Making Cha Gao in Yunnan, China: The Travel-Friendly Tea Resin That Lasts for Months!

[@SF7PAKISTAN]

My jaw was on the floor when she dropped that tiny bit of resin from the stick into the pot and it became like 5 cups of some of the most beautiful tea I've ever seen, man this is easily the most interesting thing that I've seen this week and now I wanna go to China to get just this

[@jessesteahouse]

@@SF7PAKISTAN you can get it on my website to direct from the same Tea leaves and the same farmers! But yes, it is a ton of fun to go to China and do it in person

[@yekaneast]

@@jessesteahouse Would you ever consider organizing a trip for your customers? I'd love to be part of something like that

[@lovelydeath04]

Ikr?! My mouth started to water....I never wanted to taste my screen so bad...🤤

[@I.Am.Nobody]

Nice, thanks for showing us to increase interest in your commercial endeavor. I just enjoyed my tea made from leaves, since they are cheap and I don't have to go on a super long journey carrying tea around. Nice gimmick though, interesting how this was developed out of necessity.

[@AviFagan]

I find it hilarious that you even have to discuss sanitation. The whole time I'm watching I'm thinking "I bet the stuff they're making in that pot is even better than the production facility" It's the people that make the tea! Making the tea resin! People really think they don't know what they're doing? Hilarious. Thank you for showing us this fascinating process.

[@jessesteahouse]

@@AviFagan yeah I just don’t want to get sued because there are laws (and we follow them) about foreign food facilities and cleanliness and while I personally drank the homemade resin right down, I don’t want people being like “that isn’t up to code!” Hahaha

[@Verpabobz]

I was thinking the same thing. I bet it’s delicious but I understand it can’t be imported.

[@snowsiet5475]

@@jessesteahouse I'd looooooooove to get my hands on some of that homemade tea resin tho I also get that it'd prolly be a nightmare to try and sell it here in the US -o-

[@Jockymcbock]

@@snowsiet5475he has an online shop! He imports the teas so he can sell to us! The resin is on his website now!

[@zacablaster]

Makes no sense, it's hot! Water is evaporating, what is growing in that?

[@Frank-the-rabbit]

Love watching the process and seeing that this comes from an actual craftsperson, not an automated factory

[@jessesteahouse]

Sister Ai is in charge of our whole line of resins so you’re getting it from a good source 🎉

[@stevendenton8994]

I am incredibly interested in this commodity! This would be incredibly popular in the southern US🎉

[@FoxDog1080]

I like watching both

[@ats-3693]

I love listening to this guy speak Chinese he's perfect with it (my gf is Chinese), he even uses the little "hmm"s to acknowledge that he is listening and understanding what she is explaining, and "waa" instead of wow.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Okay white guy. As a native Mandarin speaker you are way off. He is fluent but he has a noticeable accent. Mandarin is a tonal language and while some of his pronunciation is good for a foreigner, some of it is also way off tone and thus heavily accented. His vocabulary is good and he can construct sentences fluently as well as understand but he still has a fairly strong accent at times.

[@ats-3693]

@zeitgeistx5239 Thanks for your input, although I'm not sure why you feel the need to call me "white guy"? Firstly what has skin colour got to do with it? And I am far darker skinned than my girlfriend or any other Chinese people who I know. My girlfriend is Chinese Indonesian her first language is Hokkien but she speaks Mandarin with her mainland Chinese friends here in Bali where we live, she also speaks fluent Indonesian, English, and Korean. I just made the comment because I'm used to hearing her and her Chinese friends talking Mandarin and to my untrained ear the guy in the video sounds very similar, it's just a friendly observation it's no big deal.

[@5k3m.]

@@zeitgeistx5239you are not helping us with our international image.

[@Zelmel]

This is like pocket soup, but tea! Back in colonial America (and elsewhere in the world at various times I'm sure), you could make or buy soup stock that was boiled down until it was the consistency of leather and then carry that to reconstitute when travelling just like this. (The Townsends channel has a video from a few years back on it that's really interesting)

[@debbiefox6846]

So thicker than bouillon cubes? Which is concentrated soup/beef/chicken/veggie soup the size of a sugar cube. Didn't know they were doing that so far back. It really is a great idea. Not to mention it actually has quite a few grams of protein. Probably good for back packing, camping etc. Just as long as the salt content isn't ridiculous.

[@Zelmel]

@debbiefox6846 Yeah, the consistency of leather, basically.

[@chesterlestrange7725]

​@debbiefox6846 ya! It was like a dried out fruit rool up lol. Almost rubbery. Very condensed and let them take months worth of soup base with them on long trips.

[@crusher9z9]

its like instant coffee.

[@Zelmel]

@@crusher9z9 That's usually freeze dried (or apparently spray dried) though, if I understand the process right.

[@Username-xd3qx]

"White tea resin" !?! Take my money now.

[@jessesteahouse]

I was going to stock those, but I tasted them and I think there’s still a little bit of work that needs to be done on refining it. It wasn’t bad, but I felt like the other resins were better and so we picked the ones that were best now, sister Ai is working on Refining the white tea resin process

[@joecobb7153]

@@jessesteahouse I would imagine it is hard to balance because white tea is steeped below boiling right

[@matthewreynolds2384]

​@@jessesteahouseAmazing work by Master Ai here!

[@9K_111]

​@@joecobb7153 It could be so, but I think it would take significantly longer to concentrate it into resin without boiling it.

[@joecobb7153]

@@9K_111 Yeah you need to boil I think you would have to have white tea leaves that can take the extra temp only way

[@alexbarker975]

This is how visiting and interviewing someone in another country should be. If you have the ability, learn the local language. It can unlock doors you never even knew were there

[@Zaku186]

Significantly easier said than done

[@pampelmouse]

There is no inherent ability to learn a language you just do it

[@0yodelingpickle526]

I dont think one has to learn the language for a fucking interview. But you should take a person with you who can translate properly.

[@karateman302]

@pampelmouse Some people are naturally able to learn foreign languages easier than others and some struggle with it. Those with autism can struggle to pick up foreign languages which is something I've personally struggled with (not speaking about everyone with ASD as there are always exceptions) especially when it comes to getting fluent enough to conduct an interview like this. But even outside of that, there are other factors that can come into play which aren't up to a person's control. I've seen studies which indicate that those raised in bilingual households pick up new languages faster than others. I'm no expert on this but I'd speculate that being exposed to multiple languages as they're raised makes them more comfortable switching between languages which aids in the language learning process.

[@pampelmouse]

@@karateman302 I have autism, I am only fluent in English but i have studied many languages to a good conversational point. I don't think that people with autism would struggle any more than regular people to learn another language. I stand by my original point that nobody is naturally better at language learning. It gets easier with time when you start to notice patterns.

[@cobrafriends]

thanks for bringing probably one of the only english videos about tea resin to us english speakers!

[@DukeOnkled]

The dedication, not just to the craft of tea making, but also to learning the language of the area to the point of effectively being a native speaker, is astounding and massively commendable. The world can always use more of this kind of passion.

[@nikman2]

she doesnt have to tell me its clean. I would trust her in a heart beat!

[@oniondesu9633]

dont think she is talking about hygiene, she means its clarity. it isn't cloudy and doesnt contain any small specs of tea leaves.

[@krysab6125]

It's like tea molasses! I don't think that doing that, up in the fresh mountain air, is unsanitary- no more so than anyone cooking in their kitchen at home! Can't wait for your UK warehouse to open 😊

[@derrickpangilinan]

hope it opens soon

[@Coyoteonthemoon]

This. It's very much rooted in xenophobia

[@rayvg7709]

Excuse me, what? How is this any different than let's say small batch artisinal cheese in the alps?​@@Coyoteonthemoon

[@IrinaGreenman]

​@@rayvg7709I think they meant concerns about sanitation are rooted in xenophobia?

[@rayvg7709]

@IrinaGreenman cause no one has ever gotten sick from stuff made in their local community, right? It's a silly statement. Not wanting to get sick from consuming something has nothing to do with xenophobia.

[@raynmaker]

i love how when it's just done reducing, it flows like fresh lava from a volcano. i'm chinese but i learned about tea resin from you. fascinating! thank you for sharing this tradition with the world!

[@modwhiz]

Man as a person that loves hash finding tea resin is just really cool

[@Antleredangelbun]

i just commented something similar hahhhhh happy holidays

[@Max-rn3eb]

hahaha was thinking the exact same thing, it's like tea RSO

[@lars5174]

OMG! I grew up in Malaysia as a german expat and one day, because I was a naughty boy, I stole something from a chinese construction worker, who was repairing something in our house, believing it was a small chocolate candy. It was super bitter and yuck and really hard and I never found out what it was until right now 😂😂😂 I guess that was instant karma for stealing that poor mans tea.

[@johndeerdrew]

I hope he was watching you eat his tea resin laughing to himself. I would have. Kids are kids and it is so much fun to watch them learn the hard way sometimes.

[@lars5174]

@johndeerdrew He had many more in a sort of metal tin, he probably never noticed. I was like 6 years old or something like that and that certainly taught me a lesson.

[@johndeerdrew]

@lars5174 at least you learned. All in all, it was a cheap lesson too. Those are often the most valuable because they keep you from making the expensive mistakes that can ruin you.

[@0yodelingpickle526]

Youre not an expat youre an immigrant. Call a spade a spade

[@wali8158]

Nooo little German boy, do not steal candy!

[@pappyjohn8142]

Love these kind of “behind the scenes videos. Keep em up.

[@weilizhuang8722]

Hi, I am a Chinese person, and I just want to say that your Chinese is the best of all foreigners! It is almost as good as that of a native Chinese speaker!

[@surplus2720]

The tapping during the tea puring ;) og Chinese traditions Right there

[@LAAviel]

Really admire the respect and attention you have brought to this timeless discipline.

[@everythingisanAd]

The sound of rain on a tin roof made this video super relaxing, I haven't heard that since my 3 years in Nepal. Wonderful

[@xrism4010]

my thumbs up is for the nice lady / tea master who is happy to show us!

[@S4NSE]

I love China, chinese people are very modest and friendly

[@dhekwucieoejduf]

To be honest, most people outside the USA are.

[@locus_of_magic217]

This is amazing! Thank you for making this video, I had never heard of tea resin before. It looks amazing, and probably easier to deal with as an end product than tea leaves, because you simply can't over-infuse it.

[@bubblegumlamia779]

7:29 this is so sweet I want to cry😭💕 we love you sister ai!

[@kimsherlock8969]

The Brilliance of humanity to adjust their food into concentrate to last the journeys across traditional trade routes to sell their products 😊 Dried dates , meat , and concentrated herbs 🌿 😊

[@LandwehrRanker]

Your Chinese is very good for a non native, I applaud you.

[@jblesser]

Fascinating. Thank you. What nice and skillful people

[@FreakPsych]

this was very interesting. Please do more of these documentary videos.

[@ronniechew6566]

I didn't even realized tea resin even exists. I check online shopping and ordered some. I'm a tea lover and this is way easier than brewing 1.5 liters of tea every 2 days 🤗

[@meredithheath5272]

Exactly - that he's speaking Chinese is massively impressive!!! Kudos!!! 👑🏅 🤜🤛

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Im so envious of the company, the view, the cup.... you're awesome man, keep it up! This kind of stuff is so awesome.

[@mattsnyder4754]

Pumped about tea resin in stock. Stuff is clutch.

[@SugeryGold]

Everyone involved in this video seems genuinely amazing!

[@usafchii3]

Thank you for the video. This was such a cool thing to learn about.

[@LordHonkInc]

That's so neat, a thousands of years old recipe for instant tea! Man, it's so easy to forget that people back then were just as inventive as we are today (broadly speaking, at least), like today's "oh this is going to revolutionize processor manufacturing!" is yesterdays "oh this is going to revolutionize food preservation!"

[@jessesteahouse]

@@LordHonkInc if ancient people had access to our technology, and had been raised in our education systems, they would be exactly as smart as we are, a lot of times they took the innovation as far as they could with the technology and education they had at the time, and some of those elements might be even past our current skill, but our superior modern technology covers up that we’re worse at some of the other elements

[@radiatamusic]

about to start uni, and now tea resin is on my supplies list. the convenience is amazing!

[@thekarmafarmer608]

Absolute respect for making this video. It`s great to unite our world and break down it`s differences, using knowledge.

[@mechannel7046]

Never heard of tea resin before. Super interesting!

[@modwhiz]

Thats a happy doggy

[@fable7138]

Thank you! To you, and everyone featured in the video for sharing a wealth of knowledge!

[@ChristopherofEngland]

As an English man I love nothing more than drinking tea 🍵 👌 tea from China is my favourite varieties

[@kimberc813]

Back in 97, I had a bowl that'd gum up like that. Resin, the gift that keeps on giving!

[@maxxadrenaline]

its amazing what sometimes media can do. i used to ride side saddle on some small events. yeah. one day they build a standing grill for a shoot and it improves the property value. other times they tear down a family with one pilot. using media to improve lives is a skill. i hope people find the good in it instead of the slander or trash media. it was an interesting video.

[@hehe-mq2bk]

I have always wanted to see how tea resin was made! Thank you for this!

[@susvortin]

I wouldn't mind stirring that pot with that view! Thanks for sharing an interesting video of "how it's made".

[@pinstripez_8]

I love the bit of history behind making the tea resin. That it’s not just a « this is how it’s made » video. It gives more meaning behind the resin and makes you think more about the tea while drinking it. I’m looking forward to sharing it with my family when I purchase it ! :D

[@Weeping-Angel]

Sister Ai is honestly so cool

[@Kandikushworld]

I would buy it just like that because of the authentic aroma you can’t get in a factory 😭😩❤️

[@SirPhilipSidneyReal]

Wow amazing!!!! I can’t imagine how wonderful it must be over there with the secenery and the scents

[@Kira_Yoshikage959]

The scent must be INSANE there, wow

[@russofamerica]

Fascinating! Solid video.

[@coremotion]

Just like maltose that is beautiful

[@blackheartscars]

this was so fun to watch

[@Piggy-0145]

Finally the tea hash video 😂💙

[@klsinger124]

My thoughts exactly. Same principle of fire in, fire out.

[@BIGDAMNSpitfire]

I think; this would last without going bad for thousands of years. Like hundreds of years old wine. Beautiful product I am happy to have learned of this.

[@AthaliahOpus]

Love the rustic history lesson, showing us the way it was made many decades ago.

[@ac979]

What a cool freaking video! I should really try some of your teas, been an avid watcher of your videos since covid started. Cheers Jesse!

[@ScottyKushin]

Bless you all! What a great video!

[@InnocentPhoenix-bw9gp]

Wow, that tea is so beautiful, I bet it tastes wonderful!

[@alexg5992]

Amazing Chinese, I am impressed

[@heyLaina]

The view from that oven is amazing!!

[@johndeerdrew]

Very effective advertising. I ordered a pack. If it is to my liking, I will probably go for a subscription. I hope it is as tasty as it is labor intensive.

[@johndeerdrew]

It is fantastic by the way. I love my little tea resins and I've already reordered.

[@JohnKay79]

I LOVE the tea resin that's been on your site and can't wait for this! I think tea resin could be the next big thing, to even replace coffee!

[@mxlies15]

So cool tea resin is a great way to show friends good tea in a way they can see them self using !

[@nurulabidahnajihahjaini9317]

I have never heard or seen tea resin. But! That is beautiful!!

[@PotooBurd]

Just ordered the sister Ai tea resin sampler, and coin toad! Boosting for the algorithm 🙌 Love your work, keep it up! 🌻🐝

[@gracequalls9770]

Reminds me of the wild lettuce resin for medicinal uses. Very fun to see the og way to make tea resin, and that view is incredible! I'd stand there stirring all day

[@geraldgifford2789]

This is very cool , and just because it was made in a pot is perfectly good. ❤

[@GenericMcName]

I feel like the vast majority of us tea people would love to get tea resin that's made like this, the old fashioned way.

[@rudhisundar]

Thank you, guys.

[@siryogiwan]

only clicked cause never heard of resin before, I assume it's like the taste of a well used teapot, never cleaned like the way I was raised, I'd happily buy stuff done outside like this

[@N0xiousnick]

Suprr happy to see more on the tea resin, i enjoy the pu'er loose leaf and its a great ritual but for day to day the resin is just so much easier, especially when im sick. Just got 150 more of them last month and now im gonna have to get the dog box and then probably buy a hundred of each new one 😭 also wish we could try Sister Ai's handmade tea resin. Id pay a premium for that over a city processor, the nuance of someone (with a load of experience) making something by hand can make such a difference

[@defeatSpace]

Thank you for showing The gorgeous side of China.

[@pieman3141]

Damn, your Mandarin is good. I'm a native speaker and you're using some 10-yuan words that I'd never use in daily life.

[@MenaceGallagher]

What does 10 yuan word mean? I cant find any English resources explaining this phrase

[@batmansmith7422]

Lol it’s just “ten dollar word” but Sinicized

[@MrsBrit1]

Wow, that's incredible! I'd rather but what she's making than from a factory setting, tbh, but I understand to get it to the masses, that's difficult without the factory controlled setting.

[@jonathany1240]

1:48 It’s interesting when discussing the wall of firewood bc you can see it’s a lot of narrow sticks of only a year or two growth, flitch offcuts, squared bits of lumber, etc. Which are a lot cheaper or flat-out waste products from other industries. From what I’ve seen of the US firewood they burn a lot of more older/mature trees (decades old) felled entirely for firewood which are reflected in their price. Just a cause for thought.

[@Whiteplumee]

I will most definitely be buying both in the near future!!!

[@Gersberms]

I really want to try this. I love tea and honestly don't make enough of it. I used to have a 4 lb compressed tile of red tea with beautiful patterns in it. It made the best tasting tea but had small metal filings in it... I used a corner of that tile and don't remember where it ended up.

[@testaklese]

I'm really into tea and I'd never even heard of this. Super interesting

[@sovenjor]

Tea resin is always nice to have around

[@pikachu7054]

2:28 white tea resin? You had my curiosity now you have my attention

[@Mowmaster]

It's almost more like tea 'tar' but I suppose resin sounds better. Very cool to see the process.

[@AshAmin-vj6cq]

Just signed up for my subscription can't wait! Thanks for the tea, the content, and the culture! It's nice to feel this connection/ community with people around the world especially in these times.

[@jessesteahouse]

Thanks so much for signing up!!! The subscription makes this whole thing work 🎉

[@curious-r8t]

@@jessesteahouse did you lie about the source ? It’s fine even if they cook on the mountain and not a lab. It’s a craft passed through generations and that’s the beauty of it for me personally. 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@jessesteahouse]

@@curious-r8t no we are always transparent about the source - we made this on the mountain for fun and to share with everyone online, but there are rules about importing food and we need to follow those and in the USA you can’t sell stuff cooked in a giant wok in china hahah

[@curious-r8t]

@@jessesteahouse aw thank you. The video was beautiful and so was the view and the aunty that was making the tea seemed so lovely. Thank you for clarifying it for me.

[@Ormang]

the little history bit was fun, cool to see the process

[@RossRadford]

I don't know a lick of Chinese, but somehow I can tell that you are very fluent.

[@tomaskabele4813]

It is so impressive seeing you speak chinese

[@smokinwithredbeard]

This was super cool I absolutely want to try some tea resin

[@kagitsune]

I just finally made my first order of the coin/orange sampler! Can’t wait to try Sister Ai’s lovely tea 😊❤

[@Herbit-k4j]

Very lucky you found those great, kind people

[@nicholasneyhart396]

Not really lucky. China is a country full of horrible leaders and great people.

[@johnnny9]

so interesting thanks for showing and sharing chinese tea culture

[@bryannawilliams2684]

I went straight away and got a set, it looks so delicious!!

[@honkhonk8009]

MASTER OOGWAY AHH LOCATION. Its funny seeing industrialized tea shops in the most scenic tea shop places ever LOL

[@garimeragonols]

Imagine being so addictied to tea that you come up with this, I love it xD.

[@rinagonson9652]

I never heard about this thanks❤

[@two-gears8730]

Just awesome!

[@Pollenoverponds]

This is amazing

[@david_r_munson]

Never even heard of tea resin before! Very interesting

[@philipscott3241]

Tea tar! Fascinating!! 😃

[@dansaia7693]

Yeah just made my first purchase. I really wanted those shou resin you had up, but it got sold out before I could buy some. I'm super happy I waited for these gems. White tea resin?? Whaaaa? Crazy. Gotta have it. I also got the 2019 white tea mini brix. Thanks Jesse. Still getting up the nerve to buy that $100 music of mengsong cake. Maybe some day lol

[@yura37]

this looks like a fun gimmick. i picked up 2 tins to try just now. looking forward to see if it can deliver when i try it out.

[@jessesteahouse]

@@yura37 enjoy!! It’s not intended to replace brewing fresh tea, it’s its own thing, not intended as a gimmick either. It just is what it is 👍

[@jay_chang]

The production method is surprisingly simple of brewing down to increase concentration that a pot of tea turn into a cream, then paste and eventually like resin. It probably will be more expensive to do it on your own brewing small quantity for own consumption given the amount of fuel it takes to keep a stove burning for days. Not to mention the manpower involved in arranging shift duty to watch the brew.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

I'd wonder about the viability of vacuum desiccation.