What Pu did I just buy?

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


User avatar
Apr 7th, '12, 20:12
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 7th, '12, 20:12

Hi fellow teachatters,

I've just started getting into puerh. Whilst I'm waiting for a whole bunch of samples from Jing Tea to arrive, I got the following cake from the local chinatown. No information whatsoever besides what's on the three pictures, no date, no recipe number nothing. I think it's CNNP but it looks exactly like a lot of other CNNP cakes. Might anyone be able to educate me a bit about this cake from the pics?

Much appreciated,
:D :D
Attachments
100_2450.JPG
Cake
100_2450.JPG (61.54 KiB) Viewed 2939 times
100_2484.JPG
Insert
100_2484.JPG (15.36 KiB) Viewed 2939 times
100_2446.JPG
Wrapper
100_2446.JPG (34.88 KiB) Viewed 2939 times

User avatar
Apr 7th, '12, 20:57
Posts: 852
Joined: Mar 4th, '10, 22:07
Location: somewhere over the rainbow

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by Poohblah » Apr 7th, '12, 20:57

Yep, CNNP. Neifei says it's from Menghai, Xishuangbanna.

I don't know anything about pu so I can't tell you more; I'm just reading the labels.

User avatar
Apr 8th, '12, 03:23
Posts: 251
Joined: Sep 19th, '11, 23:42
Location: Northern California

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by tst » Apr 8th, '12, 03:23

Poohblah wrote:Yep, CNNP. Neifei says it's from Menghai, Xishuangbanna.

I don't know anything about pu so I can't tell you more; I'm just reading the labels.
Wish I could read the labels ... :?

User avatar
Apr 8th, '12, 10:22
Posts: 852
Joined: Mar 4th, '10, 22:07
Location: somewhere over the rainbow

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by Poohblah » Apr 8th, '12, 10:22

it also says "Menghai Xishuangbanna" on the Chinese-English ticket ;)

I don't see any recipe number or year of production or anything like that anywhere. It's not even labeled as shu or sheng.

User avatar
Apr 8th, '12, 11:12
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 8th, '12, 11:12

Yeah, I know. It literally has no info what so ever! ....which makes it suspicious. Taste pretty alright though, not amazing but decent. Dark red liquor. I took the phrase 'optimum fermentation' on the ticket to imply it is shu. The leaves don't really uncurl or open up like sheng, but then again, I've never had a very old sheng.

User avatar
Apr 8th, '12, 20:55
Posts: 1936
Joined: May 22nd, '06, 11:28
Location: Trapped inside a bamboo tong!
Contact: hop_goblin

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by hop_goblin » Apr 8th, '12, 20:55

SilentChaos wrote:Yeah, I know. It literally has no info what so ever! ....which makes it suspicious. Taste pretty alright though, not amazing but decent. Dark red liquor. I took the phrase 'optimum fermentation' on the ticket to imply it is shu. The leaves don't really uncurl or open up like sheng, but then again, I've never had a very old sheng.
Nothing suspicious about it. CNNP pu comes exactly as pictured. Very typical.

User avatar
Apr 9th, '12, 12:33
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 9th, '12, 12:33

hop_goblin wrote:
SilentChaos wrote:Yeah, I know. It literally has no info what so ever! ....which makes it suspicious. Taste pretty alright though, not amazing but decent. Dark red liquor. I took the phrase 'optimum fermentation' on the ticket to imply it is shu. The leaves don't really uncurl or open up like sheng, but then again, I've never had a very old sheng.
Nothing suspicious about it. CNNP pu comes exactly as pictured. Very typical.
Hmmm....if so, this is incredible for 7 dollars!!! Even if it isn't CNNP, still incredible for 7 dollars. Most probably because it's been sitting in the shop for who knows how long. (I can't really tell how long since I'm a newb to pu, but the cake above definitely does not look, feel or taste like newly produced shu). There is quite a few chinese medicine & herbs shops in chinatown over here. They carry a few different pu's but know nothing about pu. No one here drinks pu, so the stuff just sits in these shops (pretty much dry storage condition) and never gets sold and the price never goes up.

User avatar
Apr 9th, '12, 17:16
Posts: 1936
Joined: May 22nd, '06, 11:28
Location: Trapped inside a bamboo tong!
Contact: hop_goblin

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by hop_goblin » Apr 9th, '12, 17:16

SilentChaos wrote:
hop_goblin wrote:
SilentChaos wrote:Yeah, I know. It literally has no info what so ever! ....which makes it suspicious. Taste pretty alright though, not amazing but decent. Dark red liquor. I took the phrase 'optimum fermentation' on the ticket to imply it is shu. The leaves don't really uncurl or open up like sheng, but then again, I've never had a very old sheng.
Nothing suspicious about it. CNNP pu comes exactly as pictured. Very typical.
Hmmm....if so, this is incredible for 7 dollars!!! Even if it isn't CNNP, still incredible for 7 dollars. Most probably because it's been sitting in the shop for who knows how long. (I can't really tell how long since I'm a newb to pu, but the cake above definitely does not look, feel or taste like newly produced shu). There is quite a few chinese medicine & herbs shops in chinatown over here. They carry a few different pu's but know nothing about pu. No one here drinks pu, so the stuff just sits in these shops (pretty much dry storage condition) and never gets sold and the price never goes up.
Ha! Take'em all for what it's worth! I'll bring the truck :D

User avatar
Apr 10th, '12, 17:08
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 10th, '12, 17:08

hop_goblin wrote: Ha! Take'em all for what it's worth! I'll bring the truck :D
lol, though hard time authenticating some these no info pu's. But still....some of the stuff is ridiculous, like 3 dollars for 2007 Xiaguan Xiao Fa Tuos.

Apr 10th, '12, 19:08
Posts: 95
Joined: Jun 17th, '11, 13:58

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by G-off-re » Apr 10th, '12, 19:08

Those are pretty common teas found in just about every Chinatown so not really an amazing find. Most common to see near me is cnnp, Xiaguan, Dayi and a whole bunch of no name non cnnp bricks. Since your new i'd suggest sampling some pu from online vendor before you go back and buy out the whole supply. Your likely to find that those teas aren't as great as you once thought. I did the same thing when i first started drinking pu and ended up wasting money on crap tea that i didn't want to drink anymore.

User avatar
Apr 11th, '12, 07:34
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 11th, '12, 07:34

G-off-re wrote:Those are pretty common teas found in just about every Chinatown so not really an amazing find. Most common to see near me is cnnp, Xiaguan, Dayi and a whole bunch of no name non cnnp bricks. Since your new i'd suggest sampling some pu from online vendor before you go back and buy out the whole supply. Your likely to find that those teas aren't as great as you once thought. I did the same thing when i first started drinking pu and ended up wasting money on crap tea that i didn't want to drink anymore.
Oh yeah, they're definitely no comparison to any of the samples I've had so far. Not ever going to be buying them in bulk. They're however very good for curing urges to drink lots of pu.

User avatar
Apr 20th, '12, 00:14
Vendor Member
Posts: 2084
Joined: Sep 24th, '08, 18:38
Location: Boston, MA

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by gingkoseto » Apr 20th, '12, 00:14

If there is no date on the wrap and if assuming it's a legitimate product, then it should be pre-2006 and most likely pre-2005 (after that all wraps are required to have date). Then, $7, Menghai, it really depends on whether the store know what they are doing and where they got the tea. But anyway, $7 is not a big loss.

I know someone who once got legitimate pre-2007 oolong from Chinatown. I guess the chance for puerh is much smaller.

User avatar
Apr 21st, '12, 06:13
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 21st, '12, 06:13

Poohblah wrote:Yep, CNNP. Neifei says it's from Menghai, Xishuangbanna.
I don't know anything about pu so I can't tell you more; I'm just reading the labels.
jessica_cn wrote:hi, i can read Chinese, but what do you want to ask?
I can know that this is a Yunnan QIzi Puer, made from Menghai materials.


Hmm...actually...looking at it closely, doesn't the Neifei say "Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Menghai Tea Factory Product"?
So, if the tickets are legit then this should be made by Menghai, not just with Menghai material?

User avatar
Apr 21st, '12, 06:36
Vendor Member
Posts: 397
Joined: Feb 2nd, '12, 03:03
Location: RSA
Contact: SilentChaos

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by SilentChaos » Apr 21st, '12, 06:36

gingkoseto wrote:If there is no date on the wrap and if assuming it's a legitimate product, then it should be pre-2006 and most likely pre-2005 (after that all wraps are required to have date). Then, $7, Menghai, it really depends on whether the store know what they are doing and where they got the tea. But anyway, $7 is not a big loss.

I know someone who once got legitimate pre-2007 oolong from Chinatown. I guess the chance for puerh is much smaller.
But then there are these blank wrapper 2006, 2010 CNNP 7572 cakes at Puerhshop? :roll: *Confused. It's also the traditional rather than simplified characters.

The stores in question are not teashops, and they certainly don't get their teas from some tea vendor. I'm guessing they got these puerh cakes on personal trips, and the cakes just haven't sold ever. (It's edmonton....not even the chinese here drink puerh.) :lol:

User avatar
Apr 23rd, '12, 04:38
Posts: 168
Joined: Mar 16th, '09, 03:16
Location: Asia

Re: What Pu did I just buy?

by sp1key » Apr 23rd, '12, 04:38

The nei fei is a replica of Menghai Tea Factory tea cakes of the 70s.
The trademark ticket states Menghai Tea Factory but it is not an authentic version either.

+ Post Reply