China's Novel Investment – Making Money by Investing in Pu-erh Tea

For the better part of a decade the price of Pu-erh tea has risen each year, averaging a rough estimate of 10% annually. In China's supercharged economy, where no investment opportunity goes unnoticed the idea of investing in tea is not just a novel idea but an increasingly popular trend followed by many affluent young professionals. For the better part of a decade the price of Pu-erh tea has attracted many investors and opportunists.

In China's supercharged economy, where no investment opportunity goes unnoticed the idea of investing in tea is not just a novel idea but an increasingly popular trend followed by many affluent young professionals. While most Pu-erh tea lovers would never dream of selling their prized collections the escalating price of Pu-erh tea has attracted many investors and opportunists.
One piece of this famous teacake weighing approximately 357grams was once valued at US$1200 in 2003 but has now risen to almost US$5000 in 2006 at retail outlets in Hong Kong. A noticeable example is the price of the famous 1950s Red Label (Hong yin). Prices for certain vintages have sky rocketed, some easily multiplying by as much as 10X times within the span of a few years. The aged tea sector has produced the biggest gains of all.

For premium production consisting of wild tea leaves or leaves from old tea trees gathered from famous regions such as Yiwu this markup is progressively higher with prices jumping between 30-80% in 2006 alone.
In summary the market growth for Pu-erh tea is China, the sustainability and growth of the Pu-erh tea market will largely coincide with the future development and growth of the Pu-erh tea market will largely coincide with the future development and growth of the Pu-erh tea market will largely coincide with the future development and growth of the Pu-erh tea market will largely coincide with the future development and growth of the Pu-erh tea market will largely coincide with the future development and growth of the Pu-erh tea market will largely coincide with the future development and growth of the Chinese economy.
The knock on The pursuit of Pu-erh tea continues to increase annually, the quality has substantially dropped with outputs from both 2005 and 2006 being most disappointing. The knock on effect has been a sharp increase in the price of older vintages. The pursuit of Pu-erh tea continues to increase annually, the quality has substantially dropped with outputs from both 2005 and 2006 being most disappointing.

The knock on effect has been a sharp increase in the price of older vintages. The pursuit of Pu-erh tea continues to increase annually, the quality has substantially dropped with outputs from both 2005 and 2006 being most disappointing. The knock on effect has been a sharp increase in the price of older vintages. While the production of Pu-erh tea continues to increase annually, the quality has substantially dropped with outputs from both 2005 and 2006 being most disappointing. It is unfortunate but the precedence for increasing Pu-erh production has greatly compromised the quality of tea in recent years.

Much of the Pu-erh teas flooding the markets today are fakes and low quality teas. While the increasing demand and popularity points to a bright future, a note of caution, not all Pu-erh tea will appreciate in value.
All investments are a risk. The prices should be taken as a rough estimate only and the accuracy may vary accordingly. Note: Pricing information and opinions on market trends are based on informal discussions with tea merchants at various trading locations.
*To read more on Pu-erh investment trends click on the link
Pu-erh Tea News
or go to
www.puerhcha.com/Links/Links_Puerh_Tea_News.htm
For more information, articles and illustrations on Pu-erh tea please visit the Puerh Cha website at Varat's passion and love for Pu-erh tea frequently takes him to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in his continuous search for rare and unique Pu-erh teas. is the founder of Puerh Cha and is a passionate collector of Pu-erh teas. Varat Phong.
www.puerhcha.com

Loose Tea in the American Marketplace

The American tea market
Traditionally, the marketplace for tea drinkers in the United States has been limited.
Although loose tea was extremely popular in colonial times, the consumption of loose tea gradually changed and recently the American market for tea has been generally confined to iced tea and tea in bags.
Loose tea was introduced to America at the same time of introduction to Europe. As early as 1650 Dutch traders were active in the tea trade and Peter Stuyvesant, as an early governor of the New York colony, brought the first tea to New York. Loose tea was so popular in colonial New York that at one time the small colony consumed more loose tea than all of England. This popularity was equally evident in the other colonies.
America made two unique contributions to the tea world in the form of bagged tea. Gradually however, the American tea market changed.
There is growing resurgence of demand for loose tea in the United States however, driven by a greater awareness of the health benefits and quality of the loose tea experience. As demand increases, new opportunities arise for the entrepreneur who wishes to market and sell loose tea.
How do loose tea and tea bags compare?
Most experts compare loose tea and tea in bags in four ways:
1. Most of the tea that goes into bags in not high quality. Tea bags usually contain broken grades so infusion takes place quickly
2. Whole leaf loose teas come in a larger number of varieties than bagged tea and some higher quality teas are only found in loose offerings
3. Bags are semi-nonbiodegradable additions to biodegradable tea leaves with implications for the environment
Generally speaking, tea bags have historically offered greater convenience although e-commerce now offers tea drinkers the convenience of on line ordering and home delivery 4.
Is loose tea more costly than tea bags?
Many advocates of bagged tea in believe that loose tea costs more than tea in bags. Actually, most good tea is not very expensive and can be very cost effective. When you buy tea in bags, most of what you pay for is the process of putting the teas in the bags, and the brand name advertising. Fancy tea is generally sold loose, and the price per cup is often lower than for commercial bagged tea.
High quality loose leaf tea is typically not available in supermarkets; but a good mail order web site will accept and process orders rapidly and offer the convenience of home delivery. When one considers that most loose teas support multiple infusions the prices drop dramatically. Some truly fine teas retail in the United States retail for less than US$20 per pound, which means less than 10 cents per cup.
E-commerce and affiliate programs
Opportunities for sale of loose tea are particularly attractive when combined with effective e-commerce through affiliate programs.
The affiliate arrangement is a way for a company to sell its products by signing up individuals or companies ("affiliates") who market the company's products for a commission.
Affiliate programs afford a small entrepreneur the ability to leverage the website of the tea manufacturer through their own affiliate site. Through this technique the affiliate can minimize their investment and maximize their return. An affiliate relationship is established by agreement between the affiliate and the manufacturer whereby each party benefits.
Most good affiliate programs share a number of characteristics: The affiliate must be provided with marketing support, account feedback and prompt payment of earned commissions. There is more to an affiliate relationship than a simple agreement however.
• Real-time reporting statistics
• Real-time email alerts upon each sale
• Payment on a consistent monthly basis for initial and repeat orders
• High price-point products that are easy to sell and allow for substantial affiliate commissions
• A comprehensive package of rich content articles and banner advertising that the affiliate can reprint and use for marketing
Of special note for marketing support is the availability of banner ads that are high quality and effective. These are particularly useful affiliate marketing tools.
The customer service issue:
Tea drinkers are very loyal but demand high quality products and premium customer service. As a result, customer service in the form of rapid and correct order processing and fulfillment, notification of orders and shipments, proper pricing and an emphasis on customer satisfaction is a necessary part of the affiliate relationship.
If customer service is inadequate then this will severely impact affiliate business and the affiliate reputation. Conversely, if customer satisfaction is high, a steady stream of repeat orders will be ensured and the affiliate will share in the additional revenue.
Choose a loose tea supplier that has a rich affiliate program, a reputation for consistent high quality products, an e-commerce site that is powerful and allows easy ordering and a company with a reputation for excellent customer service.

Tea’s Important Role in Reducing Disease

Recently it has been shown that high quality teas have many health benefits, especially Black and Green Tea. With all the news on Black and Green Tea lately, you may be considering adding it to your daily diet regime. If that is so, only use the best quality and freshest tea available for the maximum health benefits.
Millions of people all of the world have been drinking tea for centuries. In America it has been considered a cheap convenient drink for soothing the soul and stimulating the senses. Yet there is a far more important reason that people drink tea more than any other beverage: the tea leaf has potent health-enhancing powers. The Japanese have known this for thousands of years and the modern West is just catching up to the remarkable health benefits of drinking tea.
Some of the benefits derived from drinking tea are reducing cholesterol, preventing tooth decay, strengthening the immune system, helping to prevent heart disease and stroke and reduce the risk of cancer.
It has been found by researchers that more than in any other foods, tea has the most potent free-radical fighters of all. This helps in reducing cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and other serious illnesses. Polyphenols act as antioxidants in the body.

The active ingredients in black and green tea are flavonoids called polyphenols.
There was a study done with 800 hundred men. It showed that those that ate the most flavonoids had a 58 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease that those that did not. Those men that consumed four cups of black tea per day were the healthiest among the group.
This makes it a worthy consideration for adding tea to your diet. In addition to that it has been found that tea reduces tumor formation and is linked to lower levels of breast, lung, esophageal, pancreatic, colon, skin, stomach, liver and small intestine cancers.
Another startling study was done by a team of Italian researchers on the effects of green tea on men prone to prostate cancer. The study used 62 high risk men who had previously had precancerous lesions, (which often turn into prostate cancer within one year). All of the men were between the ages of 45 and 75 exuding vegetarians and men who already consumed green tea.
These results were amazing, and another reason, in my humble opinion, that green tea should be added to your diet. Thirty two men in the control group developed prostate cancer, while nine of the placebo group developed the disease.
So if you drink any tea purchase only the freshest, highest quality and if you take green tea supplements be sure that they do not have fillers or caffeine. In using the best quality teas available you increase your rate of success.
Also try adding some herbal teas, many of which can aide in digestion, cold relief, and sleeplessness. Yes, you can steep longer to get more compounds, but the tea will become bitter and therefore unpalatable. For best results with black or green teas steep for three minutes to get all of the beneficial compounds.
Tea for Health and Longevity!