SPECIAL REPORT - AN EMERGING DILEMMA(2)	Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

In the early 2000s there were noticeable signs that something wasn’t quite right. The current situation of today proves that things have taken a turn for the worst. With the boom of Puerh tea coming alongside the growing Chinese economy, the escalating wealth of affluent Chinese acted as a catalyst for Puerh prices to skyrocket. Money was waiting to be made from the huge and growing demands of new markets in northern China and big cities like Beijing. The availability of the indigenous Yunnan big leaf variety suddenly became limited in the face of this huge demand. Distinguished by its ageing properties these native Yunnan leaves made Puerh tea famous and renowned throughout the world. While the limited harvest of these native Yunnan leaves was a drawback, the annual production of Puerh tea from 2000 to 2008 continued to increase by leaps and bounds. Where did the extra bulk of tea leaves come from?

The answer could be seen on the roads as truckloads of cheap green teas from nearby provinces were imported into Yunnan Province. This ruse would have catastrophic consequences down the line as teacakes that contain these inferior green tea leaves would in time be rendered worthless.

The green tea leaves that are harvested in the neighboring areas of Yunnan Province have always been richly abundant. These inferior tea leaves can be purchased for a fraction of the price of the native Yunnan big leaf variety. This combination of cheap and easy access to raw material during the early Puerh boom opened the flood gates for shady deals as people saw a way to make quick profits.

During the early stages of the ruse, things were easy to hide and the market ignorantly accepted the change. There were few people who actually even noticed the change. At a young age the characteristics of the green tea leaves and the native Yunnan leaves are remarkably similar and it is not easy for people to tell them apart. Experts can even struggle to detect a fake young teacake that is well-made. Such teacakes often came from carefully constructed batches of mixed leaves that contain a measured amount (5-20%) of green tea leaves. This careful measurement is intended to ensure that the dominant character came from the native Yunnan leaves making the ruse harder to detect. The addition of cheap green tea leaves allowed production lines to be stretched thus ensuring companies more profits. In some cases corrupt producers would employ this technique to earn extra income for themselves while keeping such activities hidden from their employers.