► For the average consumer, Pu-erh tea often seems profound and mysterious. Many who have never drunk Pu-erh know it faces no shelf-life barriers, believing it becomes more fragrant with age—a principle strongly evidenced by the higher prices commanded by some older vintages.
► Those with influence vigorously promote this theory. If a Pu-erh stored for decades doesn't taste good, two powerful excuses are readily available: 'poor tea quality' or 'improper storage'—and these claims often hold truth. However, let's make a prior assumption: For a Pu-erh made from ancient tree tea and stored well in a suitable climate, does it truly become more fragrant indefinitely? How far does this 'more' go? Is there a critical point beyond which Pu-erh cannot 'improve' further?
► When Pu-erh became popular in Taiwan in the 1990s, Hong Kong merchants pulled large quantities of stockpiled tea onto the market, where it sold well. Setting aside the debate on wet storage for now, the characteristic of Pu-erh improving with age began to gain widespread recognition and importance. New tea has a yellow-green liquor, a strong grassy smell, and depending on the raw material, some might have a sweet aroma; having both bitterness and astringency is normal. After 3 to 10 years of storage, the tea liquor changes subtly, becoming more yellow-red, the grassy smell less prominent, with a hint of honeyed fragrance, and the bitter/astringent sensation reduces. Significant transformation effects appear roughly between 10 to 20 years: the liquor changes noticeably, the yellow hue recedes turning red, showing a thick, smooth, and slick mouthfeel; the grassy smell disappears, a honey-sweet fragrance becomes apparent, and aged aroma begins to show; the liquor's bitterness and astringency almost vanish, and if present, dissipate extremely quickly; the brewed leaves change from yellow to yellow with brown. After 20 years, it can be considered the late stage of transformation: the liquor is deep red, as beautiful as fine red wine, a fruity acidity appears, it is full of aged aroma, has no bitterness/astringency, is slick, thick, and seems to melt in the mouth; the tea cake is dark brown and glossy; the brewed leaves are light brown.
► The above aging process has been fully validated in reality, coinciding roughly with the time span from Pu-erh gaining niche attention to becoming mainstream. From this perspective, Pu-erh indeed becomes more fragrant and charming with age. However, the collection value inherent in Pu-erh's qualities has led many influential figures in the industry to advocate that 'Pu-erh's improvement with age is a constantly rising curve.' Some articles claim '60-100 year old Pu-erh is in its aged tea period, over 100 years places it in its 'bitter tea' period, full of ancient charm, leaving a lasting fragrance on the lips and teeth.' Everyone knows there is a limit to this 'improvement,' but no one has nothing better to do than point out that beyond a certain time the fragrance diminishes to the point of disappearance.
► So when 60-year, 80-year, or even older Pu-erh fetches astronomical prices at auction, the average consumer, an outsider, curiously asks: 'How incredibly good must a decades-old tea worth millions taste?'
► The author has been fortunate enough to taste old teas with 20, 30, even 60 or 70 years of age, including both dry-stored and wet-stored examples. Setting aside the dry vs. wet storage debate, and assuming good storage conditions, teas with 20-30 years of history have ample aged and fruity aromas, a red and thick liquor like red wine, forming a beautiful golden ring in the cup. Drinking them is comfortable, with both taste and physical feeling in a relatively good state. But if one seriously measures the tea's energy ('Qi'), its strength is diminished compared to earlier stages. As for teas aged 60-70 years, even with good storage, they inevitably show signs of carbonization. They are full of aged character, thick and slick, but in terms of aroma, beyond the aged scent there is only aged scent; the tea energy is basically gone.
► The sky-high prices for half-century-old teas are not unreasonable, but they absolutely do not stem from them being 'more fragrant with age,' nor because they taste exceptionally superb. Instead, it's due to the history and connotation they carry. Tasting them is about savoring the weightiness bestowed by their sense of history. The enjoyment on a spiritual level is truly difficult to measure with money. Someone is willing to offer it, and恰好 someone else is willing to pay for it. It's that simple.
► This article will likely face opposition from those who claim century-old tea also becomes increasingly fragrant. However, the author believes all things in the universe follow certain rules. Edible substances, stored naturally, will inevitably deteriorate and even become harmful after exceeding a certain time limit. If Pu-erh's improvement with age were a perpetually rising curve, then scientists should be able to study it and uncover the secret to building a perpetual motion machine, right?