Over five thousand years ago, from Shennong “encountering seventy-two poisons daily and finding relief through tea” to Lu Yu defining tea as a “fine wood of the south” in The Classic of Tea, people’s lives have always been closely intertwined with tea. However, since we drink and use tea, we must face one question—how to preserve it.
For modern people, even with access to high technology, we must be extremely careful when preserving teas that are prone to spoil. So, in ancient times, lacking such tools, how did they preserve tea leaves? Today, let us explore the wisdom of ancient life…
Tang Dynasty: Storing tea in ceramics and silk.
Han Wan’s Yushitai Ji from the Tang Dynasty states: “Stored in ceramics to prevent heat and humidity.” This explains that tea storage in the Tang Dynasty utilized ceramics, also known as “tea jars” (chaying), which were shaped with a “drum-like belly and flat bottom, with a rectangular neck and a flat mouth.”
These were generally used to hold loose tea or tea powder. Nobles, however, preferred using high-quality silk for tea storage, often sewing tea pouches with internal layers to facilitate preservation, or wrapping tea cakes in multiple layers to be unwrapped as needed.
The most exquisite were the gilded metal tea baskets. These baskets were vessels used to hold round or square tea cakes and were typically hung in cool, well-ventilated areas to maintain dryness. When tea cakes became damp, these baskets could also be used for roasting.
Tang Dynasty: Gilded openwork silver basket with a flying swan and ball pattern, unearthed in 1987 at Famen Temple and currently held in the collection of the Famen Temple Museum.
Song Dynasty: Storing tea in barrels.
In the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xigu mentioned in Diaoxie Leibian: “The method of storing tea is to place ten jin in one bottle; every year, burn rice straw into ash and fill a large barrel; place the tea bottle within the barrel, surrounding it on all sides with ash, and pack the ash down firmly. Whenever use is needed, move the ash aside to open the bottle, take a small amount of tea, and then cover it with ash again, without needing further ash.”
First, the tea leaves are placed into bottles in quantities of ten jin; then, large amounts of rice straw are burned into ash each year and filled into a barrel; the tea bottles are placed inside the barrel, surrounded and buried by the straw ash; when it is time to drink, the ash is moved aside to open the bottle and take a small amount of tea; once finished, the original state is restored.
Here, the rice straw ash serves to remove moisture and prevent dampness; thus, the preservation effect on such tea leaves should be quite excellent.
Ming Dynasty: Ceramic jars and layered storage.
In the Ming Dynasty, Wang Xiangjin, in Qunfangpu, summarized the preservation and storage of tea into three phrases: “It prefers warmth and dryness but dislikes cold and dampness; it prefers coolness but dislikes stuffiness; it prefers purity and avoids odors.” This means that tea should be kept dry, protected from direct sunlight, and shielded from foreign smells. Consequently, during the Ming Dynasty, a method was also invented to store tea leaves alongside bamboo leaves, known as the ceramic jar storage method, which could store dozens of jin of tea at once.
First, dry bamboo leaves are arranged into circular layers at the bottom of the ceramic jar; then, the jar is filled with tea leaves, followed by several more layers of bamboo leaves; next, sheets of Xuan paper are folded into six or seven layers, dried with fire, and secured to the mouth of the jar; finally, a thick, square white wooden board is pressed on top to fully isolate the tea from moisture.
Storing different varieties of tea within the same jar is referred to as “Pin Si.” Although this storage process is cumbersome, it allows for the simultaneous storage of dozens of jin of tea, and the quality remains well-guaranteed.
From the above, it appears that the methods used by the ancients for preserving tea leaves are beyond our imagination.
Although ancient technology and conditions may seem somewhat backward compared to the modern era, the methods used by the ancients to store tea alone demonstrate their ingenious and meticulous passion for tea. While most modern tea consumption prioritizes convenience, some Pu-erh tea still retains the tradition of bamboo leaf packaging, maintaining a sense of persistence among modern tea enthusiasts regarding the storage of tea products. With careful preservation, tea will become “a friend of time,” recording the passage of time for us and developing a wonderful, aged charm.
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Author: Lam Sam (LamSam), the Old Tea Head
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