The History of Tea Resin (Cha Gao): Then and now
A thousand years from leaf to cube
Tang Dynasty · 618–907 AD
The first tea resin
Tea resin, or cha gao (茶膏), was first created during the Tang Dynasty. It was discovered that boiling and simmering tea leaves for hours, then filtering and drying the liquid, produced a concentrated, portable form of tea. 1,000 grams of leaves became 200 grams of cha gao that could be transported long distances and not spoil.
Song & Qing Dynasties
Reserved for royalty
Over centuries, the craft was refined and became a luxury reserved for scholars, nobility, and the imperial court. The production process was costly, heavily involved, and time consuming, which made cha gao rare and prized.
The gap
Nearly lost to history
As dynasties fell and tea culture shifted toward loose leaf and, eventually, the convenience of tea bags, cha gao all but disappeared. The century old craft was almost forgotten.
Today
Revived with modern technology
Thanks to modern cold brewing and freeze drying techniques, we can now make cha gao more resourcefully. Our tea resins preserve the full taste, aroma and natural antioxidants of whole leaf tea. Each tiny cube dissolves completely in water leaving no residue or waste. Just real tea that's easy to brew and doesn't compromise on taste.
Photo by James Wheeler on Unsplash
From Yunnan to Melbourne
Most tea resin is made from pu'er tea which is a fermented tea known for its earthy, smooth and complex flavour profile. And like champagne, it can only come from one place: Yunnan Province in southern China.
From the tea farms of Yunnan, our tea leaves are cold brewed, then freeze dried into concentrated drops that lock in the things we love most about tea at its peak. Its flavour, aroma, texture and natural antioxidants.
The finished tea resins are then shipped to Melbourne, where we package and distribute them across Australia.