TeaChat

Is it really necessary to use separate yixing pots for older vs younger sheng? The pot I use is certainly not the best and does not impact flavor greatly as of yet (It does seem to improve mouth feel and sweetness, and it isn't even close to totally seasoned) I figured that much of the sweetness and underlying flavors that the pot absorbs are similar in good young and aged sheng, so It might be ok to brew any sheng puerh no matter what age. What do you guys think?

I think it's a good idea to have different pots. Until you can get enough pots that work just use something like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271029021544

or a gaiwan...

You should think of aged sheng as a completely category of tea from young sheng. I think it a minimum three pots are needed. a pot for brand new sheng. a pot for 2-3 to 10-15 year and then 15- whenever. But really you should have at least seven to cover the full spectrum of tastes puerh has to offer. You should really not classify them by age of the tea but by stages of maturity. Since no two tea cakes mature at exactly the same rate. But it gives you a rough idea.

At least seven! I hope I never know puerh well enough to need seven...

gasninja wrote:You should think of aged sheng as a completely category of tea from young sheng. I think it a minimum three pots are needed. a pot for brand new sheng. a pot for 2-3 to 10-15 year and then 15- whenever. But really you should have at least seven to cover the full spectrum of tastes puerh has to offer. You should really not classify them by age of the tea but by stages of maturity. Since no two tea cakes mature at exactly the same rate. But it gives you a rough idea.

7 pots is a bit over the top, i think. Generally 2 should be enough - one for young and youngish, and one for aged Pu Erh. It's better to have 2 good pots than 7 mediocre pots anyhow.

But you are right about the point of better classifying aged Pu Erh by maturity than just by age. 10 years stored in a cool and dry climate has very moderate changes, while 10 years in a hot an humid climate will have hardly any green taste left anymore.

According to my weather app on my computer, humidity today was at 50% and the same for the last several days. Does this sound right to you? It's been blazing this week.

Tead Off wrote:According to my weather app on my computer, humidity today was at 50% and the same for the last several days. Does this sound right to you? It's been blazing this week.

When i googled the weather it says right now 74% humidity, now at 11pm.

don't get me started...

These are the days where i would actually like to have aircon. It brutal, i try to move as little as possible. The fan just blows hot air, and i am slow boiling. The water out of the tap is hot and a shower does not make a difference at all.

...and it's not even Songkran yet...

Now my app says 70%. Midnight. I wouldn't want to live in BKK without A/C. I try to use it judiciously, not all day and never sleep with it. Luckily, I have good cross ventilation but still warm air. Drinking puerh without aircon leaves puddles on my chair.

Tead Off wrote:Now my app says 70%. Midnight. I wouldn't want to live in BKK without A/C. I try to use it judiciously, not all day and never sleep with it. Luckily, I have good cross ventilation but still warm air. Drinking puerh without aircon leaves puddles on my chair.

Most of the year i prefer fans. I guess i am just used to it. When i sleep in air, i sweat over the day much more.

But these days...IT'S EFFING UNBEARABLE!!!!

5 showers a day at least, tons of cooling talcum powder...

I can't drink Pu Erh now, in that heat. It mostly Yancha now. Fortunately a few days ago i found a few long forgotten bags of Yancha, which i got quite cheaply ten years or so ago, and have a slightly larger pot filled up from morning to evening with it.

And liters of cold water as well...

It's 62 in NYC and sunny.

63F with 27% humidity here in NC

39 C, which is about 102 F, and somewhere around 75% humidity

NOT !

I'm often jealous of those with better climates for storage... so we must to have our fun while it lasts.

theredbaron wrote:

gasninja wrote:You should think of aged sheng as a completely category of tea from young sheng. I think it a minimum three pots are needed. a pot for brand new sheng. a pot for 2-3 to 10-15 year and then 15- whenever. But really you should have at least seven to cover the full spectrum of tastes puerh has to offer. You should really not classify them by age of the tea but by stages of maturity. Since no two tea cakes mature at exactly the same rate. But it gives you a rough idea.

7 pots is a bit over the top, i think. Generally 2 should be enough - one for young and youngish, and one for aged Pu Erh. It's better to have 2 good pots than 7 mediocre pots anyhow.

But you are right about the point of better classifying aged Pu Erh by maturity than just by age. 10 years stored in a cool and dry climate has very moderate changes, while 10 years in a hot an tasthumid climate will have hardly any green taste left anymore.

Do you really wanna drink your dry stored aged tea out of the same pot as wet stored? Also teas with a strong camphor taste .
Seven pots is definitely over kill. But the spectrum of flavors is allot more broad than with a type of oolong. I should have said as many as seven pots could be used to appreciate the full spectrum of sheng puerh. but seven are hardly necessary.

I'd love to see photos of the pots people have chosen for different teas. I've mostly chosen based on the color so it's easy to remember, though my choices are not final for some pots.

Right now I have:

1. pot for oolong, I don't drink much oolong-- this is duan about 70ml
2. Young sheng (under 5 years) pot 100ml
3. Rare old 15+ and mature puerh pot 40ml
4. The pot of the awkward years...5-15 years... for puerhs I can't classify 100ml
5. the shu pot 150ml

I have other pots that are not assigned yet...

So, for me 4 is enough, but I can see how, over time, it expands. I think to start one really only needs 3 pots... and over time you'll find more pots and decide which tea belongs where.