A single leaf can vary in value by ten thousand times. What factors lead to such a huge price gap for Pu’er tea? How should ordinary consumers choose? Let’s find out.
1. The Huge Price Gap of a Single Tea Leaf
In the market, ordinary bulk Pu’er raw tea only costs tens of yuan to 200 yuan per kilogram, which is enough to meet the daily drinking needs.
When you step into the high-end field, the price will increase geometrically. The price of high-end ancient tree tea can reach thousands to tens of thousands of yuan per kilogram. Most of these teas come from famous producing areas such as Menghai and Yiwu in Yunnan, and are refined from ancient tree tea hundreds of years old.
The most amazing is the field of rare old tea. In 2021, a barrel of century-old Song Pin raw tea was sold at a sky-high price of HK $13.8 million, setting a record for the Pu’er Tea of tea auction. In this year’s market, the price of 400 grams of Yibang Royal Tribute Tea Old Tea Cake is as high as 200000 yuan, converted to more than 250000 yuan per catty, and the top products are even priced at 480000 yuan per cake, equivalent to a sky-high price of 600000 yuan per catty!
2.Factors Affecting Prices
Origin Effect: The “Mountain” Determines Value
This spring, Laobanzhang and Bingdao Old Village and other popular hills are still popular, tea farmers picking scene even appeared “several bosses around an ancient tree” grand occasion. In the same period, the tea garden on the nameless hilltop was “empty”.
Tree Age and Variety: Ancient Trees Reign Supreme
Tea trees in the Pu’er Tea can be divided into two categories: ancient tree tea and tableland tea. Ancient tree tea is worth twice as much because of its long age and rich content. The price of products labeled “ancient trees” on the market is usually several times or even tens of times that of tableland tea.
Age Value: Time Creates Treasures
The characteristics of “the older the more fragrant” of Pu’er tea make it valuable for collection. The price of new tea is relatively close to the people, while the price of aged tea after more than ten years of professional storage has increased exponentially. The price of high-quality old tea for more than 30 years can reach more than 100 times that of new tea.
Craftsmanship and Brand: Premium for Handmade and Brand Recognition
Traditional hand-made Pu’er tea is more expensive because of its limited production and exquisite craftsmanship. Well-known brands such as Dayi and Zhongcha also enjoy brand premium because of their mature quality control system and market recognition.
3.Shopping Guide
- Clear demand positioning: is it daily drinking, gift giving or collection investment? Daily drinking choice of 200-300 yuan/kg of tea is more cost-effective; collection investment should pay attention to the famous mountain ancient tree tea.
- Beware of the trap of low prices: most of the products that cost tens of yuan per catty but flaunt “thousand-year-old trees” on the market are counterfeit. The price of real ancient tree tea can not be too low because of its limited production.
- Choose regular channels: purchase through brand direct stores, professional tea houses or reliable e-commerce platforms, and ask for complete origin information and quality inspection reports.
- Sample tasting strategy: For high-priced tea products, first buy sample tasting, confirm that the taste is in line with expectations, and then start with the whole piece, to avoid the loss caused by blind investment.
- Pay attention to storage conditions: Pu’er tea is a “living tea”, the storage environment should be ventilated and dry, the humidity should be controlled at 50% -70%, and direct sunlight should be avoided. Good storage is the key to maintain and increase the value of tea.