The year 2013 could be considered the most tumultuous year for Pu'er tea. From investors mistakenly speculating on ripe tea as if it were raw tea to the emergence of astronomically priced ancient tree teas, the situation cannot be simply summarized as "chaotic." Some sky-high price teas have become the most hotly debated topic within Pu'er tea circles. In my opinion, the appearance of these overpriced teas precisely reflects the developmental imbalances in the Pu'er tea investment market.
The focus of sky-high price tea is on the "price" rather than the "tea." Tea is divided into different grades, and tea enthusiasts are similarly categorized. Some people drink tea for appreciation, while others drink tea to show off. The purpose of drinking sky-high price tea is not to tell others what tea they are drinking, but to inform others how expensive the tea is. More bluntly, it's about flaunting wealth rather than the tea itself.
Wealth flaunting originates from social comparison. While we shout slogans about equality for all, our behavior demonstrates a desire to become "superior to others," and our minds relentlessly seek the best position within society. Social status and wealth become the best external manifestations of personal value. Just like students being ranked in exams, everyone wants to be the best, and no one likes to fall behind. Those ahead use various forms to express their superiority, and flaunting wealth is the most direct way for people to declare their sense of superiority.
Most tea connoisseurs belong to the middle and upper classes of society. For those who flaunt wealth, showing off their financial capability within these social strata feels much more impressive than doing so before the general public. Flaunting wealth is merely a social phenomenon, similar to the era when "poverty was glorious" - its significance is purely social content, using a particular tea to demonstrate one's social status among tea friends. Tea used for flaunting wealth must first be recognized by the vast majority of tea drinkers - meaning even if I can't afford it, I know it's a good tea. If someone showcases this tea, the emotions I should display would be envy and jealousy. What would happen if one used a sky-high price tea that tea friends routinely mock? Probably the ridicule would far outweigh the admiration.
As for high-priced tea itself, it's not necessarily true that higher prices better demonstrate the drinker's status. Sometimes using lower-priced teas within the high-end category can actually attract more following from tea enthusiasts. For example, Hehechang's Danfeng Chaoyang can be considered a lower-priced option among premium teas. But brewing Danfeng Chaoyang carries far more style than currently popular ancient tree teas costing over ten thousand yuan per cake. This can be seen from the feedback in mainstream tea communities. In terms of price, Danfeng Chaoyang costs only a fraction of the ancient tree teas priced over ten thousand yuan per cake. But in terms of fan base size, Danfeng Chaoyang clearly surpasses the latter by several orders of magnitude, and the praise Danfeng Chaoyang receives far exceeds the mockery. What does this indicate? Tea suitable for炫耀 isn't determined solely by price, but also by factors like quality, brand, heritage, and social connections.