It is not unusual for one to follow what his friends do. I started collecting teapots after being influenced by colleagues who were tea drinkers and pot collectors. They were drinking very aged Puerh tea that was even older than me, some 80 years of age (a typical brand Song Peng). The tea was selling at $250 per piece (about 300 g) in the early 1980s. This aged tea has a very nice aroma and very smooth in texture even tough the tea is brewed to a dark brown (almost golden) colour. Of course, such tea is beyond most drinkers nowadays due to its scarcity and very high cost. It was frequently featured in the auction market in China.
As my interest in the puerh tea grew, I began buying and collecting the tea in large quantity (for personal consumption) for fear that the price of this tea might be inflated to a level I no longer could afford in the not distant future. Fortunately now I have in my collection large quantities of puerh that was produced in the late 70s and 80s. I enjoy brewing and drinking this tea with my family members. The aroma of aged puerh tea is remarkably good and very smooth to drink, not to mention its health benefits. They came in different packaging, some were made in the form of bricks, others in round disks and bowl shaped. They are all compressed tea made in various forms. In the early days, such compressed tea could be easily transported to the northern part of China on horse back. If you do like this tea, do stock up as tea will increase in value as it ages over the years.
For more information on the tea, please visit the site hosted by a Westerner: http://www.pu-erh.net/
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| Puerh tea bricks of the late 70s |
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| Puerh tea cakes of the 70s |
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