Teacake from the oldest tree to be auctioned (old news)

[bagua7]

I know, I know...dated back to 11/05/07 but I did a forum search and couldn't find the corresponding thread...anyway who wouldn't like to take sip of that amazing brew...Yes -akin yubi ritual- you can chop the top of my left pinky off, sir!

"A block of pu'er tea from a 3,200-year-old tree will be on show during the third China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF), a spokeswoman for Zhuoshi Teahouse said Thursday.

The reserve price for the 499-gram teacake has been set at 300,000 yuan (US$38,961.04), according to the teahouse in Luohu District. The auction will take place July 19.

The teacake was produced by Yunnan-based Dianhong Group last month, with the whole process witnessed by notaries, according to the shop.

The tea came from an ancient tree in Jinxiu Village in Fengqing County, Yunnan Province, which is said to be the oldest human-planted tea tree in the world and dubbed "Ancestor Tea in Jinxiu."

With a diameter of 1.84 meters, the tree is also the biggest tea tree in the world, growing at an altitude of 3,245 meters.

Only six teacakes have been made from the tree's leaves this year. The one to be auctioned in Shenzhen is one of the four on sale.

Zhuo Shaodong, the founder of Zhuoshi Teahouse, said the teacake was tight, thick, fragrant and beautifully black. "It is a top choice for drinking and collecting," Zhuo said.

Pu'er (or pu-erh) tea is named after Pu'er County near Simao, Yunnan. Unlike other teas that should ideally be consumed shortly after production, pu'er can be drunk immediately or aged for many years."

Source: http://www.newsgd.com/news/Guangdong1/200705110016.htm

I am still in my online quest of sheng from real "wild trees." Not an easy assignment, for sure.

[TIM]

This was around $3000 a few years ago.... and now its more than 10 times the price!? Crazy

http://themandarinstea.blogspot.com/200 ... -pots.html

[heatwaves]

I'm quite skeptical about the 3200 year old age. Very few tree species can live that long. While entirely possible, it's not very likely.

(I thought today I'd find my skeptical inner MarshalN.)

EDIT: Hmm... just read that they're two different trees: one that's 3753 years old and one 3200. As for the first, I didn't think carbon dating could nail down the exact year.)

[TomVerlain]

Radiocarbon dating works on dead things, as the c14 needs to be "fixed" in order to decay. Dendrochronology (tree ring dating) would be the best way to do the dating, assuming you had a section of wood you could cut in half or bore a sample to see the ring spacing. There may have been dead tree limbs used to estimate the tree's age. The oldest tree (acording to wikipedia (!)) is 9500 years old, in sweden.

They mention the tree is oldest "hand planted" tree, which requires other types of corroboration.

I found an interesting blog about a 2800 year old tree, with a video.

http://www.teanamu.com/2010/05/worlds-oldest-tea-trees/

In any case, yes, I would drink this tea young as it is. I wouldn't pay $38,000 for the previledge, but wouldn't turn down a cuppa if offered.

[Catfur]

Trees don't really die of old age, they just get too big and fall over, or rot from the inside out and fall over, or burn in a fire, or get diseased, eaten by locusts, ringed by beavers, etc...

Bushes (and smaller, bushy trees), which don't suffer from the get too big and fall over problem can last longer. It's really just a statistical game for getting old when you are a tree, i.e. how long can you last before some disaster strikes.

[IPT]

For the older trees, they often call in dendrochronologists to assess the trees age. There's a banyan tree near me that's over 4,000 years old. It's HUGE!

[heatwaves]

The oldest tree (acording to wikipedia (!)) is 9500 years old, in sweden.

I believe that tree was a "cloned" tree from tissue of the original that lived over 9500 years ago. I think that the oldest original tree is about 5000 years old (bristlecone?).

Good info on the carbon dating, I didn't realize it had to be dead material. This probably supports the idea that experts can't nail down a specific year for living treees.

[heatwaves]

Trees don't really die of old age...

Same for people. Except as living things age they're more susceptible to disease, etc. Eventually every species has a "ceiling" for old age. However, if we drink enough pu we may gain immortality. Or fluorosis.

[entropyembrace]

The exact age of a living tree can be determined by taking a small core through the trunk and carefully examining the tree rings.