TeaChat

Hello,
I have been looking into ripe puerh cakes and I've realized there are so many factories and varieties.
I'd like to try a few cakes of ripe puerh or at least some samples. I'd like a few that present different flavors so I can get some ideas what I may like. What should I try for a diverse spectrum of flavors? Thanks in advance!

If you want cooked pu, start with Dayi

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/cat ... ry=6634690

Cooked pu does not generally have wide ranges of flavors.

It's basically blend of leaf sizes
The amount of fermentation
Where it's from (especially what water source was used for fermentation)

Don't look for too many miracles.

This is actually a better place to start, rather than YS, tho' YS is close...

http://shopmandalatea.com/ripe-pu-er/cakes-bricks.html

Well, I chose YS' Dayi selection only. Non-dayi cooked pu can sometimes be pretty suspect.

For shu, Dayi is definitely the safe (and usually correct) bet.

If you are just starting off, I think Shah wrote good advice on how to knock out samples in this thread (Although I would probably stick a 7572 in there, for starters)

The 7572 and I think there is a 7592 that seems to be popular. I have seen some websites list Dayi as Menghai factory; using the same logo. Am I misunderstanding that? Thanks for the link Shah 82! I also was on yunnan usa last week and the shipping was very cheap; now it seems like it has gone up considerably. I think it must have been a glitch in the shopping cart.
On the mandala tea site they have a mini toucha variety sampler. There are several brands and varieties in there so I am definitely ordering this. Very cool idea!

I linked you to Yunnan Sourcing from China - their USA site is a different address (same company though)

Re: shipping charges:

Good to know details of shipping charges before ordering. Weight-based shipping charges sometimes go up in blocks which might effect decisions. E.g., up to 14 ounces is $5, 14 - 32 ounces is $9. If you had a 14-ounce order & added just a half-ounce sample you would incur $4 more in shipping cost. (Good time to skip the sample or as most people who are on teachat do, add tea to order)

I ordered my first menghai puerh cake from yunnan sourcing u.s. yesterday morning so I'm looking forward to trying it out! I also saw some interesting items on mandala teas site and they have flat rate shipping of 5 bucks so that is definitely some good incentive for the future.