TeaChat

Most people can tell a $6 bottle from a $12 bottle but fewer can tell $12 bottle from a $24 bottle or a $48 bottle.

Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

Beyond $96 it's just about history label and status. That's the conventional "wisdom" in wine.

Is it similar with pu-erh?

My favorite tea is $50 for 40grams. I'd really like to find something that makes me just as happy at $10-$20 a gram. am I being unreasonable?

To make this topic more that just whining. Let me ask this. What three (available) bings (or tocha) would you buy today if money were no object?

My issue is so far I just like the expensive stuff more. I was really hoping that this would NOT be the case!

I'm going to try to keep focusing on learning to love shu more...

futurebird wrote:Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

I would like to think most of our chatters here are in the range of telling $48 bottle from a $96 here.

Thats why serious tea heads hang in teachat. We have a more sophisticated palates then most other tea forums.

futurebird wrote: My favorite tea is $50 for 40grams. I'd really like to find something that makes me just as happy at $10-$20 a gram. am I being unreasonable?

Yes.

Assuming you're talking about aged tea 2003 and before, you're doing very well at $50/40g. It's a matter of whether you're being overcharged for crappier tea, but most serious aged tea start at around $150, and known goods are $300+ per 357 or 400g bing.

These days, it's hard to buy brand new reasonably top end tea for less than $150/400g.

TIM wrote:

futurebird wrote:Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

I would like to think most of our chatters here are in the range of telling $48 bottle from a $96 here.

Thats why serious tea heads hang in teachat. We have a more sophisticated palates then most other tea forums.

I think very few of us here are really able to tell the $48 from the $96 wine (tea). Personally, I'm trying to graduate from telling the $12/$24 split to the $24/$48 split (at best).

Catfur wrote:

TIM wrote:

futurebird wrote:Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

I would like to think most of our chatters here are in the range of telling $48 bottle from a $96 here.

Thats why serious tea heads hang in teachat. We have a more sophisticated palates then most other tea forums.

I think very few of us here are really able to tell the $48 from the $96 wine (tea). Personally, I'm trying to graduate from telling the $12/$24 split to the $24/$48 split (at best).

The trick is to start high and go downward. If you go low and up, you might ended up $24 for a long time.

There are more then a few whom start high here, I believe.
Learning to appreciate diner coffee won't ended up learning how blue mountain characteristic.

What exactly are you buying? That might give us ideas

All this talk about wine and being able to distinguish a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle reminded me of a topic I've wanted to post about for some time now.
Please drop in and share your opinion ...

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=18291

MarshalN wrote:What exactly are you buying? That might give us ideas

I'm very inexperienced. But, I love the tea I wrote about here. http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=18272

My favourite shu pu these days was made last year and costs $12 for a 250g brick that fits your 86' pu erh description.

The shop owner commissioned it himself and I prefer it over his more expensive products.

It's all about finding value, but if you're used to spending 10x for a brick or cake, you probably won't bother with cheap stuff anymore, as you're rightfully assuming that most of it is crap.

With sheng anything significantly below $30 a cake won't get you much in terms of quality though, but it's all about sampling wide and finding something you like.

The value is mostly in house brands of tea shops, that are good, reasonably priced and keep people coming back.

I have sampled quite a few $100+ sheng cakes and find that there are mostly lots of cheaper options that cost half or less and are just as good or better.

My prices are online/China based though and you won't get those kind of prices in a brick and mortar tea shop in NY obviously, where the costs of living are high and the competition among tea shops is virtually non existent, which allows for a high markup.

TIM wrote:

futurebird wrote:Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

I would like to think most of our chatters here are in the range of telling $48 bottle from a $96 here.

Thats why serious tea heads hang in teachat. We have a more sophisticated palates then most other tea forums.

I don't agree with you , Tim.

May be you have that sophisticated palate but I'm sticking to good cheap 12$ bottles like this

To add my 2 cents, while I don't think I'd be able to distinguish between 48 and 96$ white Burgundy wine, I would probably make the difference between 48 and 96$ red Bordeaux bottles.
It's just because I prefer Bordeaux over Burgundy and red wines over white ones.
It would probably be the same for discerning 48 vs 96$ pu'er... one will feel the differences between two nicely and affordable aged sheng while not being able to compare and discern differences between two young (and same price level than the aged pu) sheng from LBZ for example.
I think it depends on your tastes, drinking habits and frequency of sipping.
I don't know if I was really clear...
Time for afterlunch tea, bye folks.

Bad Jedi wrote:

TIM wrote:

futurebird wrote:Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

I would like to think most of our chatters here are in the range of telling $48 bottle from a $96 here.

Thats why serious tea heads hang in teachat. We have a more sophisticated palates then most other tea forums.

I don't agree with you , Tim.

May be you have that sophisticated palate but I'm sticking to good cheap 12$ bottles like this

photo (5).JPG

So you don't appreciated those $48 bottles or $96 up? Good to know, if we ever meet up and share, I will bring your 'Prefered' range bottles

TIM wrote:

Bad Jedi wrote:

TIM wrote:

futurebird wrote:Almost no one can tell a $48 bottle from a $96 bottle.

I would like to think most of our chatters here are in the range of telling $48 bottle from a $96 here.

Thats why serious tea heads hang in teachat. We have a more sophisticated palates then most other tea forums.

I don't agree with you , Tim.

May be you have that sophisticated palate but I'm sticking to good cheap 12$ bottles like this

photo (5).JPG

So you don't appreciated those $48 bottles or $96 up? Good to know, if we ever meet up and share, I will bring your 'Prefered' range bottles

Great , please bring up in same range as on that picture I'll be very happy