Pu-Erh
authored originally in Chinese by Ip Wing Chi
translated by Winnie Yu
For further info on author visit www.lockcha.com.
Pu-Erh
is the most commonly enjoyed everyday tea by the Hong Kong people. If
you patronize a dim sum parlour or restaurant, and did not choose a
particular tea, you will be presented by the waiter a pitch black pot
of tea. Or, if your tea is complementary on the house, 8 or 9 out of
ten times, your tea would be Pu-Erh tea. This is especially true during
holidays when the meals are greasy and rich, so that most homes are
armed with top quality Pu-Erh tea, to serve the purposes of aiding
digestion. Many readers ask, why haven't you mentioned Pu-Erh tea yet
in your articles? Actually, there are good reasons.
The Deep Unfathomable Knowledge in Pu-Erh
First
of all, steeping Pu-Erh is very simple, unlike other teas. However, the
appreciation of Pu-Erh differs from person to person. Some enjoy smooth
and velvety, others may prefer astringent and lively. Some like the
taste of "aged", others pursue the fragrance of spearmint or
lotus. Some see the mold growing on the Pu-Erh and retreat three
steps, declaring that it's bad for one's health, and should be banned
by law. Some however, prefer it aged. No tea has so many differing
opinions! Compounding to the problem is the complex
information concerning Pu-Erh. For example, everyone knows that Pu-Erh
should be as old as possible, but determining the true age of a Pu-Erh
is not so easy. 10 years? 15 years? 20 years? Forget a layperson, even
professionals have a difficult time determining. In fact, even the same
batch of leaves processed in the same year, but stored under different
conditions will have differing qualities. As a matter of fact, even
till today, few have done extensive clinical studies on the biological
process of aging and fermentation. Much of the research on Pu-Erh is
still based on the experience of the professional processor. Otherwise,
information could originate from a merchant's overstatements, which
could contain much exaggeration and misleading vagueness.
Originating from Ordinary Households
Secondly,
the steep increases in prices of Pu-Erh tea is scary, its profitability
exceeding any investments in bonds, stocks, or gold. Twenty years ago,
if you purchase a "red seal" Pu-Erh, you might pay 800 HKD, but may be
selling for 16,000 HKD today, having risen 20 times. Some rare brands
may command 50,000, or 60,000 HKD. Pu-Erh tea is no longer an item sold
in someone's teahouse, it has become a speculative tool to get
rich. The author knows several merchants who sell aged Pu-Erhs,
and have become small time tycoons, more "pong fong" than Taiwan "pong
fong tea"! Originally in the realm of the ordinary everyday Hong Kong
tea market, it is now a hotly traded commodity by first the Taiwanese,
then the Malays, and now the mainland Chinese. In such market
conditions, no wonder many strange things occur. The irony is, Pu-Erh
has never been short of supply, and was considered a tea roughly
stored. The cheapest teas were Pu-Erh, sometimes the value was less
than the shipping cost. Even though "rough tea finely used" is not a
problem, but too much over inflation makes one lose our sense of true
value, forgetting to appreciate the flavour of the Pu-Erh. That's why I
take much risk in discussing Pu-Erh, I hesitated to write.
No Tea in Pu-Erh
Pu-Erh tea is
categorized by modern studies as "black tea", a post-fermented form of
tea, but this is not entirely accurate. Pu-Erh tea is actually a stroke
of genius from the tea farmer, not something ordinary research can
fully explain. Some would simply leave "Pu-Erh Tea" as its own special
type of tea. Pu-Erh tea was produced in Yunnan Province, the highlands
there was its place of origin. There remains many thousand year
old tea trees there. Pu-Erh was originally the name of a place, in the
southern part of Yunnan, part of Simou. According to the
chronicles of the Ming Dynasty, "Pu-Erh of Che Li, is the place
that produces tea". Che Li is today called XiShuanBanna, and in
those days, the trading of tea was very active. It was recorded in the
"Introduction to Dian". "The tea that everyone consumes is Pu-Erh tea,
and it is steamed into a shape". That shows that today's Pu-Erh
has already taken shape back in the Ming Dynasty, where even the
central government has established points of trade. In reality,
the production of Pu-Erh was not much, simply that tea merchants would
gather at this town, purchasing Mao Cha to process for sale. In
the Ching Dynasty, a man named Yuan Fu wrote in the "Recordings of
Pu-Erh" clearly stating that "Though called Pu-Erh tea, it was not
necessary that the tea was grown in Pu-Erh proper, but loosely grown in
the Simou area. There were 6 areas: called Yi Bang, Jia Bu, Jiu
Kong, Man Zuan, Jia Deng, Yi Wu". Those are what is referred to
as the six major tea mountains, considered to have the best quality
teas, and all situated in the Xishuanbanna area. Pu-Erh was simply a
place of gathering.
The Home of Tea has Heavenly Conditions
The methodology of
producing Pu-Erh can be said to be simple but complex. In the high
mountains of southern Yunnan, Qiao Mu or half Qiao Mu type tea trees
grow everywhere, usually clustered where the indigenous peoples live,
where the soil is fertile and the weather is mild. The farmers do not
intentionally grow or cultivate, but the trees are not wild either.
Because of such heavenly conditions, there are about 5 to 6 picking
seasons per year, especially during the lunar second, third months,
where the "spring tips" are best. In the eighth month, the second
best harvest occurs, called "ju hua cha", where the harvested buds are
tight with silvery fuzz, used for the top teas. The indigenous
folks have the free time to harvest, for often, the trees reach heights
of 4 to 5 meters, and harvesting requires climbing nimbly, much like
"Monkey Picked Tea". The harvested green leaves are wilted in the
open courtyards in their homes, and when they have time, would pan fire
to "kill the green" in a wok. Sometimes, without much thought, they
would even pan fire the leaves without wilting. When cooked, they would
place on bamboo baskets to roll into twists, then dried, called "green
mao cha". This is entirely in accordance with ancient tea making
techniques, but because the workmanship is much too crude, the mao cha
experiences different degrees of fermentation.
The Treasures of Heaven Must Go Through Multiple Fermentation
Many people see the
treacherous mountain passages of the Tea Horse Ancient Route or see the
indigenous minorities carry heavy loads of tea, walking one month or
more to their destination, and thought that through sun and rain, the
Pu-Erh tea became fermented. The story goes that the carriers thought
the tea had spoiled, but when they opened their packages, they find
that the tea has a fragrance of age, and thus, Pu-Erh tea was invented,
etc. In reality, all the tea leaves were packed in baskets,
wrapped in large bamboo husks, and the carriers were extremely
careful. The possibility of wetting the leaves from rain
causing fermentation was miniscule. Actually, in those days when
packing for transportation, the carriers hoped to save space, and so,
try to compress the tea into as small a space as possible. They would
sprinkle the leaves with water, to prevent the brittle leaves from
crushing, and when they pack the teas, they would use hands or sticks
to forcefully compress until the leaves have occupied every available
space. After this, they would let the leaves sit until naturally dried,
and then, their journey would begin. This is the second fermentation
phase of Pu-Erh, and the most important phase. Today, because of modern
modes of transportation, there was no more need for such a hard working
procedure. Though that has compromised the quality of the tea leaves,
yet in today's world, the "gong fu" or skill is not as important as the
commerce part of it.
Today,
the producers collect loose tea leaves, separate from crude to fine,
place into a receptacle and steam until softened. Afterwards, the teas
are placed into a mold to be compressed, creating all kinds of shapes
of tightly compressed tea. The round ones are called Round Tea, or
"Seven Son Caked Tea", the square ones are called Square Tea, the
slight rectangular ones are called Brick Tea, and the bowl shaped ones
are called "Girl Tea". By now, the water has slowly evaporated, and
this becomes the third fermentation phase. The tea is now ready to be
sold in the market. After that the tea is in the hands of the merchant
or the consumer. Some will go through long periods of storage, but some
will use a speedy hand to put Pu-Erh into the fourth phase of
fermentation, and then create attention and drama by calling it "Dry
Facility Fermentation" or "Wet Facility Fermentation".
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