pu for you,pu for me (now with photos!)

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


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Sep 25th, '08, 04:13
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pu for you,pu for me (now with photos!)

by zipflint » Sep 25th, '08, 04:13

I know this question has probably been
asked countless times, so I apologize in advance for taking up
everyone's time again.

So anyway, I'm new to Pu-erh. I tried it once before, a small sample from Stash. I did not like it at all. I'm not sure what it was called, but it smelled and tasted like compost. I gave it several tries, and each time I could not bring myself to finish a single cup. That was about a year ago, and I don't buy much from Stash anymore. So I'm wondering if that was probably just a low quality Pu.

I'm very fond of almost ALL other types of tea. I adore the Wuyi oolongs, as well as the various grades of Tie Guan Yin and Bai Hao (apologies for the misspellings). I also really like Assams, and the various breakfast blends. And I REALLY like the Yunnan Jig from Adagio. I've also never met a red tea that I didn't like. I'm not opposed to Jasmine teas either, as long as they aren't too strongly scented/flavored. Same for good old Earl Grey. I also enjoy all kinds of green tea, from the few Senchas that I've tried to gunpowder and Mao Jian. I'm not a fan of lapsang souchong, however. The only one I've tried reminded me of burnt, wet wood. Like wandering through a house that had just burned to the ground. Unpleasant.

So I guess what I'm asking is, based on this information, can anyone recommend a puerh for me to try? I'm willing to spend up to $30 for something of good quality. I'm not interested in something to save for later, not yet anyway. I just want to give this highly interesting tea another try, and I appreciate any help you all can provide! If you're willing/able to link me directly to a particular item, at any particular site, that would be great.
Last edited by zipflint on Oct 14th, '08, 03:57, edited 1 time in total.

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Sep 25th, '08, 04:37
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by omegapd » Sep 25th, '08, 04:37

Welcome zip,

Lots of good stuff here. Cooked or shu Pu-erh has a lot of the "barnyard" aromas you described from Stash (I personally love it). The uncooked or sheng Pu-erh is still green- that's probably what you want to look for.

I can't recommend any sheng, though. It's not for my tastes...

http://www.puerhshop.com/

Let us know what you get...

EW

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Sep 25th, '08, 05:15
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by zipflint » Sep 25th, '08, 05:15

Thanks omegapd, I'll definitely look into your suggestions!
I didn't realize that there were cooked and uncooked varieties.
That's interesting!

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Sep 25th, '08, 06:50
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by tsverrir » Sep 25th, '08, 06:50

If you go for puerhshop.com I would recommend that you try the "2006 Golden Sail Brand Loose Leaf Pu-erh Tea" or the "2000 Mini Pu-erh Tea Brick" (sorry can't post links yet) as cooked puerh. They are inexpensive and light cooked. I have used them both to introduce cooked puerh to both tea drinkers and non tea drinkers with good luck. I can't really recommend any young sheng since I haven't yet found any that I really like.

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Sep 25th, '08, 11:23
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by puerhking » Sep 25th, '08, 11:23

I would recommend this one. Very mild yet tasty. No harshness, smoke or rubber. Lightly compressed, cheap and only 250g so its a small commitment. I drink this one quite often.



http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-Yiwu-Raw-Pu-er ... m153.l1262

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Sep 26th, '08, 03:32
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by zipflint » Sep 26th, '08, 03:32

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I'm probably going to try all of these, since I can't decide, and I want to try a broad spectrum. One can never have too much tea!

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Sep 26th, '08, 04:26
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by tsverrir » Sep 26th, '08, 04:26

zipflint wrote:One can never have too much tea!
That's true at least with pu. I recently had some good oolong gone stale because I never got around drinking it.

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Oct 1st, '08, 04:40
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by zipflint » Oct 1st, '08, 04:40

tsverrir wrote:
I recently had some good oolong gone stale because I never got around drinking it.

Wow. I have quite a bit of tea on hand at all times, but I've never had anything actually go stale! How does that happen? I mean, it's dried leaves. I kind of thought tea had a nearly indefinite shelf-life. Did some moisture get to it?

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by Proinsias » Oct 1st, '08, 06:03

Japanese green can show a definite decline in quality in a few days of being opened. If it looks greenish drink it fast, if it looks darker you don't need to worry too much.

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by tsverrir » Oct 1st, '08, 07:11

zipflint wrote:
tsverrir wrote:
I recently had some good oolong gone stale because I never got around drinking it.

Wow. I have quite a bit of tea on hand at all times, but I've never had anything actually go stale! How does that happen? I mean, it's dried leaves. I kind of thought tea had a nearly indefinite shelf-life. Did some moisture get to it?
It was a rather green Taiwanese oolong. I stored it in a tin canister not completely airtight and in only 2-3 months it went from having this lovely sweet flowery taste and aroma to tasting like a grassy green tea with only a hint of the lovely taste it once had. Luckily with the help of this forum I could bring back enough flavor and aroma to make it enjoyable by lightly roasting it.

With another tea (Tie Guan Yin) I noticed a loss of flavor in just a matter of 2-3 weeks after the bag was opened.

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Oct 1st, '08, 07:19
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by zipflint » Oct 1st, '08, 07:19

I have some Yamato Sencha that I got from Upton a few months ago, but I keep it in a double-lidded canister. Same for some Jade Tie Guan Yin. The inner lid is a soft plastic, with a good tight seal. The outer lid is just the top for the tin.

I haven't noticed a change in the taste or scent of either yet, but after reading a few posts in this forum on "resurrecting" some teas, it's good to know what to do, just in case!

It's at least good to know that Pu-erh gets better with age! I will have to make sure I keep the cake/toucha properly stored. I need to read up on that before I make my orders. I appreciate all the information everyone has provided!

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Oct 11th, '08, 04:07
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by zipflint » Oct 11th, '08, 04:07

Just wanted to pop back in to say thanks a heap for all the help! I ordered a 2007 Rongzhen 9878 Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake and a 2008 Yiwu Hongqing Arbor Pu-erh Tea Cake from Puerhshop.com. I received them yesterday and have now tried them both. They are *fantastic*. I could not be more pleased! I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe the flavors. The sheng is slightly more mellow and vegetal, and the shu has this really unique, slightly.....leathery/hay bale scent. Omegapd described it as a "barnyard" aroma and I feel that's really accurate, in the most pleasant way.

The compost-like flavor/scent I experienced with my first pu'erh is nowhere to be found, thankfully. I am now a true convert! I am already planning my next order, and will include at least one sheng to store away and let it age. So I've got some "pumidor" reading to do.

If anyone is interested, I have some pictures posted at my flickr page. If the link works, it is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zipflint
Or perhaps I can post a few here:
2008 Yiwu Hongqing Arbor Pu-erh Cake
Image
2007 Rongzhen 9878 Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake
Image

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Oct 11th, '08, 05:34
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by Salsero » Oct 11th, '08, 05:34

We always love pictures. Thanks for the update as well as the views of your pu.

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Oct 11th, '08, 06:27
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by tsverrir » Oct 11th, '08, 06:27

Welcome aboard. And thanks for the pictures...

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Oct 11th, '08, 16:37
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by hop_goblin » Oct 11th, '08, 16:37

Good Shupu should never and I mean never smell like barnyard.

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