How to evaluate the tableland tea?

When we focus on the " ancient tree tea", “Tableland Tea "will be cast into the shade.

We are discussing a special subject to "what is Pu'er tea", we summed up the four attributes of Pu'er tea, in these four attributes, in addition to the first attribute is "tea", the other three properties are far beyond the scope of tea. And all are based on the "Haoji tea(号级茶)" as the basis for induction. Such as "can drink antique" is sgnificant identification of “Haoji tea(号级茶)”.

It is undeniable that the introduction of the concept of ancient tree tea is Pu'er tea industry businessmen another clever move. It doesn't have to be like another region of tea that they use one or more historical stories accumulate, ephasize its long history, "the old tea tree" is the simplest and easiest epression way to atract the attention of consumers.

People have a kind of worship complex for a long history of things and the Millennium plant itself, Pu'er tea has a long history of making tea and old  tree have a long age. Many people are surprised and curious, and they began to taste and experience the ancient charm, although they do not understand "the domineering, soft and honey fragrant "exclusive noum, more do not know "a mountain a tea, a tea a smell" contains the uniqueness, and ancient tea tree is scarce resources, yield rarely, for them to provide a lot of imagination. Thus, people's preference for the ancient tree tea has gone beyond the category of tea, and place on higher psychological expectations.

Actually, before detrusion the concept of ancient tree tea, people seldom pay attention to the source of Puer tea raw mateiral. The detrusion of old tree tea, on the surface, it is an "upgraded version" of Puer tea, based on the above analysis, businesses and consumers makes a re classification and depth mining for the quality of Puer tea. From a commercial point of view, it is a successful business operation. But from another point of view, it also simple the ancient tea tree, from hill head to hill head, from old trees to ancient trees, even appeared the concept and product of the just from one(单株) ancient tree tea. The tendency of only mountain head ancient tree for respect, in recent years, the production of Pu erh tea appear a simplify trend. As long as it is a mountain head ancient tree tea, don't ask manufacturers、don't ask the craft, even if it is personal production, will be sought after, even some consumers simply go up the mountain buy tea, form the tea mountain passenger flow like tide water, a hubbub of voices, tea factory lonely and lonely under the mountain, customer list sharp decrease. Pu'er tea production enterprises have been weakened, production of Pu'er tea master (technician) is weakened, unique production techniques have been weakened, Pu'er tea industry, some well-known brands have been weakened.

Of course, the Tableland Tea will get the biggest lash.

Some people say, in the hype of ancient trees tea, the Tableland Tea has become the target of ancient tree tea, the Tableland Tea was banished to "trash tea", it belongs to the typical lying gun.

So, how should we evaluate the Tableland Tea?

The special background and present situation of the Tableland Tea

Before the emergence of Tableland tea, Yunnan already has ancient tea tree and ancient tea garden, the history of planting tea and making tea has lasted for thousands of years. The emergence of Tableland Tea is a thing in the 70s and 80s of last century, it was a new thing at that time. Its appearance, it is also related to the ancient tea tree and the ancient tea garden.

Last century, 70s and 80s, the evaluation of ancient tea tree and ancient tea garden is very different with today. The general judgment is:

1.Ancient tea tree, due to the tree very high, plus tea tree disperse,The reality of the existence picking inconvenient.;

2.Fresh leaf yield per unit area is less than Zhejiang area;

3.At that time, Yunnan producing tea area rarely, basically green tea, black tea production, however ancient tea tree fresh leaves artifactitious green tea(dian green tea) is bitter in taste, astringent feel is heavy, it was inferior to Jiangsu and Zhejiang Green Tea. What about puer tea? As the production is very low, only satisfied with border sales (also known as the border sales tea) and a small amount of exports, rarely involved in the production of enterprises, however, these enterprises are mainly in the production of green tea and black tea, Pu'er tea production accounted for only about 20% of these enterprises, most of the tea factory did not know what is Pu'er Tea until the last century at the end of the 90s. 

In a word, ancient tea trees and ancient tea gardens were regarded as backward production methods.

Therefore, Beginning in 70s and 80s of last century, Yunnan tea industry appeared to learn and emulate the boom, the ancient tea tree dwarfing experiment, tea tree breeding, artificial cultivation and so on many attempts, the Tableland Tea"Roaring Across the Horizon", and the formation of the concept of "modern tea garden".

In terms of the production of Pu er tea, before 1989 year, its main raw materials to the ancient tree tea based, but after by 1990 year, the Tableland Tea into the high yield stage, in addition, the promotion of government and civil society, Yunnan throughout the region tea producing areas, whether it is green tea, black tea, including Pu er tea, start with Tableland Tea as the main raw material, even there was a consensus at that time, the quality of Tableland Tea is better than ancient tree tea, a lot of tea factory at that time only purchase the Tableland Tea, refusal to purchase ancient tree tea, ancient tea trees become abandoned at the time, no one cares. With the rise of Pu'er tea in Taiwan, coupled with Hongkong (Pu'er tea in the main consumption areas) to increase inventory, the subsequent situation is that a lot of Yunnan tea factory began to gradually reduce the production of green tea and black tea, expand the production of Pu er tea, due to the strong demand of the market, no production of Pu'er tea enterprises also began to get involved in the production of Pu'er tea, some of the newly built factory only to the processing Pu'er Tea professional enterprise. Since the formation of Pu'er tea industry scale. In this  big background, Pu'er tea raw material demand suddenly rose, but play a key role still is the Tableland Tea, the ancient tea tree is still left out in the cold.

Another return of the ancient tree tea, it was after 2004 year, and gradually formed the concept of mountain head pure material. It is the high-profile entry that accompanied by the historical mark of ancient tea mountain and the ancient tea garden, coupled with commercial speculation, rising prices, ancient tea tree have been highly respected in the market, ancient tree tea become upstart of many varieties of Pu er tea.

Therefore, the tableland tea fall into low ebb. But this is only a superficial phenomenon, in recent years, the tableland tea fall into low ebb is different from ancient tree tea deprecated, the tableland tea only exists the weakness of public opinion, that did not affect his mainstream position in Pu'er tea, Pu'er tea market is still up to 90% of the proportion of raw materials.

Return to the property of "tea", the tableland tea is still a good quality tea.

In contrast to the ancient tree tea and the tableland tea, found troubling results. According Tea detection directory and standard to carry out chemical examination, the some indexes of tableland tea were higher than ancient tree tea, in particular, tea polyphenols, tea polysaccharides, vitamins, etc. We called "some obvious advantages of plant nutrients".

But according to the principle of fermentation of biological medicine, it is found that the ancient tree tea has more "medicine source reserves". Taking esters material as an example, such as phospholipids, sterols, terpenes, wax and fat soluble pigment were higher than the tableland tea. Its high quality fatty acid is sixteen carbon, eighteen carbon, unsaturated fatty acid content of more than 50%. These substances produce a large number of secondary metabolites in a semi anaerobic state, this secondary metabolite has a "medicine" complex body, and that have the characteristics of "medicine food homology". When we drinking puer "Haoji(号级) tea" and "Yinji(印级) tea", we found a common feature: Ginseng (ginseng aroma) and medicinal flavor (weak Chinese herbal flavor). The appearance of this fragrance, in fact, the old tea contains officinal ingredients, when it encounter heat, It will volatilize. Without doubt, they are masterpieces of ancient tree tea. Therefore, we more inclined to ancient tree tea property of lay particular stress on” medicine source”.

Not only that, we also found several problems:

1. The tableland tea making Yunnan green tea(Dian green tea), black tea, their quality is better than the ancient tree tea.

2. Selection the tableland tea making puer raw tea cake, in a short time to open soup to drink, its soup color yellow light degree, transparency, taste sense are better than the ancient trees tea.

3. The tableland tea as raw material, there have also been a number of batches classic Pu'er tea. This phenomenon is caused by another factor, it is blending.

We're saying about that, it is not to prove that the tableland tea is better than the ancient trees tea. Contrary, we always think that the ancient tea trees is the best choice in terms of Pu'er tea. The tableland tea should be inferior to the ancient tree tea, the enzymes and alkaloids of ancient tree tea is higher than the tableland tea, the endogenous enzyme was ten times higher than the tableland tea. The more aged more aroma of Puer tea, it is also the aging process “enzymatic fermentation”. The reason is that the ancient trees tea after decades of storage generally is better than the same year tableland tea.

Although the tableland tea is also big leaf species macrophanerophytes, also comes from the ancient tea tree and have the same gene, but the reason of brachysm and close planting, so that the accumulation of material more emphasis on "tea" attributes.

             From the point of view of plant evolution, from wild arboreous large tea tree to transition type large tea tree, to artificially planted the ancient tea tree, until modern the tableland tea tree, this process itself is a continuous brachysm process, its results are more convenient for Intensive picking and nursing, according to the economic crops to investigate, it is a kind of evolution, it can be regarded as a kind of progress, it can be called "Modern tea garden". The ancient tea trees and ancient tea gardens in Yunnan belong to the ecological tea garden", more emphasis on species diversity and freedom of plant extension. Therefore, If the tableland tea is progress of macrophanerophytes big leaf species tea tree, need to learn from the ancient tea garden model, close to the ecological tea garden. There is a welcome phenomenon, many tea producing areas in Yunnan have recognized this problem, starting from the tea tree planting, pull out some tea tree, to enlarge the distance between tea trees, at the same time, planting some macrophanerophytes tree species in the tea garden, to create a new ecological environment.