese merchants. They have the investment capital and the storage space, bringing with them a culture of enjoying tea, which has attracted a large group of tea lovers, gradually forming the current status as the “capital of tea storage.”
Therefore, the formation of the “capital of tea storage” is not replicable and has a specific historical background. Currently, Pu'er tea is produced in Yunnan but stored in Dongguan.
Dongguan storage also draws from the experience of Hong Kong storage in terms of managing temperature and humidity and artificial intervention in various conditions.
In recent years, the Dongguan municipal government has been promoting the concept of “Dongguan-stored tea shared worldwide,” hoping to share Pu'er tea stored in a centralized, scaled, and professionally managed environment with the world.
04 Northern Storage (NS)
Northern storage is a broad concept. In recent years, from Shanghai and Beijing to northwest and northeast regions, there has been an increase in the concept of tea warehouses, mimicking the storage methods used in Guangdong, Kunming, and Hong Kong for storing Pu'er tea, referred to as Northern storage.
The basic climatic feature of the North is long periods of low temperatures, particularly during autumn and winter, with low humidity.
Under these conditions, the transformation process of Pu'er tea becoming increasingly fragrant is relatively slow, with a longer maturation cycle. In simple terms, the maturation effect of three to four years in Dongguan storage is equivalent to ten years in Northern storage. This is based on our observations over many years.
Therefore, evaluating the transformation effect of a Pu'er tea cannot be based solely on age but rather where it was stored.
If fully artificial means, such as Air conditioning and dehumidification, are used to store Pu'er tea for ten to twenty years, what kind of transformation effect would be achieved? There is currently no concrete evidence.
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