Text: Wen Xin
Edited by Dongqing
In the Chinese tea world, ancient tree tea and mesa tea are two completely different existences. They are not only different in terms of growth environment and morphological characteristics, but also have a world of difference in taste and value. Let's walk into the world of ancient tree tea and mesa tea and explore the mystery between them.
Look at the origins
Ancient tree tea, as the name suggests, refers to the tea leaves that grow on the ancient tea tree. These tea trees are usually older, mostly more than 100 years, and some can even be up to 1,000 years old. They grow in mountainous areas with a relatively primitive natural environment, such as Pu'er tea producing areas in Yunnan and Anhua black tea producing areas in Hunan. In these places, ancient tea trees are scattered on the hillsides, blending in with the surrounding forest environment and absorbing the essence of nature.
Among them, the topic of Pu'er ancient tree tea is a topic that has not been clarified. With a series of advantages such as excellent growth environment, scarce yield, full taste of tea soup, deep throat, strong shengjin, long-lasting sweetness, calm and fragrant aroma, bitter and astringent coordination, and resistance to brewing, Pu'er tea ancient tree tea has become a savior since 2007, and has been on the historical stage of Pu'er tea, and has been chased and collected by more and more hardcore tea customers. There is a saying: "Tea to Pu'er do not look back, taste to the ancient tree for respect!" In many Pu'er tea chaos, and "ancient tree tea" as the most, for a time, the market is difficult to distinguish between true and false, inconsistent.
Terrace tea, on the other hand, refers to tea leaves grown in artificially cultivated tea plantations. Most of these tea plantations are located in hilly, mountainous and other places with relatively flat terrain. In order to facilitate management and harvesting, tea farmers will plant tea trees on the terrace to form a neat and orderly tea garden. The age of the tea tree is relatively short, generally between a few decades and hundreds of years, such as Tieguanyin in Fujian, Maofeng in Huangshan in Anhui, etc. Therefore, concentrated contiguous, high-yield, artificially intervened planting, short age, and newer varieties of tea have become the obvious characteristics of mesa tea.
Look at the pattern
The leaves of ancient tree tea are larger, the shape is mostly oval or oblong, the leaf surface is obviously raised, the leaf bottom is thick, the leaf veins are clear, bulging and thick, and the number of leaf veins is more. Due to the slow growth of ancient tree tea, the water content of tea leaves is low, the leaves are brittle, and they are easy to break.
On the other hand, the leaves of mesa tea are relatively small, slightly slender in shape, with a relatively flat leaf surface and a thinner leaf bottom. The growth rate of mesa tea is fast, the water content is high, and the leaf flexibility is better.
Look at the taste
Due to the superior growth environment, the ancient tree tea contains very rich substances. After brewing, the soup color of the ancient tree tea is orange and bright, the aroma is rich and long-lasting, and the taste is mellow and sweet. In particular, Pu'er ancient tree tea, with its unique aged aroma and stale taste, makes people have an endless aftertaste. The taste of terrace tea is relatively light, the aroma is peaceful, and the aftertaste is weak. Terrace tea is suitable for people who like a fresh taste, while ancient tree tea can better meet the needs of people who have higher requirements for the taste of tea.
Relevant studies have shown that the components with higher content in the fresh leaves of Pu'er ancient tree tea garden are: tea polyphenols, catechins, amino acids, caffeine, and water extracts, and the lower content is water-soluble sugar.
Except for carbohydrate compounds, the content of other components was positively correlated with quality, and the higher the content, the better the quality of fresh tea leaves! Therefore, the material basis of the quality of fresh leaves in ancient tree tea gardens is better than that of fresh leaves in tea gardens on terraces.
Experts from the Tea Research Institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences have selected 25 ancient tree teas and ecological tea (terrace tea) from different villages in Menghai as tea samples for evaluation and conducted a professional sensory evaluation:
The results showed that the sensory quality of ancient tree tea was quite eye-catching, and the top seven scores were Laobanzhang Ancient Tree Tea, Manmai Ancient Tree Tea of Hekai Village Committee, Pasha Ancient Tree Tea, Hekai Manlong Laozhai Ancient Tree Tea, Manwa Village Hesong Ancient Tree Tea, and Manmai Village Committee Manmai Ancient Tree Tea.
Only one from Brown Mountain Meng'ang Ecological Tea (Terrace Tea) stood out and occupied the seventh place. It can be seen that the quality of ancient tree tea is indeed excellent. The study also analyzed and determined the contents of 25 tea samples:
Looking at the above figure, it can be seen that the water extract, caffeine, tea polyphenols and catechins of ancient tree tea are higher than those of ecological tea (terrace tea), and the coefficient of variation is smaller, indicating that the chemical composition content of ancient tree tea is rich and stable.
Due to the difference in root depth, soil environment and altitude, the two are also very different in the performance of tea aroma!
Look at the value
In the market, there is a huge difference in the price of ancient tree tea and mesa tea. This is mainly due to the scarcity of ancient tree tea and the difficulty of picking, which makes its price high. In addition, the quality and taste of ancient tree tea far surpass that of terrace tea, making it a treasure in the tea market. Due to the standardized management of manual pruning and fertilization, the production of terrace tea is large, the quality is relatively stable, and the price is relatively low, which is the choice of ordinary consumers for daily drinking.
In contrast, ancient tree teas grown in high-altitude primeval forests germinate later.
Whether it's ancient tree tea or mesa tea, they are all gifts from nature. Each piece of tea has gone through the process from growth to picking and brewing, and it has embodied the hard work of countless people. When tasting tea, we should feel the life force and story conveyed by each tea with our hearts.
In the world of tea in China, ancient tree tea and terrace tea have their own merits. If you're looking for the ultimate in taste and quality, then Ancient Tree Tea is undoubtedly the best choice for you, and if you're more inclined to drink and enjoy the freshness of your daily drink, then Terrace Tea can also meet your needs. No matter what kind of tea you choose, the key is to cherish the life course of each tea leaf and savor the beauty of nature it contains.
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