The first time I tasted an aged tea, I was stunned by the complexity, depth, balance between aroma and flavour of the tea. I could still taste the liveliness of the tea leaves, earthy but not astringent or grassy. The tea was an 18 years old Sheng Puerh from Yiwu Mountain in Yunnan, China.
Sheng (Raw) Puerh - Natural Oxidisation and Fermentation
Young Sheng Puerh (without any aging) could be too astringent to taste and some people (myself included) find its nature too cooling, too harsh for the stomach.
Back in the 70s, only Sheng Puerh was produced by tea companies. The tea was not intended to be drank when fresh, its nature is quite cooling and tastes astringent. People will store the tea for at least 10-15 years to let it transform, oxidise and ferment naturally. The tea becomes Aged Sheng Puerh. Aged Sheng Puerh is complex, mellow but maintains the liveliness of the tea leaves. The longer you age the tea, the gentler the tea becomes.
Shou (Ripe) Puerh - Artificial Fermentation
In 1973, some tea companies started adding a post-fermentation process (piling) after producing the Sheng (Raw) Puerh. After going through this full fermentation process, the tea becomes Shou (Ripe) Puerh, which is very mild and gentle to the body. The tea is no longer cooling with astringency and can be enjoyed as soon as it is made. Note that we usually wait for a year to avoid any unpleasant flavours from the piling.
Good quality Shou Puerh is rich and mellow. Some can be aged further to become deeper, fuller and more complex.
Aging of White Tea and Other Teas
Apart from Puerh, White tea, Black tea, or even some Oolong teas can age beautifully with appropriate storage. Especially for White tea, the nature of the tea can be transformed from cooling to gentle and nourishing, the taste becomes mellow with growing complexity. There is a Chinese saying on White tea: "1 year she becomes tea, 3 years becomes medicine, 7 years becomes treasure".
However, not all tea can be aged, Green tea is made with young leaves with high moisture content. If we age green tea, the tea might taste awkward before it begins to oxidize and mature. Green tea is best to drink within a year or so, especially the Japanese ones. But with air-tight storage, many Green tea can last for a lot longer now.
Prestigious Vintage Tea
In the past, when talking about aged / vintage tea, people usually associate with the Sheng Puerh cakes sold for tens of thousands of dollars in auctions. Nowadays, you can find some good quality aged loose leaf teas with good storage at an affordable price. Just make sure you are purchasing from a reliable store and do not hesitate to ask where the teas were aged, whether they are best to drink now or to age further.
Aged/vintage teas are more patience, you can enjoy many rounds of steeping and they are wonderful for tea practice or to be enjoyed and shared with your loved ones. You may check out the collection of Aged Tea / Vintage Tea here.