Damn It, the Original Aspiration: Make Tea That Feels Good for the Body!

This is the thirty-first article in my "Tea on Paper" series. Click to read more "Tea on Paper" articles.

1. Original Aspiration.

Make tea that feels good for the body!

In one sentence, this is what I have been striving for over the past eight years. If expressed in three sentences, it is roughly like this:

1. Make tea with low stimulation and mild taste;

2. Make tea that is not dampening to the body, low dampness, or warm in nature;

3. Make tea with smooth body sensation and good activity.

This is the determination I made starting in 2016, which counts as my original aspiration when I left e-commerce tea selling and entered the second phase, beginning to make good tea. I have done what I said. Since 2016, I have personally controlled the production of every crowdfunded tea and every Houyue tea product, started to guard and pick from famous mountains, and focused on arranging ancient tree tea.

However, starting in 2017, I encountered many difficulties, various difficulties. Entering 2019, it became even more difficult. In 2024, it is increasingly difficult. This suffocating feeling makes it hard to persist... Omit ten thousand words here.

To this day, I have not changed this original aspiration, but I do not know how long I can persist.

In recent years, I have become increasingly withdrawn, unwilling to write articles, unwilling to post on social media, unwilling to go out, unwilling to participate in any tea circle activities. All the stubbornness in my life is used on this matter. I hope this is not the last stubbornness.

While I am still persisting, I will officially write articles to talk about these things.

In case, I mean in case, I make a change and no longer hold on, this article counts as an explanation. Not for others, but for my own aging years.

2. Industry Problems.

I have observed the tea industry for over a decade. The problems that long-term tea drinkers encounter can be summarized into these categories:

1. Due to long-term heavy tea drinking, various health issues arise. For example, difficulty conceiving, poor sleep, even chronic insomnia, body dampness, habitual tea drunkenness, tea intolerance, premature graying, etc.

1. Due to long-term heavy tea drinking, various supplements are needed: drinking high-proof aged liquor, eating beef, mutton, seafood, various food and medicinal supplements. The body is externally strong but internally weak for a long time, leading to stroke or even sudden death.

1. Becoming sensitive to tea. Unable to drink tea; when guests are drinking tea, they drink water, or drink very little. For example, I almost dare not go out to drink tea. If I drink the wrong tea, the day is ruined; a small sip of tea makes me uncomfortable all day.

Some people say, "It's not as serious as you say." Saying this means your body is still good, or you pay attention to diet, or you haven't drunk tea for long enough or in sufficient quantity. If you cannot feel it, please stop reading.

3. Are There Solutions?

Many people who know me know that I have studied under several tea-making teachers. Here, I will not name them but thank them all. Through the guidance of my teachers and my own summary, I believe there are methods to solve this. Roughly these methods (welcome to add and discuss):

1. Reduce tea intake. Drink as little as possible; do not drink tea after Shen time (3-5 PM); if no guests are tasting tea, try not to drink. This method suits practitioners who do not need to heavily participate in tea tasting, but not most tea makers, tea artists, and sellers.

1. Transition to drinking aged tea. Instill in customers the concept that tea needs storage; it is best not to drink tea that is not decades old; new tea can be tasted lightly. "The older, the more fragrant" is the best shield, putting on the armor of aged tea for the body is a method. After all, aged tea has very little stimulation and is suitable for drinking in large quantities.

1. Drink tea that feels good for the body. A certain President Zou said that there is a knife in raw new tea. Indeed, we must admit that many raw new teas do have this knife, but this knife can be handled and removed. Raw new tea can also be drunk in large quantities. No need to argue; I can provide such tea. Let's see if it is a mule or a horse. This article will not expand on this; I will write several articles about tea that feels good for the body. Please continue to follow.

4. Failed Persistence.

Effort does not necessarily lead to success, but without effort, success is certainly impossible.

Similar chicken soup for the soul has been force-fed to me repeatedly since I was young. At first, I was disdainful: "I am the master of my fate, I can change my destiny, I am the chosen one." Unfortunately, reality slaps you in the face, slowly but surely. In recent years, I have known what it means to be slapped in the face.

In 2016, I thought I could change the tea industry, or at least the niche market I was in. Now, I think the only thing I can change is myself, the self that is whipped by the industry.

Since 2016, we have conducted various experiments, from raw tea to black tea, from white tea to ripe tea, executing with high profile and striding forward regardless of cost. In 2017, we misjudged and made over forty tons of sun-dried black tea, a bad start. In 2018, we turned to Dehong and began to fall into the abyss. In 2019, the pandemic year, we still persisted.

In recent years, I dare to say that none of my Laobanzhang and other famous mountain ancient tree cakes are fake. I dare to say that all the tea I make, even new tea, has extremely low stimulation and mostly smooth body sensation. Even a deliberately made "tableland tea" named "Tableland Tea" causes very low harm to the body and is suitable for drinking more.

Educating the market suits me; after all, I can also boast and "fool" people. But opening up a new front, cultivating and re-educating the market, suits gods; unfortunately, I am not a god. "Body comfort" is such a new front, because most people are unaware of the harm of tea and cannot understand what tea that feels good for the body is.

The destined failure has already arrived and is unavoidable.

This is me from 2016 to 2024.

The article and images are original. Author: Lü Jianfeng, WeChat: ynwuse, working at 51 Pu'er Net, initiator of Houyue Crowdfunding Tea, co-founder of Dehong Ancient Tea.