1999 - A Watershed Year for Puerh tea

In 1999, could Mr. He Shihua himself have realized the effect this Puerh tea would have on the way we look at Puerh tea today? Certainly, a tea of this quality, produced at a time when most other old growth Arbor tea tree Puerhs were still considered unprofitable and labor intensive could not be a coincidence…or could it?


Produced under the supervision of Mr. He Shihua, a 1999

Jingmai 'Thousand Year Old Ancient Tree Tea' raw Puerh disc.


Whether Mr. He Shihua knew it or not, 1999 was a watershed in the history of Puerh tea and his “Thousand Year Old Ancient Tree Tea” (千年古茶树茶) was part of this transition. In the wake of a long series of disperse, yet interrelated events beginning in 1994, a renewed interest in old growth Arbor tea tree Puerh was slowly beginning to take root. By 1999, the culmination of these events presented Mr. He Shihua with an opportunity to produce a tea that would later set in motion a new chapter in the history of Puerh tea.


1994-1999: The Stage is Set

In the period leading up to 1999, there were numerous factors at work which all played significant roles in setting the stage for Mr. He Shihua’s debut. Starting in the early 1990’s we can identify at least three major factors within Yunnan Province which created the appropriate scenery for these changing tides.

 

1) 1994 – Simao Puerh Tea Exhibition

Amongst others, the Simao Puerh Tea Expo brought together a group of about 20 Taiwanese businessmen and tea aficionados. During the expo this group proposed the rather unanticipated idea of heading down to Yiwu to see what had become of the trees in the region and the general state of Puerh production. Upon arriving, the group was warmly welcomed by Zhang Yi, the Governor of Yiwu County at that time. Many ideas were exchanged but little occurred by the way of Puerh tea production at that time. More than anything, the event simply got everybody thinking.

 

2) 1996 - Zhang Yi creates Zheng Chun Ya Hao

In the years following the Simao Puerh Tea Exhibition and the opportune visit by the Taiwanese to Yiwu, Zhang Yi, still the acting Governor of Yiwu, pressed a tea disc composed entirely of old growth Arbor tea tree leaves. Commissioned by Lu Lizhen of Taiwan, this Puerh was named Zheng Chun Ya Hao. Zhang Yi later was accredited for bringing Yiwu back into the limelight of Puerh tea production.

 

3) 1998-99 – Joint effort in creating 1999 Yiwu Zhen Shan Ye Sheng Cha

In the wake of increased Puerh tea production and a surge in market interest Zhang Yi and three other highly influential tea businessmen converged once again on Yiwu to discuss the future of Yiwu teas. The three other individuals were Ye Binghuai (now Dayi’s largest Puerh tea distributor), Ruan Dianrong of Menghai Tea Factory and Zhu Qizhong of Long Sheng Tea Factory. The meeting resulted in the production of yet another Puerh tea. They called it Lu Dashu (绿大树), or as it is more commonly known, Yiwu Zheng Shan Ye Sheng Cha (易武正山野生茶). (This tea did much by the way of promoting Yiwu and the future use of Yiwu famous Arbor tea trees. Unfortunately however, this tea was not necessarily comprised entirely of old growth Arbor tea leaves.)

 

These three factors all played a significant role in setting a stage for the debut of Mr. He Shihua’s tea and even more so, a brighter future of old growth Arbor tea tree Puerh. They all served to increase the awareness of old growth Puerh teas and set a precedent for others to follow. At this point however what’s not entirely certain is whether or not Mr. He Shihua was aware of these factors at the time he produced this tea. Or more simply stated; was he conscientiously participating in the market for old growth Arbor tea tree Puerhs?

 

In order to better understand the possible reasons at to why Mr. He Shihua chose to produce an old growth Arbor tea tree Puerh from the Jingmai region, we first need to take a closer look at the market for Puerh teas during that period.

 


The Story Unfolds

Looking over the history of tea production throughout the 1990’s, many old growth Arbor tea tree Puerhs were still largely considered inferior to cultivated tea garden varietals. This was due in part to the fact that most Puerh tea production during the 1990’s was still closely bound to the mindset of green tea production; denoted primarily by an increased emphasis on ‘buds’ and overall leaf appearance. In response, buyers were only willing to pay between 3 and 10 RMB for raw old growth Arbor tea leaves; a price substantially lower than that of cultivated tea garden teas. The market was not only characterized by slack demand but also by weak supply. Throughout the 1990’s most farmers refused to spend the time and the effort to climb and pick the tall Arbor tea trees. For the farmers the choice was quite clear; given the same amount of time a farmer could pick more baskets of cultivated tea and sell it to the market at a higher price!


Confronted with such a situation one can’t help but wonder why Mr. He Shihua chose to produce a Puerh composed of relatively more expensive old growth Arbor tea leaves from a region that had yet to become a choice destination for Puerh tea production. Certainly, he must have had his reasons!


By looking over the trends defining the Puerh tea market of the late 1990’s, it seems that there may have been two factors which helped in determining his choice;


1) Price of raw tea leaves

Evidently the price of old growth Arbor tea leaves was significantly lower than the price of cultivated tea garden teas. He Shihua paid approximately 10 RMB / kilo for the Jingmai raw tea leaves. His margins would have been significantly lower if he had used cultivated tea leaves.


2) Quality of tea leaves

Although Jingmai teas were not very well known in the production of Puerh, local Yunnanese have always enjoyed the quality of Jingmai’s green teas. It was quite possible then considering the quality of the local old growth Arbor teas they could be purchased at a bargain price.

 

He Shi Hua Bing Top View


Regardless of whether or not these factors actually influenced He Shihua may not be all that important. What is significant however, is to realize that these factors reflected the general conditions present at that point in time. Essentially, Mr. He Shihua was creating a Puerh tea that went against those market conditions. And although the value of Mr. He Shihua’s actions would have to wait some years to be fully appreciated, his tea would come to represent a new generation of Puerhs that would offer a tangible framework with which to better understand the value of old growth Arbor trees in the production and aging of Puerh tea.


*this article is not intended to prove or disprove the whereabouts of Mr. He Shihua, but rather offer a perspective in order to at least understand the status quo in which his decisions were made.