Hong Kong Traditionally Stored Pu erh Are Drying Up

 

NO, no, I am not talking about the climate change or weather in Hong Kong. 

I am talking about the scarcity of traditional Hong Kong pu erh tea. 

Tradition HK pu erh are pu erh stored by Hong Kong tea shops about 20-25 years ago. Old tea shops in Hong Kong might have basements or tea storage rooms that are slightly more humid. As a result pu erh tea stored during that time had a taste and aroma that is slightly different than say a regular dry stored pu erh.  Traditional HK puerh taste a little grassy, has an older taste and if you drink this pu erh regularly, you can detect a very faint citrus note in the tea.  This older taste and aroma is unique and I like it very much. I would like to warn that drinking this tea is an acquired taste. You either like it or not at all. 

With Hong Kong going through rapid development these past 25 years, pu erh tea in Hong Kong are now dry stored. New tea storage rooms are now less humid.  There is no longer any new traditional HK storage pu erh.  

This resulted in a scarcity of such tea.  I was in Hong Kong last month for a day and got to visit a few of my regular tea shop haunts. The shopkeepers there told me that many of such tea had been bought up by collectors and shops now have very little of these old pu erh left. 

If you like traditional HK storage pu erh,  you should consider flying to Hong Kong to pick up a few cakes.  Your wallet will experience some pain though.  

2003 Xiaguan Jia Ji Tuo Green Box

During one of my tea exchanges with a tea buddy in Guangzhou last month, I received a pair of 2003 Dayi 100g brick and a Xiaguan 100g tuo.  I was very happy and opened the tuo when I was back in Singapore.  

This tuo's compression is still very high even after than 20 years. I used a tea pick to break up this tea.  

How is the tea? There is an old taste and aroma in the tea. This is the reward of pu erh tea drinkers and collectors who store their pu erh for many years. There is an old antique wood scent with very light floral notes. The tea is smooth and is very easy to drink. Long aftertaste. I detected a very faint hint of humidity in the tea which gave a light spicy tingle to the tongue. I enjoy this humidity in this tea which I do not get from my tea collection.  Chinese tea stored all over the world will have differences in taste and aroma due to the storage and climate conditions.  These differences are the main reason why I travel to many places to enjoy and appreciate Chinese tea there.  I get to make new friends, compare notes on tea and tea ware and do tea exchanges.