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Does the quality of puer determine the health benefits one gets from drinking puer? For instance if i buy cheap puer, how does it compare to higher grade of puer?
Is there a health difference in raw vs ripe puer?
Thanks

I don't believe more expensive leaves have more health benefist. As I understand, you just have to watch out for mold and pesticide. Are gushu cakes better for you than plantation cakes? Even if they are, it's probably not worth the cost difference.

zzenster wrote:I don't believe more expensive leaves have more health benefist.

Leaf material substance aside, your mind can affect your body
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/99532.phpwd

zzenster wrote: Even if they are, it's probably not worth the cost difference.

Recently bought this gushu for about $30. (on sale) http://www.essenceoftea.co.uk/tea/puerh ... ansai.html
Also recently bough this plantation for $30. http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... 31093e8d2c

Just showing that prices don't have to be super expensive. Not that one is better then the other (though I do prefer the young gushu). They are rather different things.

yalokinh wrote:Is there a health difference in raw vs ripe puer?

Here is what Leo Kwan of tea guardian has to say.
http://teaguardian.com/tea-health/puer- ... WMYB2fTckR

As long as it's real pu erh, the quality doesn't matter in term of basic health benefits. Just like ginseng lower grade and higher grade will give you the basic benefit, maybe higher grade ones (often due to age) will have faster effect. BUT that may not be what you are after if you are in for the long run.

Pu erh prices are often determine by speculation, taste, source, tree age, production quantity, etc. However, what type of pu erh tree may have those additional benefits that others may not have.

To my knowledge, when pu erh was recorded for it's health benefit in 本草纲目, cooked/riped pu erh technique was not invented yet. However there is difference in raw and riped. It'll be best take which based what health benefits you are after and your body condition.

edit: Do note when it comes to TCM, there's no real standard to improving certain condition, unlike western medication. One TCM sensei can use one way and the other can use another way, but both are correct if the condition is improved.

zzenster wrote:Are gushu cakes better for you than plantation cakes? Even if they are, it's probably not worth the cost difference.

The idea of gushu being better will be like ginseng I guess. The older the better, but it also depends on the environment it's grown in.

Most of the environment that the gushu are living in aren't the same as 10yrs ago. It's no longer as unpolluted anymore. But the taste and additional experience (don't have to be chaqi, but also the number of steeps, color, etc) you get from will likely be different.

Gushu doesn't have to be expensive, especially those self-collected/brand ones. They are only expensive when they are from popular sites. Mostly due to demand and speculation.

What kind of health benefits exactly are you looking for?

My wife has sensitive skin and pretty much all cheaper shu pu gives her some kind of rash, so low cost/quality fermented pu erh can have negative health effects too.

ChengduCha wrote:What kind of health benefits exactly are you looking for?

My wife has sensitive skin and pretty much all cheaper shu pu gives her some kind of rash, so low cost/quality fermented pu erh can have negative health effects too.

To my knowledge some people can get bad reaction with huangpian, and since lower cost shu tend to have that. Could your wife be allergy to that? Or do your wife even get allergy reaction even with XG XFT?

lordsbm wrote:To my knowledge some people can get bad reaction with huangpian, and since lower cost shu tend to have that. Could your wife be allergy to that? Or do your wife even get allergy reaction even with XG XFT?

I have no idea what causes it, but we found some shu that doesn't cause it which is a production from last year. I think there must be some difference in the production process.

I'm not looking to cure cancer or hunger, just the normal healthy tea stuff.

ChengduCha wrote:I have no idea what causes it, but we found some shu that doesn't cause it which is a production from last year. I think there must be some difference in the production process.

So it could be just isolated example of an individual having allergy reaction to normal shu?

I mean it's like some people are allergy to lactose, they need to pay more for lactose free milk, but it doesn't mean the lower price normal milk with lactose is bad right?

I was into Korean/Jap skincare a couple years back. There's this well-known natural fermentation skincare product that's VERY popular around the world. The product produce good results, but some find their skin thinning to the extend that they can't really use other brand produce. Even the all natural herbal skincare (Sulwhasoo) gives they bad breakouts.

But you can't say Sulwhasoo is bad or the fermentation product is bad, as they are both natural products in nature. Just that the reaction experienced by individuals are different

yalokinh wrote:I'm not looking to cure cancer or hunger, just the normal healthy tea stuff.

If you have weak gastric or in colder climate country, just take shu. It's normally easier on the body. Or if you are willing to spend take aged sheng. Spend within your means.

Reliable, cheap puerh try look at Xiaguan brand. In China the entry/staple tea from XG are xiao fa tuo for shu, jia/te tuo for sheng. They are best kept for a few years, before drinking.

I'm going to get 2009 XG FT-7573 shu to try on my new China order, I heard it's drinkable now and it's really cheap. Kinda like the upgrade of xiao fa tuo. Cheap sheng I'm thinking of the 2006 XG Boyan brick.

They are all lower grade plantation blend, but they are cheap. Been drinking cheap XG for 3weeks in a row now, they still giving me the puerh benefits.

I can tell easily, cause when I stopped puerh for 3-7days, my feet and palms will become cool, due to the poor blood circulation. So puerh helped me on this.

My gushus are coming in a few days, will likely try and see how much a difference they make on my body

yalokinh wrote:I'm not looking to cure cancer or hunger, just the normal healthy tea stuff.

That's still pretty vague.

Not sure how sheng ranks in comparison to green tea antioxidant wise.

Any kind of shu is supposed to help with cholesterol and it definately eases me after an oily chinese dinner.

Good shu and aged sheng can also relax you in ways other teas can't.

Sheng also has a very laxative effect which is a good or bad thing depending on your bowels.

lordsbm wrote:

ChengduCha wrote:I have no idea what causes it, but we found some shu that doesn't cause it which is a production from last year. I think there must be some difference in the production process.

So it could be just isolated example of an individual having allergy reaction to normal shu?

Cheap shu usually makes my throat and skin pretty dry, but I don't have the same issue as my wife.

I have never seen the production process but it's supposed to be pretty dirty, not sure if it varies in any way with higher priced shus.

Cheap Dayi gives me liver pain btw.

ChengduCha wrote:Sheng also has a very laxative effect which is a good or bad thing depending on your bowels.

This one depends on individuals. I know it does nothing for me drinking young sheng at around 1-1.5 liters a day daily. But just a bit of chilli gives me going badly

To my knowledge, to use pu erh to aid constipation (in terms of TCM), you need to drink it at certain timing on empty stomach. Normally drinking it will not be effective.

Although wild pu erh bacillus does have laxative effect when used on a prolong or over dosage. You can refer to 本草纲目 on this one.

ChengduCha wrote:Cheap shu usually makes my throat and skin pretty dry, but I don't have the same issue as my wife.

I have never seen the production process but it's supposed to be pretty dirty, not sure if it varies in any way with higher priced shus.

Cheap Dayi gives me liver pain btw.

But those are likely individual isolated cases right? I mean cheap Dayi like 7572 are staple tea to many in China.

It's almost like some non-smoker normally find new XG smoky taste offensive or too dry on the throat or even shou-huo.

If cheap Dayi also gives you bad reaction, then it has to be isolated case, cos they are supposed to have the same standard in term of hygiene. Just the recipe and material are different.

I think really have to try each tea personally before you can write off as a bad tea to you. Like the 2000 chen xiang shu brick (edit: authenticity of the year aside), which many on this forum finds it to be good. That's a really cheap shu brick, I don't recall hearing people complaining discomfort after drinking it.

edit: Just to be clear, I'm just saying some isolated cases doesn't mean low cost/quality pu erh shus are bad for the health.

ChengduCha wrote:My wife has sensitive skin and pretty much all cheaper shu pu gives her some kind of rash, so low cost/quality fermented pu erh can have negative health effects too.

I pretty sure there are millions in China drinking low cost/quality shu. From what I gather reading the China forums/group, most complains of cheap shu is lack of taste and lack of steeps. VERY rarely I read feedback of shu giving discomfort unless it's either isolated cases of bad tea or drinking on a hot summer day