tasting for the inexperienced

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


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Oct 20th, '08, 10:25
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tasting for the inexperienced

by Cinnabar Red » Oct 20th, '08, 10:25

hi,

I Introduced myself a few days ago, and am very impressed with Teachat! I'm curious about pu ehr, and have done research on the subject.

If I were a guest in your home, and you wanted to introduce me to pu ehr how would you do it.

Thanks,
Bill

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Oct 20th, '08, 12:24
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by tenuki » Oct 20th, '08, 12:24

I would bring out my best examples of

1) aged shen (20+)
2) good shu
4) good young shen
5) some mao cha

And have you taste all of them one at a time, then in comparison. A guided introduction is the best (and cheapest) and I would highly recommend you make the effort to get one rather than exploring on your own.

I also think you should at least be exposed to all of the types of puerh listed above at the start, so you can have a basis for your exploration.

You might ask to be included in the Puerh box pass, and when it arrives ask people what you should try first.
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )

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Oct 20th, '08, 14:55
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Re: tasting for the inexperienced

by heavydoom » Oct 20th, '08, 14:55

Cinnabar Red wrote:hi,

I Introduced myself a few days ago, and am very impressed with Teachat! I'm curious about pu ehr, and have done research on the subject.

If I were a guest in your home, and you wanted to introduce me to pu ehr how would you do it.

Thanks,
Bill
bill, you should meet up with a dude here called salsero. he is the reigning king of pu and i am sure he won't mind having another tea drinker joining him on the weekend when he is not playing golf. sal can tell you a thing or two on the pu kingdom.

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Oct 20th, '08, 15:15
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Re: tasting for the inexperienced

by Salsero » Oct 20th, '08, 15:15

heavydoom wrote: he is the reigning king of pu and i am sure he won't mind having another tea drinker joining him on the weekend
The first statement is fabrication (Heavy poking me in my short ribs). I won't deny being the loudest, however, and there is a certain nobility to that! The second statement is, of course, always true. But I have no idea how I would introduce someone to pu. I've always been a little afraid to encourage new people, it's such a problematic part of the tea world.

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Oct 20th, '08, 15:30
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by puerhking » Oct 20th, '08, 15:30

I would tell you to check your local asian food market to see what they have. This is so you can taste the worst and work your way up. Then I would tell you to check out this link:

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=6511

:)

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Oct 20th, '08, 15:43
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by shogun89 » Oct 20th, '08, 15:43

I say never, never ever start with the best! "the best". Start with some cheap sheng and shu, nothing special, If they are going to like puerh in the future they will most likely like it in these tastings. I have been a pu addict for a year now and still haven't had anything earlier than 1998. Start slow and work your way up that way you will always have something to look forward to. Just my humble opinion though.

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Oct 20th, '08, 15:55
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by heavydoom » Oct 20th, '08, 15:55

on a serious note,

i would get samples. play with them, get a gaiwan, later you can get fancy pots. make mistakes, goof up, learn. this is the way we all did it. it's fun this way.

no need for a strainer, fancy bamboo implements, tea trays.......you need tea leaves a cup and a brewing vessel. period.


the main thing is not to oversteep young/green pu erh tea. it's get really bitter/astringent. so watch out for this. no problem oversteeping cooked pu erh tea. the latter is deep dark brown. you will defo know the difference between the two pu erh teas.

if all fails, use google.

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Oct 20th, '08, 18:15
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by Cinnabar Red » Oct 20th, '08, 18:15

Thanks for all the good advice. I've gone to the provided links which were helpful.
I'll research the forum to figure out what to buy first, and where to buy it. If I think I'm getting in trouble I'll hollar.

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Oct 20th, '08, 18:25
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by heavydoom » Oct 20th, '08, 18:25

give us a holler, indeed!!!

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Oct 20th, '08, 20:53
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by Wesli » Oct 20th, '08, 20:53

I would prepare a tasting of the following...

First, a harsh, young, undrinkable sheng (I'm thinking a new xiaguan tuo). Followed by a mellower, 5 year sheng (2003 keyixing yiwu). Followed afterwards by some cheap, but tasty and enjoyable, aged sheng (80's vietnamese maocha). Then go after two of my favorite shu (9908 Haiwan laochatou and an '00 1kg melon).

I think this would be nice.

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Oct 20th, '08, 21:02
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by Cinnabar Red » Oct 20th, '08, 21:02

[quote="TomVerlain"]since I am a maverick, I am not going to answer that question, but answer a different one.

"what should I buy to get a well rounded taste of pu'erh ?"

I think first, define how much you want to waste on this endeavor.

Second, Shop online, I like ebay, but vendors like puerhshop and hou de are online as well. (for extreme fun, try best tea house hong kong, ask for "88 cake")

Hi,

Great advice!!! I'll take out a loan, if I can find one, and order the the "88 Cake" from The Best Tea House in Hong Kong" At current exchange rates Its a bargain at 341.72 U.S. :D

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Oct 20th, '08, 22:31
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by tenuki » Oct 20th, '08, 22:31

shogun89 wrote:I say never, never ever start with the best! "the best". <snip> I have been a pu addict for a year now and still haven't had anything earlier than 1998.
How would you know? What experience are you speaking from?
Do something different, something different will happen. ( Gong Fu Garden )

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Oct 20th, '08, 23:04
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by Wesli » Oct 20th, '08, 23:04

shogun89 wrote:I say never, never ever start with the best!
+1

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