Before And After: the 2019 Yang Qing Hao Price Adjustments

I was about to place a re-order of Yang Qing Hao though Emmitt’s Yang Qing Hao group order and was surprised at how steeply some of the prices had increased in just a few months.  There were also some popular cakes that have completely sold out.  It made me realize that the window to buy or even try a lot of these things has closed for a lot of people.

I understand there is something of an inevitability to this all- very undervalued puerh is bound to either sell out or increase in price.  Even with people in the know crying out at how excellent a value these cakes are (here and here), it still came as a bit of a surprise.  Simply because for many many years now Yang was holding the line on the price of these things.  They were obviously underpriced and obviously selling.  This is the power boutique vendors have over the re-sale value and price of the cakes they press.  As soon as it sells out though- those who hold the largest stalks get to determine the price of such things.  This is how the popular 2007Yang Qing Hao Huangshan Lingya will be, it will be worth as much as people will pay, really.

Some vendors continually inch up the prices of their cakes or adjust it to market demand all the time or a few times a year.  The best value is often vendors who wait years before adjusting their prices.  But when they finally get around to increasing their prices it feels much more dramatic.  It also feels like you have gotten quite the deal if you purchase right before the increase or sell out.  Some of this is just the illusion of consumerism, there will always be more tea.  But some of it has some truth to it.  Where else can you find the quality, dark astringent depth, intense Qi, moderate humid storage and obviously gushu material of something like 2007 Yang Qing Hao Qizhong for $140/400g these days?????

I also feel like it’s more of a market correction on these rather than a price increase- these puerh were terribly underpriced.  I think they now reflect the actual value.  I feel like I came out on top because I concentrated on specifically the above cake which had the steepest increase. 

It is too bad that there is kind of going to be quite a divide of those drinking semi aged puerh in the West- those before the 2019 Yang Qing Hao price corrections and those buying after.  I’m not saying that Yang Qing Hao is all there is.  What I am saying is that the easy access to very nice semi aged teas that were probably priced much below their quality in Yang Qing Hao will be missed.

Peace