Pu Erh for beginners
I'm new to the world of Pu Erh what would be a good, relatively cheap starter cake?
Depends, in part, what you consider to be cheap.
2008 Menghai 7542 and the 2008 Menghai "Classic" Premium 801's are in the $15 + shipping from China range.
Cheaper still is the 8582 at roughly $10 plus shipping.
More expensive (but, IMHO, a very good value) is the 2008 Hai Lang Hao Star of Bu Lang, at $24 plus shipping.
With the exception of some more expensive bings ($30+), most decent 2008s are going to be in the $15-25 range, tho' you can probably find a decent bing for $10 or so. And most seasoned folk here will (rightly) advise that more money doesn't necessarily mean better pu-erh.
But probably the best way to ease into the waters is to purchase several samples, getting a feel for tree (plantation, wild, ancient), mountain (Bulang, Menghai, Mengsong ...) and processing (all one leaf type, blends).
2008 Menghai 7542 and the 2008 Menghai "Classic" Premium 801's are in the $15 + shipping from China range.
Cheaper still is the 8582 at roughly $10 plus shipping.
More expensive (but, IMHO, a very good value) is the 2008 Hai Lang Hao Star of Bu Lang, at $24 plus shipping.
With the exception of some more expensive bings ($30+), most decent 2008s are going to be in the $15-25 range, tho' you can probably find a decent bing for $10 or so. And most seasoned folk here will (rightly) advise that more money doesn't necessarily mean better pu-erh.
But probably the best way to ease into the waters is to purchase several samples, getting a feel for tree (plantation, wild, ancient), mountain (Bulang, Menghai, Mengsong ...) and processing (all one leaf type, blends).
Last edited by expatCanuck on Jan 28th, '09, 20:38, edited 1 time in total.
One other thing to keep in mind is whether you want the cake to drink now or not. I would buy a 2008 7542 (in fact, I have some), but I wouldn't be tempted to drink a whole lot of it now.
If you're looking for a tea to drink now, shu (loose or in cakes), loose aged sheng in smaller quantities, samples of aged sheng, wet or fairly humid stored cakes or tuos with at least 5-10 years on them, etc. might be better places to start. Depending on how new you are, I would say it's a good idea to first get an idea of the spectrum of puer tea and figure out which teas taste good to you and make your body feel good. A whole cake is almost a pound of tea, so it's a lot of tea if it ends up being something you don't like. There are some good threads already on here about good stuff for beginners to try to get an idea of the characteristics that are roughly typical of various types of tea.
While there are, of course, many people who disagree, I think a lot of people would argue that it's not a great idea to drink a ton of young (<10 yr) sheng.
If you're looking for a tea to drink now, shu (loose or in cakes), loose aged sheng in smaller quantities, samples of aged sheng, wet or fairly humid stored cakes or tuos with at least 5-10 years on them, etc. might be better places to start. Depending on how new you are, I would say it's a good idea to first get an idea of the spectrum of puer tea and figure out which teas taste good to you and make your body feel good. A whole cake is almost a pound of tea, so it's a lot of tea if it ends up being something you don't like. There are some good threads already on here about good stuff for beginners to try to get an idea of the characteristics that are roughly typical of various types of tea.
While there are, of course, many people who disagree, I think a lot of people would argue that it's not a great idea to drink a ton of young (<10 yr) sheng.
Jan 28th, '09, 22:35
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You cant go wrong with this one here, my friend,
http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=779
http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=779
Jan 28th, '09, 22:39
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tenuki
I would start with a Gong Ting if I were you. Haven't had Puerhshops, but he has one. YSLLC has one too. I get mine at New Century Tea Gallery which is local to me, but you would probably have to call them to get them to ship you some, I heard ordering online there is a non-starter and besides, its more expensive than the other two.
Gong Ting Puerh is also called Imperial Puerh, is made from buds generally and undergoes a special, longer process than most shu. I always recommend it as a start puerh because it is relatively mild, smooth, and has no real off notes while still being a pretty good example of the base flavors in puerh. Hard to find a good shu, but as shu's go gong ting is more or less reliably good IMO.
Gong Ting Puerh is also called Imperial Puerh, is made from buds generally and undergoes a special, longer process than most shu. I always recommend it as a start puerh because it is relatively mild, smooth, and has no real off notes while still being a pretty good example of the base flavors in puerh. Hard to find a good shu, but as shu's go gong ting is more or less reliably good IMO.
Jan 28th, '09, 23:33
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Location: Gainesville, Florida
My recommendation is to buy nothing but samples for your first 25 to 50 tastes. I think a lot of the tea mentioned above is available in sample sizes. Yunnan Sourcing, Puerhshop, and Hou De offer quite a few samples. A TeaChatter, Netsurfr, has samples mostly from Yunnan Sourcing at the B&B forum though I imagine you could PM him here for more information.
Jan 29th, '09, 10:55
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TIM
Gong Ting Puerh or Gong Ting (Imperial court) Red Lady is one of my daily cooked pu choice. Very easy to drink/brew and last for a whole day. Great Choice tenuki.tenuki wrote:I would start with a Gong Ting if I were you. Haven't had Puerhshops, but he has one. YSLLC has one too. I get mine at New Century Tea Gallery which is local to me, but you would probably have to call them to get them to ship you some, I heard ordering online there is a non-starter and besides, its more expensive than the other two.
Gong Ting Puerh is also called Imperial Puerh, is made from buds generally and undergoes a special, longer process than most shu. I always recommend it as a start puerh because it is relatively mild, smooth, and has no real off notes while still being a pretty good example of the base flavors in puerh. Hard to find a good shu, but as shu's go gong ting is more or less reliably good IMO.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rNl5VRNLz_s/R ... G_0671.JPG
