What if money could grow on trees? I bet many of you would have thought of this fantasy before whenever you dream of striking it rich! Well, in retrospect, money did use to grow on trees, albeit a small tree in the form of a tea bush.

Here’s a an interesting article I found regarding this subject: Tea Money of China. In the 19th Century, various forms of tea bricks(a form of black tea that are compressed into a solid block of tea) were used as a medium of exchange in Central Asian countries such as Tibet, Mongolia and Siberia etc. These tea bricks were highly valued for its medicinal properties and were also popular as it was less prone than cash to robbery from bandits found on the various trade routes. Property such as horses, sheep and swords were traded based on the number of tea bricks they can be exchanged for.

Alas, in modern days, this archaic form of using tea as currency have ceased to exist(otherwise you would have found me growing my own “money”). Nevertheless, it is interesting to know that besides the widely known equities and bonds, a special form of tea(Pu’er tea) has evolved to become an alternate form of investment in its own right(see The rewards of a ‘drinkable antique’). Similar to vintage wines, the value of Pu’er tea appreciates over time thus making it worthwhile as an investment vehicle for some people. According to the article, a new Pu’er tea can expect to double its value in just five years! Not a bad return I’ll say!

Maybe someday I would consider starting my own collection of “tea money”. Would you take the leap?