Puerhshop Tasting Group's "Year of Green Pu-erh"

One of the intentionally aged teas, Pu-Erh has a loyal following.


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Apr 22nd, '08, 10:59
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by Salsero » Apr 22nd, '08, 10:59

Ron,

Are you a botanist?

I certainly appreciate your research and sharing it with us. My take (esp since I have already drunk the kool aid) is that it probably is not harmful or at least not too harmful since it sounds like a lot of Chinese pu drinkers have probably drunk a cake or two of the stuff. I think I will keep my sample around, and maybe even have some again someday -- though I must say, I don't feel too rushed!

BTW, if you ever think about going into forensic medicine, you can put this one on your resume!

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Apr 22nd, '08, 11:22
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by Dizzwave » Apr 22nd, '08, 11:22

Ron Gilmour wrote:I've now tried three of the "Year of Green" teas.
Menghai Feet of Crab... was my very first sheng....
2004 CNNP Old Tree Green.... is definitely my favorite so far.
Hey Ron, hang in there! Sheng gets way better, trust me!
And thanks for the interesting info on the Feet of Crab.. I haven't tried it yet, and might just wait until the jury comes back on it.
-Dave

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Apr 22nd, '08, 15:40
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by Trioxin » Apr 22nd, '08, 15:40

Salsero wrote:
augie wrote:
Wesli wrote: I just started a new job on their side of town.
Mmm, augie, you are in Indianapolis, Puershop is in Indianapolis, Mary is near Indianapolis, Chip is not too far away, nor is Yeah_Tea/Andy, Trioxin is in Indiana ... mmm. The world is starting to sound a little smaller than I thought.
Trioxin is alone in the dead center of Illinois.

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Apr 22nd, '08, 15:44
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by RussianSoul » Apr 22nd, '08, 15:44

Trioxin wrote:Trioxin is alone in the dead center of Illinois.
Aw, don't feel lonely - I am in Chicago.

Apr 22nd, '08, 16:51
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by Proinsias » Apr 22nd, '08, 16:51

Sounds like my first taste of whisky or watching my daughter stick an olive in her mouth.

It should be far more palatable in 20 years or so, or a few weeks if you harden yourself to the stuff.

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Apr 22nd, '08, 17:13
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by Salsero » Apr 22nd, '08, 17:13

emmy wrote: Did I do something wrong?
Well, this is a very nice and appreciated description of your experience. Sorry it was so bad! It sounds to me like the tea is too strong. Probably a little too much leaf and too long brew times. When I give brew times I include the time it takes to pour the water in and pour the tea out. For the first couple infusions this often means "as fast as possible."

If you are ever brave enough to try sheng again, you might try a gaiwan which allows you to do 5 to 10 sec steeps. It may be that some of the more expensive sample sets will agree with you more, and it may also be that you don't like sheng puerh! Remember that the Leg of Crab is a very unusual tea. I am trying the CNNP Old Tree tonight to see what's up there. The "Taste of Green" sampler seems so far to be disproving my notion that cheap sheng is as good as more costy.

I would be happy to mail you some samples of higher quality stuff, if you PM me, as I think would others here. Please keep us apprised of any future efforts. Thanks so much for sharing this.

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Apr 22nd, '08, 21:35
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by augie » Apr 22nd, '08, 21:35

Trioxin wrote: Trioxin is alone in the dead center of Illinois.
I grew up in the "dead center" of Illinois! LOL

No one need wonder what is causing our recent earthquakes! :lol: Tea madness!

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Apr 22nd, '08, 22:22
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by Wesli » Apr 22nd, '08, 22:22

Hey Emmy, I'm glad to see you here.

Young sheng can get bitter in any more than a flash. This is why for young sheng, I rinse with boiling water once twice (short infusions that don't get drunk), then proceed with flash infusions (water in, tea out. bam.). I don't get to having steep times until at least the third steep, which is usually around 5 seconds. This kind of brewing has been working for me.

I'm just starting to get over my cold (I hope). Soon I shall plunge into the grab-bag.

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Apr 22nd, '08, 23:04
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by tenuki » Apr 22nd, '08, 23:04

Dizzwave wrote:Sheng gets way better, trust me

Ya, like after 30 years.....
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )

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Apr 22nd, '08, 23:54
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by tenuki » Apr 22nd, '08, 23:54

emmy wrote:I have never had tea that bracing/harsh before. I'm scared to try the rest of my samples. Did I do something wrong?
No, you are perfectly normal. Nobody in their right mind drinks young raw puerh except for tea industry professionals trying to guess which of them will be good in 20-30 years. ;) Of course, there are a lot of crazy people in the world. :D
Last edited by tenuki on Apr 23rd, '08, 04:36, edited 1 time in total.

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2004 CNNP Old Tree Green Pu-erh

by Salsero » Apr 23rd, '08, 00:35

After the controversy engendered by this tea, I had to give it a whirl tonight.
Image Image

It struck me as an unusual 4-yr-old sheng, reminded me of the stuff you feed horses: is that timothy? and a little fermented at that. After Emmy's bad experience, I kept the brew times short: 15 s, 15 s, 20 s, 45 s, 60 s. 5 gr of leaf in a 120 ml pot, about 60% full when spent.

The tea seemed always to be borderline rough in the mouth (not really astringent or bitter, just rough). I never saw the lovely dark color pictured in the vendor's site. I've seen aged puerh that color, maybe even aged only 4 years, but not this one. It was pretty much blushing yellow all the way. Also, that flavor profile did not develop much: at its best, sweet and smokey almost apricot, at its worst, silage. The flavor never seemed strong to me at any point.

I did enjoy the experience and I will drink the rest of the sample someday; it seems like something to make (weak) by the pot and serve with a meal, but it does not rank high in my estimation as a stand alone drink. The more I think of it, this could be very nice with a Chinese meal.Image

I am really surprised at the variety of tastes and experiences we are having in Year of Green. I have tasted 50 to 60 sheng puerhs in the last year and a half and do not remember this big a range of difference among all those as what I am finding in Year of Green. I suppose I never strayed this far out of a certain quality level. I am finding this very enlightening.

** My rating "I didn't care for it."
*** Ron's (interpreted) rating
** Dizzwave's rating
** silverneedles' rating

Reprise: Well I kept brewing 2, 3, 5 and 8 minutes and found a different tea, a sort of light bai hao oolong like, with wonderful oiliness on the lips. This really does seem like something to brew few leaves, large pot, with delicious spicy Chinese food. Don't know what parameters I would use. I've heard of restaurant meals accompanied by puerh, but since I always drink pu by itself, it seemed like a strange idea to me. But this one could be great that way. Mmm, the leaves, BTW, are nice big green pieces. I may have to change my rating! It may qualify higher as a special purpose tea rather than as what I usually think of as pu.
Last edited by Salsero on May 3rd, '08, 10:51, edited 3 times in total.

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Apr 23rd, '08, 04:05
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by Trioxin » Apr 23rd, '08, 04:05

tenuki wrote:
No, you are perfectly normal. Nobody in their right mind drinks young shen except for tea industry professionals trying to guess which of them will be good in 20-30 years. ;) Of course, there are a lot of crazy people in the world. :D
No wonder the doctor makes me take all these pills. I love 'em young.

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