Top picks in cooked puerh?

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


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May 31st, '10, 22:28
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Top picks in cooked puerh?

by spinmail » May 31st, '10, 22:28

I've tried two ripened puerh teas extensively. The 2008 Menghai 532 cake was smooth and was deeply colored (though it needed more flavor); but I enjoyed the bark-like overtones of the 2008 Menghai 7562 brick.

What are your very top picks among ripened puerh? The richest and most flavorful you've sampled? Which should be avoided?

Jun 1st, '10, 00:07
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by shah82 » Jun 1st, '10, 00:07

I'm curious as well.

For me, the best shu so far is the Xizihao gift set shu. It's perfect for westerners and western brewing. Not all that impressive gongfu-wise. Still, yumminess excelsis when it comes to a big, simple-to-make, mug of good tea.

I have tried zero standard big factory recipes, and I need to control how I buy samples, because what I *really* want to do is buy a normal cake of 400gm shu for immediate drinking, and it's apparent to me that this might be a tricky thing (cheap, good, without wo dui, and easy to flake off as needed).

I don't even know if I want lightly fermented, moderately, or heavily fermented shu. So I either have to buy a big cake blindly or suffer the inefficiency of buying a bunch of little cakes and samples.

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Jun 1st, '10, 00:44
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by debunix » Jun 1st, '10, 00:44

I bought a couple of cakes right away for cooked pu, and have enjoyed both of them,but might have been happier with samples, because my preferences have shifted and I still have some of those first cakes left and I don't brew them often. I have shared a few samples with other tea drinkers but still, might have been better off with more sampling first.

My current favorite cooked pus is 2007 Menghai "Golden Needle White Lotus" Ripe Pu-erh from Yunnan Sourcing, which was not too expensive, but is very hard to break up--quite densely compressed.

Jun 1st, '10, 02:09
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by shah82 » Jun 1st, '10, 02:09

Yeah, that was what was really special about the XZH. It was all fannings, and stupidly, I thought less of it (Not that stupidly, because it's not impressive, especially endurance-wise, brewed in little cups). But fannings? It really makes for easier, safer (no sharp objects required), and cleaner (despite all the dust) preparations for a cup of shu, and I underestimated how I value that. I'd for sure pay twice the amount that the '08 V93 or Purple/Gong Ting/Hon Yun cakes for another one of those. I'd love to find another tea with those advantages.

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Jun 1st, '10, 13:09
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by bearsbearsbears » Jun 1st, '10, 13:09

2008 Dayi Lao Cha Tou - brews forever, rich, smooth (i went through two full 1.0L kettles of hot water before the tea gave out). 2006 was a better year for it, but this one is still quite good. Might ask others who have tried the 2009 what they thought of it.

2008 Dayi Bada High Mountain Shu - if you like your cooked pu milder/sweeter, this one is very easy to drink.

I'm also a fan of Dayi's 7562, 7262, & 7452 shu recipes.

My other thoughts on cooked pu are here: http://puerh.blogspot.com/search/label/shu

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Jun 1st, '10, 14:23
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by thanks » Jun 1st, '10, 14:23

bearsbearsbears wrote:2008 Dayi Lao Cha Tou - brews forever, rich, smooth (i went through two full 1.0L kettles of hot water before the tea gave out). 2006 was a better year for it, but this one is still quite good. Might ask others who have tried the 2009 what they thought of it.

2008 Dayi Bada High Mountain Shu - if you like your cooked pu milder/sweeter, this one is very easy to drink.

I'm also a fan of Dayi's 7562, 7262, & 7452 shu recipes.

My other thoughts on cooked pu are here: http://puerh.blogspot.com/search/label/shu
I agree with this, although I will say the 06 Haiwan Lao Cha Tou is a better value, and tastes very similar to the Dayi version.

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Jun 1st, '10, 15:00
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by spinmail » Jun 1st, '10, 15:00

Very promising picks, especially the Dayi. I'm wondering if anyone has sampled the ripe premium cakes from the Puerh Shop.

I was looking through a few interesting cakes:
http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... a438794033

In particular, the 2008 Youle Arbor looks yummy. Something that has a fuller, less rounded taste profile.

Jun 1st, '10, 15:36
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by zencha » Jun 1st, '10, 15:36

80's CNNP Guang Dong Factory "Shin Ya" Cooked Loose from Hou De
Pu-erh Cha Wang , 1995 King of Tea from David Lee Hoffman's Phoenix Collection
2005 MengHai Golden-Award "Golden Needle White Lotus" from Hou De
2001 MengHai 7572 from Yunnan Sourcing
Langhe "High Mountain Pu-erh" for a lighter style

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Jun 1st, '10, 19:17
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by bearsbearsbears » Jun 1st, '10, 19:17

spinmail wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has sampled the ripe premium cakes from the Puerh Shop.
John Grebe drinks mostly shu pu and has tried many offerings from Puerh Shop. He maintains a blog at http://puerhdrinker.wordpress.com/ and I think he's here on teachat as jogrebe. You might try messaging/emailing him regarding their offerings and/or reviewing his blog.

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Jun 1st, '10, 19:23
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by bearsbearsbears » Jun 1st, '10, 19:23

thanks wrote:I agree with this, although I will say the 06 Haiwan Lao Cha Tou is a better value, and tastes very similar to the Dayi version.
IIRC, Awazon and Dragon Tea House both have the 08 dayi for cheaper than what the 07 haiwan is going for, something like $14 for 250g instead of $30+ for 500g. (Not accounting for shipping).

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Jun 1st, '10, 22:57
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by beachape » Jun 1st, '10, 22:57

If you're looking for "rich" you might want to try some lao cha tou. Those are the extra fermented balls at the bottom of the compost heap. Worth a try if you're into "rich" flavors. Da yi makes them in 250g bricks. Personally I like a little more spiciness, but those lao cha tou pack a flavor punch.

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Jun 1st, '10, 23:12
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by thanks » Jun 1st, '10, 23:12

bearsbearsbears wrote:
thanks wrote:I agree with this, although I will say the 06 Haiwan Lao Cha Tou is a better value, and tastes very similar to the Dayi version.
IIRC, Awazon and Dragon Tea House both have the 08 dayi for cheaper than what the 07 haiwan is going for, something like $14 for 250g instead of $30+ for 500g. (Not accounting for shipping).
My recollection of that particular tea is not what I thought. You are correct.

IMHO when it comes to shu, it is best to stick to the Dayi stuff. The 7262 is my favorite. There are great shus to be had by other factories, but the Dayi is considered the benchmark both in quality and value. Other factories can be a crap shoot that you usually end up losing. I'm actually thinking of investing in a tong of 7262 that has a few years on it as I do thoroughly enjoy it, and at the rate I consume shu it would last me quite a long long time. Try some samples, and see for yourself.

Also, the Lao Cha Tou really is quite excellent.

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Jun 1st, '10, 23:14
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by thanks » Jun 1st, '10, 23:14

bearsbearsbears wrote:
spinmail wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has sampled the ripe premium cakes from the Puerh Shop.
John Grebe drinks mostly shu pu and has tried many offerings from Puerh Shop. He maintains a blog at http://puerhdrinker.wordpress.com/ and I think he's here on teachat as jogrebe. You might try messaging/emailing him regarding their offerings and/or reviewing his blog.
John is a braver man than I! :lol:

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Jun 2nd, '10, 01:06
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by TIM » Jun 2nd, '10, 01:06

My favorite Cooked puerh currently is the Menghai Factory, White Needle Golden Lotus from early 80's. An amazing white frosted loose which brew up with lotus flower aroma and clean mild sandlewood body. Still brewing in my pot on its 21th infusion.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rNl5VRNLz_s/R ... h/WNGL.jpg
Last edited by TIM on Jun 5th, '10, 23:10, edited 2 times in total.

Jun 2nd, '10, 02:22
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Re: Top picks in cooked puerh?

by zeusmta » Jun 2nd, '10, 02:22

For a nice change up from the Dayi ripe teas, I like the 2008 Mengku "Gold Brick" Ripe Pu-erh (1 kg brick). Quite different than the Menghai ripes I have tried and quite nice.

On the Menghai side, I like the 2007 Golden Needle White Lotus and the 2008 V98 Tuocha.

All three are pretty reasonably priced and quite enjoyable.

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