A Chronicle Of Ripe Pu'er Tea Featuring Prominent Figures, Historical events, And Renowned Tea Factories(3)

Xiaguan Tea Factory: 7663 (1975), Tuocha Sold to France(1976)

Founded in 1941, Kangzang Tea Factory-the predecessor of Xiaguan Tea Factory

In 1952, all companies within the China Tea Company system uniformly used the "Zhongcha" brand. Xiaguan Tea Factory began producing Seven Sons Cake Tea. Entering the 1960s, due to raw material allocation plans and the division of labor in processing products, Xiaguan Tea Factory focused on Tuocha and compressed tea as its main products, producing only a small amount of round tea, with the majority planned for Menghai Tea Factory.

Early Xiaguan Tuocha 

In 1953, through experimentation, the tea factory changed the method of kneading tea cakes from being rolled into round shapes in cloth bags and then pressed with 18-kilogram lead cakes to directly steaming and pressing them in aluminum steamers.

Trademarks of Xiaguan Tuo from different periods.

In 1955, with the approval of the provincial company, the compressed tea specification changed from a heart shape to a brick shape. Ten tons were initially produced for trial sales in Lijiang and other places to solicit consumer feedback. In the same year, the provincial company notified the tea factory to conduct artificial post-fermentation experiments on exported compressed tea. The shape of Xiaguan Tea Factory's Seven Sons Cake Tea changed from a concave bottom to a flat bottom.

In 1958, a successful experiment with high-temperature, rapid artificial post-fermentation shortened the fermentation cycle and reduced costs.

In 1973, the Kunming Tea Factory adopted the principle of pile fermentation for compressed tea from the Xiaguan Tea Factory, further accelerating the process with high-temperature, high-humidity artificial post-fermentation to produce the Yunnan Pu'er tea (ripe tea) we know today.

In 1975, trial production of Pu'er Tuocha (ripe tea) was conducted. In 1976, bulk exports of Tuocha (7663) were made specifically for Hong Kong's Tian Sheng Hang, which then exclusively sold it in the French market.

In 1976, the provincial company held a province-wide Pu'er tea production conference, requiring the Kunming, Menghai, and Xiaguan factories to increase production of Pu'er tea (pile fermented ripe tea) and deciding on tea product markings. Xiaguan Tea Factory's markings began with 76 and ended with 3.

In 1978, the provincial company assigned the production plan for Xiaguan Tea Factory's small-volume round tea (Seven Sons Cake Tea) to the Menghai Tea Factory for processing.

Kunming Tea Factory: 7581 Pu-erh Ripe Brick (75 Years)

In 1973, personnel from four tea factories visited Guangdong Province to study pile fermentation technology. The Xiaguan Tea Factory completed the initial ripening process, while the Kunming Tea Factory further humidified and heated the process to complete the established wet pile fermentation technique, which is what is now known as ripe Pu-erh tea. Historical records indicate that the initial experimental tea was known in the market as "Jujube-scented Thick Brick," while the mass-produced tea was "73 Thick Brick."

73 Thick Brick

The 7581 Kunming Ripe Brick was the mainstream ripe brick tea on the market before 1994, with its peak production period being from 1988 to 1994.

During this period, the Kunming Tea Factory primarily exported tea under the brands Jixing and Jinji. Jixing Golden Melon Tribute Tea and Jinji Tuocha were well-known teas of this period, although production was limited.

The most important process in processing ripe Pu-erh tea: Piling (渥堆)

Those unfamiliar with tea might not even know the pronunciation of "piling," but seasoned tea drinkers know it's the most crucial part of the ripe Pu-erh tea processing. It directly affects the taste of the finished tea and carries a certain risk; a mistake can ruin the tea.

The piling process seems simple—after the fresh leaves are withered and dried to form raw tea, they are piled into a small mound, sprinkled with water, covered with a cloth, and allowed to ferment. Experienced tea masters will periodically turn the tea leaves and sprinkle water to control the temperature of the pile and the fermentation environment.

Piling

Generally, piling lasts about a month. However, in recent years, some manufacturers have modified the process to reduce the musty smell and improve the flavor, using low temperatures, frequent small amounts of water, and longer fermentation times, sometimes reaching up to three months.

Piling

Pu-erh tea that has undergone piling has a clear, reddish-brown color and a mellow, sweet taste. Unlike raw Pu-erh tea, ripe Pu-erh is very mild, with very little stimulation to the body. Long-term consumption can even have a stomach-nourishing and bowel-regulating effect. However, if the processing techniques are not sophisticated and the tea masters lack experience, the fermentation process itself carries risks. The most common problem is burning the pile, where excessively high temperatures cause the tea leaves at the center of the pile to turn black and carbonize, rendering them undrinkable.

Besides this, an immature fermentation process can also have negative effects on the tea. If the tea leaves are extremely dry and scorched like firewood, it's likely that the center was burned during fermentation; if the leaves are too soft and crumble easily, it's probably due to poor moisture control during fermentation, resulting in too much moisture. Furthermore, the burnt or musty taste found in some ripe Pu-erh teas is also highly likely to be caused by negative effects during fermentation. Therefore, tea factories typically employ experienced masters to oversee the fermentation process.

The End

A Chronicle Of Ripe Pu'er Tea Featuring Prominent Figures, Historical events, And Renowned Tea Factories(2)

Guangzhou: The Transformation of Red-Liquor Raw Pu-erh Tea in the Hands of China Tea Company

In 1959, the Guangdong Tea Import and Export Company (China Tea Company) began experimental research on accelerating the post-fermentation of Pu-erh tea, developing its own new process for Pu-erh tea fermentation. The Guangzhou branch of China Tea Company blended Yunnan raw tea leaves with local Guangdong tea leaves to produce Guangdong Pu-erh tea.

According to later research, this Guangdong Pu-erh tea was quite different from the ripe Pu-erh tea produced today (it could only be considered a red-liquor Pu-erh tea favored by local people).

While reviewing the materials, I also discovered an interesting fact: also in 1959, a tea expert named Zeng Jian from Hong Kong consulted Lu Zhuxun for tea-making secrets. Later, Zeng Jian's brother, Zeng Qi, went to Guangzhou and joined the Guangdong branch of China Tea Company, taking on the role of tea fermentation expert.

The exact time when Zeng Jian's brother took up his position in Guangzhou cannot be verified, but the timing is close, leading us to speculate that his arrival may have been somewhat related to the development of the new ripe Pu-erh tea process in Guangzhou.

Guangdong Pu'erh

Boxes of Guangdong Pu-erh Tea

Yunnan: The Transformation of Red-Liquor Raw Pu-erh Tea to Ripe Pu-erh Tea at Kunming, Menghai, and Xiaguan Tea Factories

In early 1973, the Yunnan Provincial Tea Company learned at the Canton Fair that Hong Kong customers needed fermented red-liquor Pu-erh tea, and that this type of tea was produced in Guangdong.  They decided to learn the process. They sent a seven-person team, including An Zengrong, deputy director of the Kunming Tea Factory, Wu Qiying, head of the inspection department, and worker Li Guiying, along with two representatives each from the Menghai and Xiaguan tea factories, to the Guangzhou Tea Factory to learn the Pu-erh tea fermentation process.

The Old Photos Of Kunming Tea Factory

After the team returned to Kunming, the company established a technical research group composed of key personnel from production, inspection, and marketing. The Kunming Tea Factory initially tried producing the tea using its own process. The Guangzhou Tea Factory initially used cold water fermentation, but finding it unsatisfactory, switched to warm water fermentation and standardized the process. The Kunming Tea Factory tried warm water fermentation according to the Guangzhou process but was unsuccessful. The Kunming Tea Factory and the research group held numerous meetings to discuss and analyze the process.

The meetings were held repeatedly, moving from the office to the factory floor. After analysis, everyone agreed that Guangzhou's climate and environment differed significantly from Kunming's, and that the processing methods should be adjusted.  Most believed that using cold water fermentation in Kunming seemed more reasonable. The Guangzhou Tea Factory also suggested, "Based on Kunming's climate characteristics, it might be worthwhile to try using cold water."

In 1974, after adjusting the process, the Kunming Tea Factory finally achieved success with its fermentation process, producing 10.2 tons of Pu-erh tea for export to Hong Kong that year (including over 1 ton produced by Chen Peiren's trial). Subsequently, Menghai developed its own process, while Xiaguan combined its hot fermentation process for compressed tea to create its unique products. These products had completely different flavors from Guangdong Pu-erh tea.

With the successive production of Pu-erh tea by the Menghai and Xiaguan tea factories, the scale of Pu-erh tea production in Yunnan gradually expanded. In the 1970s and 1980s, Pu-erh tea from the Yunnan Tea Import and Export Company dominated the Hong Kong market and entered the Japanese and Western European markets, greatly encouraging the tea-producing regions of Yunnan. Some tea factories in Dehong, Baoshan, and Simao prefectures were eager to start Pu-erh tea production for export. To promote the development of these tea-producing regions, the company sent personnel to introduce and share the experience of the Kunming Tea Factory with these factories on multiple occasions.

In 1975, Menghai's Pu-erh tea production process was basically finalized, resulting in what we know today as modern ripe Pu-erh tea. Later, Menghai ripe tea cakes with the mark numbers 7452 and 7572, Xiaguan Pu-erh ripe tea tuo with the mark number 7663 for export to France, and Kunming Pu-erh ripe tea bricks with the mark number 7581 began to be exported in large quantities, becoming flagship products of the Yunnan Tea Company. 

The Old Photos Of Menghai Tea Factory

Reflection: Reasons for the successful transformation of ripe Pu-erh tea in Yunnan

1. Possessing the foundation of compressed tea fermentation technology

In 1939, Mr. Fan Hejun visited Fohai (now Menghai) for research. He wrote an article titled "Fohai Tea Industry," which included a description of the fermentation of compressed tea raw materials: "C. For each batch of tea, 150 catties each of high-grade and medium-grade tea leaves are required.  They must be moistened to ferment, develop aroma, and become soft for easy kneading."

In 1957, Mr. Tang Qingyang, the head of Xishuangbanna Tea Factory (Menghai Tea Factory), summarized, "Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Xishuangbanna Tea Factory has broken with the past practice of not processing tea during the rainy season, and has begun producing compressed (export) round tea in the third quarter rainy season. Through artificial technical management of temperature and humidity, it not only controls mold growth but also maintains the mellow and rich flavor characteristics of post-fermented round tea, meeting the taste requirements of consumers and accelerating product delivery."

In 1958, Xiaguan Tea Factory successfully experimented with high-temperature steam rapid fermentation technology for compressed tea. The entire process involved turning the tea twice, taking a maximum of 15 days, greatly shortening the fermentation time of compressed tea. However, the Pu-erh tea fermented using this method also had its drawbacks, namely a strange taste. However, this steam post-fermentation laid the foundation for Xiaguan Tea Factory's development of its own pile fermentation technology in 1975.

2. Possessing early experience in Pu-erh tea fermentation

Before 1953, Chen Peiren was the owner of Huasheng Tea Shop in Kunming. In the 1940s, he saw that the Pu-erh tea produced by Ruifeng Tea Shop, run by Ma Ziyu, had a bright red color and a unique taste, and many Cantonese people in Kunming bought it. He then experimented with making fermented Pu-erh tea himself. This shows that fermented Pu-erh tea was sold in Kunming at that time, but the consumer group was relatively small and not widely known.

Pu-erh tea originates from Yunnan, but coastal areas such as Guangdong and Hong Kong "promoted" it, making it known to the world. However, Yunnan tea producers integrated the strengths of various methods, allowing Pu-erh tea to truly possess mature fermentation technology, and Pu-erh tea ultimately returned to its roots. Thus, Pu-erh tea completed its evolution from traditional red-liquor raw tea to red-liquor raw tea in Macau, Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Thailand, and finally to modern ripe Pu-erh tea in Yunnan.  The production process also evolved from the era of tribute tea for the imperial court to a readily available consumer product for everyone.

Classic Showcase: Tea Factories and Their Products Worth Mentioning

Menghai Tea Factory: 7452 and 7572 began mass production.

The Menghai Tea Factory, known for its legendary tea cakes 7572 and 7452, produced only 6 piculs of Pu-erh tea (ripe tea) in 1974, and then gradually increased production year by year.

In 1976, document No. 84/45 from Yunwai Tea Industry stipulated seven tea numbers for Menghai Tea Factory's Pu-erh tea: Yunnan Seven-Son Tea Cake 7572, 7682, Yunnan Pu-erh Tea 74092, 74102, Yunnan Green Tea 74342, 74562, and 74782.

In 1978, the processing volume of Pu-erh tea (ripe tea) ranked first among all refined teas. In that year, Menghai County processed a total of 27,797 piculs of refined tea, including 3,675 piculs of green tea, 7,403 piculs of black tea, 6,936 piculs of compressed tea (raw Pu-erh tea), and 9,783 piculs of special tea (ripe Pu-erh tea).

Seven-son Pu-erh Tea Cakes

To Be Continued