Rishi Ancient Pu-erh Tuo Cha ???

[blairswhitaker]

so I am rather new to puerh, the Rishi tou cha canister offers limited info. I haves some questions and hope someone can find the time to help a newbie out.

1. I assume this tea is ready to drink, or am I wrong?

2. Does it need/ benefit from aging? the web site makes it sound as if it is a 2007 vintage but the canister says nothing other than best before Nov, 2010.

3.I drink all my puerh gong-fu. I am guessing this tea needs to be broken up? Yes/No?

4. Is this tea considered in the shou / shu catagory? I am guessing it is not a sheng but again don't really know.

Thanks to any and all who can help me on the journey, I have always enjoyed being a student of tea and this is a new and interesting chapter.

Thanks in advance, Blair
Live up and Drink up!!!

[Drax]

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for posting!

Quick answers:

1. Yes, it's ready to drink.
2. I would like to think that all pu'erh gets better with age.
3. These are mini-tuos, so you won't need to break them up (see below)
4. To me, they look like shou.

As for #3, you'll find a lot of people here don't recommend mini-tuos, regardless of the type (shou or sheng). I don't think it's because they're guaranteed to be bad, but there seems to be a higher risk that they're not made using the best stuff

The real test will be whether anybody has had these particular mini-tuos and can give them a thumbs-up or thumbs-down.

Hope that helps, and once again, welcome!

[debunix]

These were my introduction to puerh, and I still enjoy them. I've got a small collection of other puerh now, and lots of samples, and the Rishi Tuo Cha mostly get neglected in their tin, but it's more that I prefer the others rather than that there is anything bad or wrong about the Rishi. I swapped some with another puerh fancier who was quite surprised to find them quite acceptable.

[blairswhitaker]

thanks for the info, years ago I tried several old musty sheng cakes, that the local tea shop was serving and raving about. I did not enjoy them. At that time I only drank ceremonial grade matcha, sencha, and gyokuro. I recently started drinking a 1997 shou that has been amazing for me, and now I'm hooked. After this info on the rishi I will give them a try.

[Victoria]

Since we are on the topic of Rishi and Puerh, I want to add that the
Ancient Sheng Pu-erh Saiqing Ya Tuo Cha
are fabulous and worth the price for an occasional treat.

[blairswhitaker]

So after drinking a tin of these cakes I have made a few notes. This mini, is not like "swept off the floor fannings" but it's also nowhere near pristine leaf either. I find some leaf crumbs in side each tou and it's not a huge deal.
This tea is a little lighter in body than I'd like and does not have as rich a mouth feel as I enjoy. It is smooth, malty and caramelized tasting like the package suggests. I don't get this until about brew three though. It tastes malty and a bit like the paper it is wrapped in up until the third infusion, or at least the attack resembles the smell of the paper. I am addicted to the 97' loose leaf grand shou. hear are some pics. I am a rather pu-erh newbie so take my description for what it's worth, I comment again in five years after letting my second tin age.



Here is the brewed leaf about 10 infusions latter.



And here is the '97 grand shou for contrast.