New Online Pu-Erh Store

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


User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 17:14
Posts: 644
Joined: Jan 9th, '10, 19:38
Location: Toronto, Canada

New Online Pu-Erh Store

by sherubtse » Nov 22nd, '11, 17:14

I see that there is a new online source for sheng:

http://www.jalamteas.com/

I don't know much about pu-erh, but I have been following Jeff Fuch's tea travels for some time now.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 17:19
Posts: 452
Joined: Jun 15th, '06, 13:04
Location: Lawrenceville, GA

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by bearsbearsbears » Nov 22nd, '11, 17:19

I hope he sourced the materials himself. That factory's productions are garbage.

EDIT: looks like he did. in that case, $35 for 100g of tea from a not-so-in-demand region seems very high.

User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 17:49
Posts: 644
Joined: Jan 9th, '10, 19:38
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by sherubtse » Nov 22nd, '11, 17:49

bearsbearsbears wrote:$35 for 100g of tea from a not-so-in-demand region seems very high.
Here is a link that gives the story (and video clips) on the Bada area and its tea, which is what Jalam Teas is selling:

http://icedtea.com/tea-industry/2011/ba ... sung-puer/

Best wishes,
sherubtse
Last edited by sherubtse on Nov 22nd, '11, 18:07, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 18:05
Posts: 452
Joined: Jun 15th, '06, 13:04
Location: Lawrenceville, GA

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by bearsbearsbears » Nov 22nd, '11, 18:05

Chinese retail price for 2010-2011 high-end Bada is running about US$20-50 for 357g.

User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 18:10
Posts: 644
Joined: Jan 9th, '10, 19:38
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by sherubtse » Nov 22nd, '11, 18:10

bearsbearsbears wrote:Chinese retail price for 2010-2011 high-end Bada is running about US$20-50 for 357g.
Does that price include shipping to North America? Jalam Teas is shipping the tea from Canada rather than from China. So presumably shipping from China to Canada is included in their price.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

Nov 22nd, '11, 18:16
Posts: 1274
Joined: May 9th, '09, 15:59

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by shah82 » Nov 22nd, '11, 18:16

There are some $70 Badas on Taobao, from people who seem to be really upscale. Also, assuming no fakes, you can get some rather brilliant older Badas on Taobao as well for less than $70.

That is to say, $35 for 100g of Bada is more, in per gram costs, that it is to have a Nadacha Guafengzhai. You're also comparing to '09 XZH gift set with a high end Jing Gu (and tastes like it) + shu for $39 + lesser shipping costs.

In other words, there is very little chance that you're not being ripped off. While there probably *are* super-expensive Badas, given that there are some seriously old trees there, I've never seen any of those be available to mere booggie folks. Bada also has an idiosyncratic grassy taste that probably invokes love/hate relationship as well.

User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 21:01
Posts: 553
Joined: Nov 19th, '08, 13:37
Location: US (mid-Atlantic)

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by TokyoB » Nov 22nd, '11, 21:01

Well if anyone does want to buy this here's a coupon for $10 off.

http://www.tea-and-mountain-journals.co ... ds-of-jeff

User avatar
Nov 22nd, '11, 21:15
Posts: 644
Joined: Jan 9th, '10, 19:38
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by sherubtse » Nov 22nd, '11, 21:15

TokyoB wrote:Well if anyone does want to buy this here's a coupon for $10 off.

http://www.tea-and-mountain-journals.co ... ds-of-jeff
Yes, this lowers the cost to $25 per 100g, and probably makes it a more acceptable option.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 00:02
Posts: 2061
Joined: Mar 15th, '06, 17:43
Contact: MarshalN

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by MarshalN » Nov 23rd, '11, 00:02

Uh, warning - the picture with the cake and wrapped cake on the left -- the wrapper is upside down. He clearly doesn't read Chinese, and can't be bothered to figure out which way is right side up. Does not bode well, IMHO.

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 01:09
Vendor Member
Posts: 166
Joined: Apr 26th, '08, 20:53
Location: Malaysia
Contact: nada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by nada » Nov 23rd, '11, 01:09

MarshalN wrote:Uh, warning - the picture with the cake and wrapped cake on the left -- the wrapper is upside down. He clearly doesn't read Chinese, and can't be bothered to figure out which way is right side up. Does not bode well, IMHO.
Give him a chance. He doesn't run this web store on his own, and I'd be very surprised if he didn't at least read enough basic Chinese to recognise that the cake was upside down. I'd say more likely it's a mistake on the Canadian side.

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 01:23
Posts: 2061
Joined: Mar 15th, '06, 17:43
Contact: MarshalN

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by MarshalN » Nov 23rd, '11, 01:23

nada wrote:Give him a chance. He doesn't run this web store on his own, and I'd be very surprised if he didn't at least read enough basic Chinese to recognise that the cake was upside down. I'd say more likely it's a mistake on the Canadian side.
I fail to see why vendors need to be given a chance when the mistake is so obvious, especially when the rest of the descriptions are full of half-truths and mythologization of tea, at $35/100g pop, no less. I have no problem with people selling tea stories - he should stick to writing books - but I have a problem when the price of the story gets wrapped into the price of the tea itself.

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 01:47
Vendor Member
Posts: 166
Joined: Apr 26th, '08, 20:53
Location: Malaysia
Contact: nada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by nada » Nov 23rd, '11, 01:47

MarshalN wrote: I fail to see why vendors need to be given a chance when the mistake is so obvious, especially when the rest of the descriptions are full of half-truths and mythologization of tea, at $35/100g pop, no less. I have no problem with people selling tea stories - he should stick to writing books - but I have a problem when the price of the story gets wrapped into the price of the tea itself.
There are separate issues here. The first being a photo of the cake, (in my opinion) perhaps taken in Canada by someone other than Jeff Fuchs. It's upside down. This is really inconsequential to the quality of the tea.

The second, and perhaps third, are the price and the stories.

The price is a take it or leave it thing. They decide how much it is worth for them to source, ship and sell the tea. If you would like to buy the tea and feel it's worth $35 of your money, then buy it. If not, don't.

The stories... well, each to his own.

I think it's fair to be clear though. If you have criticisms about his approach, it's probably better not to bundle them behind an observation about a cake being upside down.

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 02:10
Posts: 2061
Joined: Mar 15th, '06, 17:43
Contact: MarshalN

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by MarshalN » Nov 23rd, '11, 02:10

nada wrote: There are separate issues here. The first being a photo of the cake, (in my opinion) perhaps taken in Canada by someone other than Jeff Fuchs. It's upside down. This is really inconsequential to the quality of the tea.

The second, and perhaps third, are the price and the stories.

The price is a take it or leave it thing. They decide how much it is worth for them to source, ship and sell the tea. If you would like to buy the tea and feel it's worth $35 of your money, then buy it. If not, don't.

The stories... well, each to his own.

I think it's fair to be clear though. If you have criticisms about his approach, it's probably better not to bundle them behind an observation about a cake being upside down.
The picture factors into a reflection of the knowledge and approach of those selling the cake.

It's as if you walk into a store that is messy and disorganized, with products hung upside down by mistake. Even if the product themselves are good, you start questioning the vendor's reputation and ability. This is especially crucial on the internet, where you can't look at the item, smell it, or taste it. It's not as if the store has any more pictures of the cake - one pic of the side of one cake is really not going to cut it in this day and age, and the upside down wrapper is just the final nail in the coffin. Never mind that, as others have pointed out, $35/100g is not exactly a low price and even at $25/100g, hardly a great bargain. If you'd like to cut them slack, then perhaps you should buy up the whole lot.

Also, you are presuming that whoever it is in Canada did the photo on the site. I have no idea who did it, but I know his name's on the site, so until someone there says something, I'll have to presume Fuchs has something to do with it. Anytime a vendor posts something online about their products, I would expect them to stand 100% behind it. Perhaps because you're a vendor, you're willing to cut him more slack, but as a consumer, I'll take my business elsewhere. After all, Bada tea isn't exactly in short supply.

I'm always happy to support vendors who are transparent in their dealings, provide good, unvarnished information (insofar as that's possible in retail) and doesn't make outlandish claims or obvious mistakes. Mistakes, of course, do happen, which is why I believe when vendors do make mistakes, they should be willing to correct them openly and honestly, offering refunds when necessary, instead of hiding behind some smokescreen or just pretend nothing happened. There are too many lies and false stories in the tea world as it is, the last thing we need is yet another storyteller who just sells whatever their local contacts say is good tea and repeats the lies verbatim.

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 02:26
Vendor Member
Posts: 166
Joined: Apr 26th, '08, 20:53
Location: Malaysia
Contact: nada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by nada » Nov 23rd, '11, 02:26

I agree with many of your points. It is a mistake. It's not great, but that's the way it is. Somebody obviously screwed up, but it's not life and death. Perhaps we are of different temperaments, but I'd not be so quick to condemn him personally for a mistake that may not be his.
MarshalN wrote:If you'd like to cut them slack, then perhaps you should buy up the whole lot.
I hardly think that's a helpful comment.

User avatar
Nov 23rd, '11, 12:41
Posts: 644
Joined: Jan 9th, '10, 19:38
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: New Online Pu-Erh Store

by sherubtse » Nov 23rd, '11, 12:41

Here is a link to a blog post which explains more of the background to the company and the tea sold:

http://www.jalamteas.com/blogs/journal/tagged/q-a

Best wishes,
sherubtse

+ Post Reply