I'll give you that for trees in the wild just because it is simply an
evergreen. Here in the US our old world forrests are thousands of years
old. I mentioned cultivated tea bushes on plantations and their usefull
life. The locals might harvest an old tea tree but I don't think there is
enough for commercial use. It is more probable these trees are picked by
monkeys.

Jim

"Livio Zanini" > wrote in message
...
> Well, I have personally seen tea trees some three meters high and about
800
> years old (planted in the Song dynasty, people say) on Fenghuang (Phoenix)
> mountain, near to Chaozhou. As soon as I can scan the slide, I will
provide
> you with a picture.
> L
>
>
> "Space Cowboy" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> k.net...
> > I think that is a Chinese pull-your-leg folklore for gullible
Occidentals
> > because from a little research the life of a plantation tea plant is
about
> > 65 years. Established plantations are maintained from graphing so how
old
> > is a clone?
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > "Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
> > news
> > > "WNW" > writes:
> > >
> > > > "Lewis Perin" > wrote in message
> > > > news > > > > > "Space Cowboy" > writes:
> > > > >
> > > > > > [..."Vintage Oolong" as a precursor to pu-erh...]
> > > > >
> > > > > You mean it's already aged? Or is it somehow especially suitable
> for
> > > > > aging?
> > > >
> > > > I understand that in the Indian Darjeeling region, "vintage" tea
> refers
> > to
> > > > tea made from the leaves of older, vintage plants (possibly from
very
> > old
> > > > strains, or from the actual very old plants?). I wonder whether
this
> is
> > > > ever done in China?
> > >
> > > It's certainly *advertised* in China. I've read about tea from
> > > 800-year old plants.
> > >
> > > /Lew