The Legendary Past of Century-Old Songpin Hao: The Folk Peak of Qing Dynasty Puer Tribute Tea
Songpin Hao is one of the most representative Puer tea firms in the late Qing dynasty. Together with Fenglu Gongcha, it represents the peak of Qing dynasty Puer tribute teas. Songpin Hao tea, with its superior quality and unique taste, became a legendary symbol in Puer tea history.
The Legendary Past of Century-Old Songpin Hao: The Folk Peak of Qing Dynasty Puer Tribute Tea
1. Songpin Hao's Historical Position
Concept of Hao-Grade Teas
"Hao-grade tea" refers to Puer tea produced in the form of commercial firms during the late Qing to Republic era (1840–1949), the oldest and most scarce category in Puer tea development history.
| Hao-Grade Tea Characteristics | Description |
|---|---|
| Production period | Late Qing to Republic (1840–1949) |
| Production form | Produced in the form of commercial firms |
| Main production areas | Xishuangbanna, Yiwu area of Yunnan |
| Representative firms | Songpin Hao, Fenglu Gongcha, Hongtaichang, Tongqing Hao, etc. |
| Market stock | Extremely scarce; extremely high collection value |
Songpin Hao's Historical Position
| Position | Description |
|---|---|
| Hao-grade tea representative | Quality and influence among the top of Hao-grade teas |
| Tribute tea heritage | Directly related to Qing dynasty imperial tribute teas |
| Yiwu orthodoxy | Represents the highest standard of Yiwu tea region |
| Collection benchmark | Benchmark variety in Hao-grade tea collection |
2. Songpin Hao's Historical Evolution
Founding Time
| Account | Content |
|---|---|
| Mainstream account | Approximately 1860s (Tongzhi reign period of Qing) |
| Founder | Song clan members (specific name disputed) |
| Founding place | Yiwu area, Yunnan |
Development Context
| Period | Development |
|---|---|
| 1860s | Songpin Hao founded in Yiwu |
| 1880s | Became one of the largest tea firms in Yiwu area |
| 1900s | Songpin round tea became tribute product |
| 1920s | Reached peak period |
| 1940s | Gradually declined due to war |
| 1950s | Disappeared after public-private partnership |
3. Songpin Hao's Production Craft
Raw Material Sources
| Information | Content |
|---|---|
| Main raw materials | Yiwu Zhengshan ancient tree tea |
| Tree age | Usually over 100 years |
| Picking standard | One bud two leaves to one bud three leaves |
| Craft | Traditional handcraft |
Tea Making Craft
| Process | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Fixation | Iron wok hand fixation |
| Rolling | Stone mold pressing |
| Drying | Sun drying |
| Steaming and pressing | Traditional hand cloth bag steaming and pressing |
| Aging | Natural dry warehouse storage |
4. Songpin Hao's Product System
Main Products
| Product Name | Era | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Songpin Round Tea | 1900s | Tribute grade; highest quality |
| Songpin Brick Tea | 1920s | Convenient for transportation |
| Songpin Tuo Tea | 1930s | Pressed and shaped |
Product Characteristics
| Characteristic | Content |
|---|---|
| Cake type | Traditional iron cake type |
| Specification | Approximately 357g/cake |
| Packaging | Bamboo shell (bamboo basket) packaging |
| Inner fly | Songpin Hao inner fly |
5. Songpin Hao's Relationship with Qing Dynasty Tribute Tea
Qing Dynasty Tribute Tea System
| Period | Tribute Tea Form |
|---|---|
| Tang dynasty | Cake tea, loose tea |
| Song dynasty | Dragon cake, phoenix cake |
| Ming dynasty | Abolished cake tea; tribute loose tea |
| Qing dynasty | Puer tea became tribute product |
History of Puer Tribute Tea
| Period | Development |
|---|---|
| Early Qing | Puer tea began as tribute product |
| Mid Qing | Complete tribute tea system formed |
| Late Qing | Hao-grade tea began to rise |
6. Songpin Hao's Historical Value
Cultural Value
| Value Dimension | Content |
|---|---|
| Historical witness | Witnessed development of Puer tea in Qing dynasty |
| Cultural symbol | Represented cultural heritage of Puer tea |
| Craft inheritance | Preserved traditional tea making craftsmanship |
Tasting Value
| Value Dimension | Content |
|---|---|
| Scarcity | Extremely small surviving quantity |
| Taste value | Unique taste after hundred years of aging |
| Collection value | Very high price; popular collection item |
7. Closing Thought
Songpin Hao is a legendary symbol in the development history of Chinese Puer tea, witnessing the glory of Qing dynasty tribute tea culture and recording the handcraft of tea making from that era.
Today when we taste a cup of aged Songpin tea, we taste not just the tea's flavor, but the history and culture of that era a hundred years ago.
Related Topics
Understanding Songpin Hao's position in Puer tea history requires placing it within the historical coordinate system of "Hao-grade → Print-grade → Qizi-grade tea."
The aroma transformation trajectory of hundred-year-old Songpin aged tea in dry warehouse storage is an aroma evolution history written with time. From new tea's fresh aroma to aged plum aroma, medicine aroma, and camphor aroma, each step of transformation has its inherent chemical logic.