I bought this brick for $80 bucks @ Chaikhana Tea Culture in Santa Cruz on Friday. The owner (whom I trust after visiting the shop for 6 months) personally knows the guy who made the tea. If I remember right, the makers name is Master Wong.
I tried the tea today, and it's amazing - crystal clear and long lasting. I'm on about the 30th infusion, and it's still holding strong. However, I've hardly had any pu erh before, so it might not take much to impress me.
Has any one tried this? If so, how did you like it?
Nov 29th, '08, 22:01
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Nov 29th, '08, 22:32
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Nov 29th, '08, 22:53
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I forgot to add, here's a link to the brick @ teance. They happen to carry the same one.
http://www.teance.com/Zen_Trinity_Compr ... tea842.htm
http://www.teance.com/Zen_Trinity_Compr ... tea842.htm
Nov 30th, '08, 00:28
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Nov 30th, '08, 00:45
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the shu doesn't have even a hint of a wet stored scent or taste. The dry leaves smell like spicy (not sweet) sandalwood followed by dates. Lively would best describe the liqour: one infusion tastes solely of dates, another like a dry and woody forest floor, and yet another like mint. The longevity of the tea leads me to believe that it is high quality... it lasted at least 30 brews. Now, I'm taking a nod from Tibet and boiling the leaves in a kettle to extract the remaining juices.
abx, does this sound similar to your high quality shu?
abx, does this sound similar to your high quality shu?
Nov 30th, '08, 05:27
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I have a question, why would you pay $80 for shou when you could possibly buy a nice slightly aged sheng beeng for that much. I have tasted high end shou and frankly, it left me thinking what is the difference. If its age, there is really no advantage IMHO in aging shou more than 5 years since shou evolves very little as a consequence of the "cooking" process.
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Nov 30th, '08, 09:03
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Nov 30th, '08, 09:21
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I'll confess to enjoying shu more than the typical pu'er fan. Having said that, there can be no question that sheng is where it's at, so to speak. When I first started down the pu'er path, I found shu to be intruiging, beguiling, and, above all, approachable. It reminded me of a good cup of coffee, and struck me as far better than the typical "black" tea. Having developed a taste for sheng, I find the allure of shu to be fading rapidly. They all taste basically the same, and even the best examples lack the majesty of a good sheng.hop_goblin wrote:I have a question, why would you pay $80 for shou when you could possibly buy a nice slightly aged sheng beeng for that much. I have tasted high end shou and frankly, it left me thinking what is the difference. If its age, there is really no advantage IMHO in aging shou more than 5 years since shou evolves very little as a consequence of the "cooking" process.
If you plopped down $80, you're obviously not afraid to pay for your pleasure, and I'm glad you enjoyed your purchase. You're going to enjoy the other pu'ers you encounter in the future immensely.
I have to agree tony. I much prefer sheng but I still drink shu ever now and then. Shu is a nice change of pace but doesnt nearly get to the differences and complexities even a half decent semi-aged sheng can get you. Shu isn't something I would drop a large sum of money on.tony shlongini wrote:I'll confess to enjoying shu more than the typical pu'er fan. Having said that, there can be no question that sheng is where it's at, so to speak. When I first started down the pu'er path, I found shu to be intruiging, beguiling, and, above all, approachable. It reminded me of a good cup of coffee, and struck me as far better than the typical "black" tea. Having developed a taste for sheng, I find the allure of shu to be fading rapidly. They all taste basically the same, and even the best examples lack the majesty of a good sheng.hop_goblin wrote:I have a question, why would you pay $80 for shou when you could possibly buy a nice slightly aged sheng beeng for that much. I have tasted high end shou and frankly, it left me thinking what is the difference. If its age, there is really no advantage IMHO in aging shou more than 5 years since shou evolves very little as a consequence of the "cooking" process.
If you plopped down $80, you're obviously not afraid to pay for your pleasure, and I'm glad you enjoyed your purchase. You're going to enjoy the other pu'ers you encounter in the future immensely.
Nov 30th, '08, 13:21
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Mine is more smells of the forest. I do get sandalwood, but the hard part about that is that the store I got it from sells sandalwood sculptures - lots of them - so the whole place smells heavily of sandalwood.trent wrote:the shu doesn't have even a hint of a wet stored scent or taste. The dry leaves smell like spicy (not sweet) sandalwood followed by dates. Lively would best describe the liqour: one infusion tastes solely of dates, another like a dry and woody forest floor, and yet another like mint. The longevity of the tea leads me to believe that it is high quality... it lasted at least 30 brews. Now, I'm taking a nod from Tibet and boiling the leaves in a kettle to extract the remaining juices.
abx, does this sound similar to your high quality shu?
The one I have is made by Qing Feng Xiang(?) (not to be confused with the more popular Feng Qing). This is apparently a cooperative of "the best" puerh producers coming together for special occassions (various celebratory holidays and such) to make tribute cakes. That's about all I could get from Google translator, though I asked someone that could read it and they didn't see much more (I couldn't find my cake). They have a whole line of products.
