Who Brought Puerh Tea to California?
A very brief and small history of a much deeper vast story
In 1946 human porters were still hauling on their backs 300-pound loads of bundled tea on the road to Tibet. Pausing every few hundred yards to rest their loads on walking crutches, the bearers needed three weeks to cover 140 miles between Yaan and Kangding. Then pack animals took over.
GEORGE PATTERSON
Sited from National Geographic
Puerh tea was introduced to California in the 19th century by Chinese immigrants mostly from Canton (Guangdong) province because they were near the shipping ports.
The original crafters of puerh were located inland China and were usually less likely to leave their native lands because of land lock.
Puerh tea arrived in California during the wave of Chinese immigration in the 19th century, when many immigrants came from Canton province to work on building the railroads.
Roy Fong, owner of Imperial Tea Court in San Francisco, states that puerh is considered the "birthright of every Cantonese" and was the automatic choice for tea during his childhood in Hong Kong, another place puerh tea grew popular and spread to.
For decades in California, puerh tea was mostly found in Chinese restaurants.
In 1993, when Roy Fong opened the Imperial Tea Court tea house in San Francisco, he was surprised to find that so many non-Chinese customers were interested in puerh tea.
In true folk fashion, like many products of traditional culture, there isn't a single individual credited with bringing puerh to California.
Its popularity among non-Chinese consumers grew more recently, starting in the 1990s mainly in California. There was an open-minded “conscious community” here perfect for its genesis. There were many trailblazers of puerh back then, Master Wang was one of them.
If you are interested in learning more, my Father, Master Wang gave a great interview on this that you can read.
But another question still remains, how did people in Hong Kong and Guandong discover puerh tea? Because just like in California, puerh tea is not originally from either of those places.
The complete Ancient Tea Horse Road was incredibly long, spanning over 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles) in total length. This made it one of the longest ancient trade routes in the world.
Puerh tea originated in Yunnan province and made its way to Guangdong and Hong Kong through these Ancient Tea Horse Road trade routes.
Puerh tea was developed in Yunnan China
Horses carry bundles of pressed tea on thier backs
Tea had to travel by horse or foot from inland Yunnan province to sea fareing provinces such as Guangdong
As tea’s popularity spread across the world, demand for tea that could be easily transported and wouldn't spoil on long journeys led to the development of fermentation techniques, which improved tea's shelf life and flavor over time.
They say necessity is the mother of invention. Puerh is a true product of that inventive spirit. It solved so many of the merchant’s trade problems through innovative fermentation and storage techniques.
We take so much of what we have today for granted. We can wake up and turn on the water. Flick on the lights. Plug in the water kettle. Heat water with electricity. Enjoy puerh in California.
But none of this would be possible without the relentless love, care, and suffering of our ancestors. They worked so hard so we could lead a better life. Tea is one of those small reminders to be so grateful for everything you consume and use. To understand and have awareness of how hard it truly is to do trade, move human goods, and build civilization.
Thank you for reading this piece, if you are interested in more, please feel free to subscribe to our newsletter. We are a family company with ancestral roots in Yunnan province and we strive to share the beautiful parts of our culture.
About the author:
Anoah East Wang is a tea custodian and lover. He grew up learning about tea from his family in Yunnan and his Father, Master Wang. He loves to pour tea and bring people together in ways that foster and nurture unity. He holds tea events for the public in nature or in premium venues with his musician friends. In private he shares tea ceremonies that give people a tool to work on their own spiritual wellbeing.
You can find more about us on our website:
Citations:
[1] https://mgualt.com/tealog/2020/10/04/1970s-guang-yun-gong-%E5%BB%A3%E6%9D%B1%E9%A4%85-%E5%9C%93%E7%A5%A8/
[2] https://www.teaforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=1979
[3] https://www.artoftea.com/blogs/tea-101/what-is-pu-erh-tea
[4] https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/guangdong-and-banna-stored-pu-erh-tea
[5] https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/guangdong-and-banna-stored-pu-erh-tea