why is this tea the most talked about tea on here?

[LaybackPandas]

i ordered some puerh loose leaf for the first time at adaigo and didnt care for it much, i now give puerh another try and ordered some compress cake from china, its on its way.

so whats so special about em? i believe 80% of ppls in the west never heard of puerh.

[Trioxin]

If its good tea brewed properly, its fantastic. Reminds me very much of wine in the fact that each blend, and vintage has its own unique characteristics, and they improve with age and proper storage. Can I ask what cake you ordered? Cooked or Raw?

[hop_goblin]

Unfortnately, many peoples' first foray to pu-reh often times ends up as a bad experience which ultimately turns their curosity and unfortnately appetites off for it. The only advise for you is to not give up and educate yourself about its wonderful history and its appreciation.

[tony shlongini]

i ordered some puerh loose leaf for the first time at adaigo and didnt care for it much, i now give puerh another try and ordered some compress cake from china, its on its way.

so whats so special about em? i believe 80% of ppls in the west never heard of puerh.

80%? I think you're being overly optimistic. Considering that pu'er is perhaps 2% of China's tea produiction, I'm surprised that anyone here has heard of it.

One of the things that attracted me to pu'er is how well it goes with my fascination with things that can stand the test of time. Green tea? Better drink up in a few months. Plenty of oolongs and black teas will go stale at the two year mark. The notion of a tea that improves with age makes pu'er very special, if not unique. It's really the only tea you can collect. Can you "collect" white or green tea? No, but pu'er can be handed down to your kids.

[coloradopu]

well since you asked there is one enduring quality to most fine cakes and pu in general that i relate to my childhood. its a smell that they all have and it is so distinct that the person that has never even drunk of any pu can identify.

this is what i do : i tell this story

when i was 5 or so years old i had this bike you know the type with the banana seat and sissy bars etc . well i would ride everyday in the neighborhood from the river to the busy street i was not allowed to cross "" by the way i tell this while preparing tea"
on this particular day as i went out side it had just rained for well 6 days and at this time of year the oak trees have this real distinct rot kind of smell " like some tea does but this is not my smell i ant to get across" i had become accustomed to this smell as it was all over the south his time of year. but on this perticular day there was a new smell. a strong one that seemed to get stronger and stronger. it had a bee kind of smell. well i rode around all day and finally found this old 200 year oak that had fallen and in its crooked branches there was a bee hive. this hive had a pungent smell that when the sun hit it and melted the wax one could almost taste the honey in the smell alone. i mean to say it was so strong i never forgot it. mixed with the smell of the earthy oak rot and fresh turned soil hell i almost became a beekeeper but god had other ideas. " at this time i pour the tea into a sniff cup and demonstrate the proper use and make sure that it is smelled tell the earth turns to wax and the bees can almost be heard.

so you see i have a deep connection to the smell and taste of the pu and yes i am new but it seems i have looked for this stuff knowing it was out there since i was 5.

hope you like the story and hope you sniff your pu tea every day.
:)

[shogun89]

The simple answer to your question is because, its the best tea. haha Just kidding though IMO it is the best. One of my favorite thing about it is that no one knows about it, though it can be frustrating I love teaching other people about it, its fun. I also love the fact that over time it changes, that is so cool. I find it hard to talk about actually as the best tea can not possibly be reviewed.

[coloradopu]

Posted: May 2nd '09 9:46 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The simple answer to your question is because, its the best tea. haha Just kidding though IMO it is the best. One of my favorite thing about it is that no one knows about it, though it can be frustrating I love teaching other people about it, its fun. I also love the fact that over time it changes, that is so cool. I find it hard to talk about actually as the best tea can not possibly be reviewed.

to add to shogun's fine example i need to state the craftsmanship and preparation along with great history involved.
not only do they not know about the tea existing but lord they become baffled when told how many there are and how small an area it really is.

[JAS-eTea Guy]

Great story! Thanks for sharing. My wife is from Colorado.

Cheers,
Steve

well since you asked there is one enduring quality to most fine cakes and pu in general that i relate to my childhood. its a smell that they all have and it is so distinct that the person that has never even drunk of any pu can identify.

this is what i do : i tell this story

when i was 5 or so years old i had this bike you know the type with the banana seat and sissy bars etc . well i would ride everyday in the neighborhood from the river to the busy street i was not allowed to cross "" by the way i tell this while preparing tea"
on this particular day as i went out side it had just rained for well 6 days and at this time of year the oak trees have this real distinct rot kind of smell " like some tea does but this is not my smell i ant to get across" i had become accustomed to this smell as it was all over the south his time of year. but on this perticular day there was a new smell. a strong one that seemed to get stronger and stronger. it had a bee kind of smell. well i rode around all day and finally found this old 200 year oak that had fallen and in its crooked branches there was a bee hive. this hive had a pungent smell that when the sun hit it and melted the wax one could almost taste the honey in the smell alone. i mean to say it was so strong i never forgot it. mixed with the smell of the earthy oak rot and fresh turned soil hell i almost became a beekeeper but god had other ideas. " at this time i pour the tea into a sniff cup and demonstrate the proper use and make sure that it is smelled tell the earth turns to wax and the bees can almost be heard.

so you see i have a deep connection to the smell and taste of the pu and yes i am new but it seems i have looked for this stuff knowing it was out there since i was 5.

hope you like the story and hope you sniff your pu tea every day.

[hop_goblin]

Indeed Coloradopu, very poetic. Thanks for sharing.

[coloradopu]

thanks for the kind comments guys

and net surfer let the wife know @ 10,000 foot it rained most of the day but at 10:00 pm mount time the powers that be flipped the switch and presto snow again
dam switch wish the thing would brake already

[shogun89]

Upon returning to the thread with enough time to read the other posts, I must say coloradopu, a very neat story.

[Proinsias]

Post wise it's in the lead on Teachat. The other forums just seem like drinking tea forums, this one seems more like keeping tea as a pet, a hobby and for drinking.

With green tea your excitement peaks when you open a fresh bag and goes downhill from there, with pu'erh there is a good chance that things can only get better for longer than you will be around.

[shogun89]

Post wise it's in the lead on Teachat. The other forums just seem like drinking tea forums, this one seems more like keeping tea as a pet, a hobby and for drinking.

With green tea your excitement peaks when you open a fresh bag and goes downhill from there, with pu'erh there is a good chance that things can only get better for longer than you will be around.

Well said indeed. I do treat my puerh very much like a pet. At one point I was even talking to the. Haha, scared ya, no I'm just kidding.

[JAS-eTea Guy]

thanks for the kind comments guys

and net surfer let the wife know @ 10,000 foot it rained most of the day but at 10:00 pm mount time the powers that be flipped the switch and presto snow again
dam switch wish the thing would brake already

I hear you about the weather switch in CO. We have spent a fair amount of time in the mountains and during the summer, we always try to get in our activities in the morning hours. Seems that there is always a rolling thunder and lightning storm in the afternoon.

Best regards,
Steve

[heavydoom]

pu is an economical tea.