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What are some of the benchmark well known bricks/cakes to try?
Or other recommendations for one or two sheng and shus to drink now.
My stash has run out, will be ordering from Puerh shop sometime soon.
Thanks-

By benchmark teas, do you mean teas that are the best teas or teas that people commonly reference?

If the best teas, you will get many opinions so I will just avoid that topic.

For two commonly referenced raw teas, I would recommend you try 7542 (Dayi) and a Xiaguan factory cake/tuo. Those are both great reference points of mass produced teas. From there you can start getting into specific regions and smaller productions, but those will be a good benchmark for talking puer.

For two benchmark ripe teas, 7572 (Dayi again) and some gongting tea (I like Dayi's their Wuzidengke cake). Make sure they are at least a couple of years old, so they aren't stankin. There is a lot less variation in ripe teas, so you can knock out a basic understanding a lot more easily.

Basically, its impossible to pick a tea with little knowledge!
What are the popular ones that I can drink now without spending a fortune.

ejs811 wrote:Basically, its impossible to pick a tea with little knowledge!
What are the popular ones that I can drink now without spending a fortune.

Here are two Sheng Pu Erh aged enough to drink now:

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/otherfacto ... grams.html

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/otherfacto ... -cake.html

both are quite OK, and do not cost a fortune.

Any thoughts on comparisons between 7572 cakes from CNNP vs Dayi, such as:
Close in year, far in price!

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1373

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1333

ejs811 wrote:Any thoughts on comparisons between 7572 cakes from CNNP vs Dayi, such as:
Close in year, far in price!

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1373

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1333

The price is not too far off. With Dayi you will pay more for their brand name in the same way that Nike shoes will cost you more than a cheaper brand. Buying Dayi cakes (and CNNP cakes) can be tricky, there a lot of fakes in the market or teas that are misrepresented. Research your vendors well before you buy...

TwoDog2 wrote:

ejs811 wrote:Any thoughts on comparisons between 7572 cakes from CNNP vs Dayi, such as:
Close in year, far in price!

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1373

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1333

The price is not too far off. With Dayi you will pay more for their brand name in the same way that Nike shoes will cost you more than a cheaper brand. Buying Dayi cakes (and CNNP cakes) can be tricky, there a lot of fakes in the market or teas that are misrepresented. Research your vendors well before you buy...

+1 on knowing the vendor. Lots of fakes out there.

EDIT: Nevermind, I will be sourcing from another vender.

Puerh Shop a bad choice?
I always thought they were the choice for pu shipped from within the US...

ejs811 wrote:EDIT: Nevermind, I will be sourcing from another vender.

Puerh Shop a bad choice?
I always thought they were the choice for pu shipped from within the US...

There were some issues with fakes that were handled poorly

ejs811 wrote:Any thoughts on comparisons between 7572 cakes from CNNP vs Dayi, such as:
Close in year, far in price!

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1373

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... ts_id=1333

I can't say anything about fake Dayi or not, but both of these teas are Shu Pu Erh (fermented), which you can't really compare to Sheng (green). Shu through artificial fermentation tries to imitate the aging process of green Pu Erh, but will not reach the complexity of good aged Sheng. While Sheng, depending on climate, has to be stored for at least 10 years before you can start drinking it, Shu has to be stored only for 2 years or so to lose the fermentation taste as it does not really age anymore.

For me, Shu can be pleasant to absolutely horrible. I am not very experienced in Shu though. One i recently got a sample from, and found quite pleasant: http://yunnansourcing.com/en/2013-yunna ... -cake.html

But overall i prefer aged Sheng.

I wouldn't buy any Dayi from puerh shop the one benchmark Dayi he has the bok choy LBZ is almost guaranteed to be fake. I have gotten even a fake 08 or 09 8582 from there.

Dragon tea house on eBay has a couple of benchmark teas if you don't feel like going thru taoboa such as the 05 Golden needle white lotus if your into Shu that is about as good as you can get for a recent production. They Also have99 fuhai which is pretty good along with newer big name dayi releases such as the golden years and th gold day I.

Picked up a few samples from Yunnan Sourcing US site.

2006 and 2008 Menghai 7672.
2005 Xiaguan Xiao Fa Tuo.
2005 Haiwan Spring Tips

Not crazy about any of them, but I keep coming back to the 2003 Langhe Green Mark, my fav of the samples.

ejs811 wrote:Picked up a few samples from Yunnan Sourcing US site.

2006 and 2008 Menghai 7672.
2005 Xiaguan Xiao Fa Tuo.
2005 Haiwan Spring Tips

Not crazy about any of them, but I keep coming back to the 2003 Langhe Green Mark, my fav of the samples.

None of them are particularly good teas - they are cheap, and taste it as well. You would be better off with the teas advised before.

hmm, ok!
They are close in price, at least, to the recommendations.

Anyone in CONUS want to mail some GOOD sample to me to see what I am REALLY missing? Seems I have tried terrible pu after terrible pu!!!