Hong Tai Chang 1999

The Hong Chang Hao company produced puer in Yibang until 1949, when it was dissolved after the founding of the PRC. However, unlike the other famous puer productions of that era, it did not disappear completely. In the 1930s, they opened an export branch in Bangkok under the name Hong Tai Chang, which was able to continue the puer tradition in Thailand, only this time they used mainly tea leaves from Thailand, but also from Laos and Vietnam. From Thailand, they were also able to export tea to Hong Kong and other countries in Southeast Asia, where their tea became popular with Chinese living in exile, particularly as Yunnan puer was not exported to those markets for a long time.

We used to have a shu puer Old Lee 2011 from their production in Thailand, and we still offer a shu puer Old Master 1996 from an old master producer who used to work for Hong Tai Chang in Thailand.

This cake was created in the late 1990s, when it became possible to use tea leaves from China again, and has undergone partial advanced fermentation. The result perfectly combines the best of both puer worlds. The texture, density and colour of the infusion are those of shu puer, but at the same time, the tea has a distinct camphor aroma, typical of mature shengs, and has its own complexity.