We often wonder why ancient tree tea is so expensive. After all, it's all tea grown in the same region, so why is ancient tree tea so much more expensive? At its core, the reason lies in the scarcity of ancient tree tea.
Across the vast tea mountains of Yunnan, although tea planting history spans over a thousand years, during this long period, natural selection has led to some tea trees withering and others being destroyed by human activity. The number of remaining ancient tea trees is relatively small.
Among the few ancient tea trees that remain, some have been affected by environmental pollution, making the number of fresh leaves from ancient tea trees with good growth environments, balanced internal quality, and excellent quality even scarcer. This scarcity is what drives up the price of high-quality ancient tree tea.
The Reason Why Ancient Tree Spring Tea is Expensive
Rarity: The production of ancient tree spring tea is relatively low. These ancient trees grow in specific geographic environments and are limited in number. Due to their rarity, supply is relatively tight, which naturally raises prices.
Superior Quality: They possess unique flavors and excellent quality. Their tea leaves have a rich taste, strong aroma, and a lasting aftertaste, unmatched by other teas.
Nutrient-Rich: Over a long growth period, they accumulate abundant nutrients beneficial to human health.
Historical and Cultural Value: They carry a long history and cultural heritage, giving them certain collection value.
Unique Growing Environment: They typically grow in regions with good natural environments, largely unaffected by human interference, ensuring the quality of the tea.
Limited Harvest Time: Spring tea is only harvested during a specific season, a short timeframe that adds to its scarcity.
Expert Production Techniques: The production process requires skilled craftsmanship and experience, increasing costs.
High Market Demand: As demand for high-quality tea increases, so does the market demand for ancient tree spring tea.
Brand Effect: Some well-known brands of ancient tree spring tea have brand values reflected in their prices.
Collection Value: Some tea enthusiasts collect them as valuable items, further driving up prices.
These factors collectively contribute to the relatively high price of ancient tree spring tea.
The uniqueness of Pu'er tea from different mountains places requirements on the growing environment and production techniques. We commonly think that tea just needs to be stir-fried, rolled, and dried. However, the process is more nuanced. Skilled stir-frying can bring out the mountain-specific flavor, while poor stir-frying can ruin the inherent flavor and change the taste. The most direct manifestation is that people generally prefer sweeter teas. Some tea-growing areas adjust their entire production process to achieve a sweeter taste profile, which negates the concept of “one mountain, one flavor.”