TeaChat

Just wanted to comment that no one seems to be posting in the pu-erh section. Does this mean that people do not like pu-erh? Are you scared of trying it, or intimidated by it? I find that its a wonderful addition to my tea drinking journey. Any thoughts?

Puerh, isn't it that stuff that tastes like dirt?


Puerh sucks!!!!

Yeah, puerh sucks!

In all seriousness though, I've always attributed the lack of discussion on puerh here to the fact that there are puerh-specialized forums out there that already have a healthy following. That and puerh isn't exactly an Adagio specialty. So you sort of get the Darwinian forces going...and the puerh section here gets weaker and weaker.

I am hella intimidated by puerh. Shh! Don't tell anyone--but I've been eyeing the samples Salsero sent me for far too long now. Le sigh. I'll get the gall to try them eventually.

I have been wanting to try a good Pu Erh for a while but I dont know what to look for. I dont know were to get a good Pu Erh for a good price. I am very intimidated by puerh.

the name really says it all. Pu.

**edit**
God that was immature of me, I'm sorry lol...it slipped

Puerh is like any other class of tea. The less you know the more intimidating it can be, and the more you know, the more you realise how much more there is for you to know. If all you ever drink is lipton, you won't undestand what a first flush darjeeling is or FTGFOP.

So, be it ever so humble, here is my Puerh 101 for people who have never had puerh.

There are two types: Shu and Sheng.

Sheng: Ignore it for now, it is too complicated, too pricy, and there are too many choices. If you want to know more. Hop_goblin is the one to talk to.

Shu: It's not hard to find a decent shu. The one Adagio sells is great for the price. It's easy to brew, you can treat it like a black tea.

Puerh is not that pricey, but it IS hard to buy, especially in the states, when it comes to raw/sheng anyway. It's a pain to deal with if you don't really know what you're doing.

Starting with sample sized stuff from one of the vendors might not be a bad idea. Although, there's plenty of crap out there.

guitarfreak2641 wrote:I have been wanting to try a good Pu Erh for a while but I dont know what to look for. I dont know were to get a good Pu Erh for a good price. I am very intimidated by puerh.

Read hop goblin's posts. He's done a great job educating me, as have others here. His blog, Ancient Tea Horse Road is a VERY good read too.

I second that suggestion, his blog is great. He was the one who started me off in the genre with a few puerh recommendations, actually. I'm still intimidated as well, and I think it's difficult not to be intimidated without lots of experience and/or the ability to read Chinese.

Andy and Salsero, two guys that are on TeaChat fairly regularly, also know a good deal about puerh, so I'd ask them for some recommendations too.

Good luck!

The whole pu erh thing is just so complicated. You go to the tea dealer sites and there are umpteen different choices and you know nothing about any of them. If you order it's a crap shoot. You're not sure what you are going to get.
I think it would be nice if we had a SHORT list of some recommendations for all us newbies who aren't yet to the point where we can devote a sizeable portion of our waking moments figuring out what's a decent pu erh to purchase.

It is a good idea, but it's less feasable than asking people for personal recommendations. Not only are there lots of differences in flavors which some people may or may not like, but stocks of puerh cakes are so small that a list of recommendations would be out of date in a few weeks.

I would really appreciate a pu ehr guide for beginners. I rec'd a pu ehr sample w/Adagio order. Followed brewing instructions to the letter. Kids and I sat there looking at it, gave a whiff . . . it smells just like Aunt Frieda's chicken coop. BUT, i tasted it and it really wasn't bad. It's a taste i'VE Never experienced. Then, I thought: what if this was the worst pu ehr that everyone hates and there's better . . . OR what if that was the absolute greatest and the rest also tastes like a chicken coop.? If that sample was the best pu ehr available, I don't want to bother ordering some other samples!

augie wrote:I would really appreciate a pu ehr guide for beginners. I rec'd a pu ehr sample w/Adagio order. Followed brewing instructions to the letter. Kids and I sat there looking at it, gave a whiff . . . it smells just like Aunt Frieda's chicken coop. BUT, i tasted it and it really wasn't bad. It's a taste i'VE Never experienced. Then, I thought: what if this was the worst pu ehr that everyone hates and there's better . . . OR what if that was the absolute greatest and the rest also tastes like a chicken coop.? If that sample was the best pu ehr available, I don't want to bother ordering some other samples!

Well, there is good news. If you found that Adagio's pu is ok, then you can definitely appreciate pu-erh. To be frank, Adagio's pu is a valiant effort, but there are many many more better tasting pu-erhs out there.

Hop Goblin: I appreciate your tea blog. I especially enjoy the comments because my husband has served on a taste pannel w/former job. So your comments help. However, I have noticed that y'all purchase pu ehr from ebay vendors. Why? My employer just sold a $15 wal mart coffee maker on e-bay for $50 bucks! LOL I don't want to become part of the ranks of e-bay suckers. Are the ebay vendors you use reliable? I just wouldn't know where to start . . .

ebay is actually a pretty good, price-friendly place to find puerh, especially if you're into collecting. unlike buying from a dealer in the states, you don't have all the extra fluff/middle men dollars attached. and the product is generally quite good. in fact, it's often better than what you could buy from a dealer in the states. as far as counterfeit goes, (believe it or not, counterfeit puerh is big. who knew?) most ebay vendors are very good about proving their products are genuine.