New Online Pu-Erh Store

[wyardley]

Seems like what they're selling is a story. There are tons of pictures and videos of this guy, and logos of TV shows he's been featured on. You'd think since they only sell one product, they might want to feature more information about that product... at least some pictures of the brewed tea, wet leaves, etc. It's also ridiculous that they seem to be "selling" information about how to brew the tea.

Not that it matters, but the site itself is a trainwreck too.

[Side note: It looks like the person running the store is not the same person who sourced the tea. This might partially explain the upside-down picture]

[sherubtse]

Gee ... I didn't realise that discussion could (and would) get so heated when I made my original post about Jalam Teas.

Seems like what they're selling is a story. There are tons of pictures and videos of this guy, and logos of TV shows he's been featured on. You'd think since they only sell one product, they might want to feature more information about that product... at least some pictures of the brewed tea, wet leaves, etc. It's also ridiculous that they seem to be "selling" information about how to brew the tea.

I think that they are perhaps selling to folks who may not be as educated about sheng as many who post to these forums. Thus the need for some basic info. In addition, they seem to want to inform folks (newbies like myself) about the background to the tea.

They are a new company, after all, so there will be kinks along the way, as well as a limited product line-up.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

[shah82]

Be that as it may, but regardless...

Last year, $35 bought a hundred gram 2009 LBZ bing from Zhimingdu, and even though it's not 100% LBZ, it should give you an idea why people might have a toxic viewpoint about the product. $35/100g is essentially a superpremium product from a premium area sort of price. Bada is not typically a specific area in general high demand, and as such that's a price that demands pretty thorough documentation, because it would have to be *best of the best* or very close to such Bada. There isn't anything there that makes anyone feel secure that they are getting such a Bada, and the prevalence of schemers that part rich people from their bucks wrt to puerh is essentially endemic. We *have* to be suspicious of anyone we don't know and the setup around this product stinks...

[gingkoseto]

Seems like what they're selling is a story.

To a large degree it's true. And I don't know if I miss anything but it seems there is only one product for sale? But anyway, I think it's a good thing, including selling stories. Those are good stories anyway, and Canada needs more of the adventurous vendors like this, more so than US and Europe. This kind of thing is still quite new in Canada, and it definitely contributes to broadening the view of Canadian (as well as other countries') tea industry and tea drinkers. I think this is so much better than getting tea companies entering stock market kind of news.

Not that it matters, but the site itself is a trainwreck too.

I guess this means (1) the vendor is not a website design expert; (2) the vendor doesn't want to spend money (hence causing higher tea price) on web design. It's not necessarily bad

[wyardley]

Not that it matters, but the site itself is a trainwreck too.

I guess this means (1) the vendor is not a website design expert; (2) the vendor doesn't want to spend money (hence causing higher tea price) on web design. It's not necessarily bad

Right... I guess it's the way it's bad that rubs me the wrong way - a lot of "networking" type links, the chat button, the coupon link on the top....

I think that they are perhaps selling to folks who may not be as educated about sheng as many who post to these forums. Thus the need for some basic info. In addition, they seem to want to inform folks (newbies like myself) about the background to the tea.

Yes, but where on their site do you find any of that? What I see is a lot of self-promotion and hype, and not a lot of information, basic or otherwise. I think that's probably part of what is rubbing people the wrong way.

Hearing about the guy's trip along the Silk Road or what TV shows he's been on doesn't really help explain to people what pu'er is or how to brew it.

On the main site, it says:

Each tea package will come with a story and an adventure 'link'. The adventure link will send you to webpage with text, videos and photos description by Jeff. We'll take you to each origin, suggest a serving method and explain the tea's benefits.

So it seems like you have to buy the tea first if you want to get any information about it.

[puerhking]

I think this would have been acceptable back in 05/06 perhaps. But there is so much info on the web now that it seems to be strangely out of touch.

[bearsbearsbears]

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.

That's a great argument for milk, or a used car, but this is something many consumers know very little about and have very little exposure to. Stories like his help build trust in the tea, but if that trust comes at a price 3x the going market rate, I think there's something to be said for a "buyer beware" kind of warning.

400g of Yunnan Sourcing bada with shipping is $42. Just sayin'.

[nada]

I agree, it's a bit expensive, but I don't think that should necessarily be a problem. For people who are already into puer there really isn't a shortage of tea to drink and the 'take it or leave it' decision is easy. Presuming that the tea is at least half-way decent (I've not tasted it), for newcomers to puer, I'd say $35 (or $25 with the discount) isn't a bad price to start your journey with a decent tea. Most other tea drinkers I know of waste much more than that on various mini-tuocha and other revolting puer before finding old tree tea.

I know many people will enjoy his story & will be happy to drink the tea while reading about it and watching his videos. These probably aren't people who frequent tea forums and are already knowledgeable about puer or even necessarily about tea, but someone looking for a bit more of a special experience than they can get at their local tea shop. $35 (or $25) for this experience for these people will probably be money well spent. For those who want to know a bit more about the tea - it seems a shame that this is only available after purchase.

I agree with gingkoseto's comments earlier. I think a new vendor with a bit more authenticity is a good thing. I think it's not always obvious to most of us how much bad tea is out there. I looked around a 'tea festival' in London last week and was so disappointed. There wasn't one decent tea seller there. Everyone was reselling and/or making up nonsense to cover up their lack of understanding. In a tea world in the West filled with these shallow tea companies, what Jalam appears to be doing is totally at odds with the mundane. Their style and approach isn't one I'd choose personally, but it's so much more interesting than the majority of the alternatives.

[MarshalN]

Just because he tells a good story has nothing to do with whether or not his tea is any good. For all we know, the tea could be some terrible 40 RMB cake upsold to him (and then resold to the consuming public) at $35/100g. A good story has nothing to do with good tea, and I know plenty of people who visited Yunnan tea producing regions in person, only to return with vastly inferior tea than what they could get at their local market.

[nada]

True. I guess we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure someone will buy some. Maybe they can let us know.

[Chip]

You're right, the cake in the photo is upside down and it's my fault. I have just corrected it. Thanks.

We, at Jalam Teas, are trying to build something different and this is our first step towards that goal. Our mission is to help people discover teas and their stories.

Jalam Teas will continue to evolve in 2012. Our offering will be different and so will our business model. It will capture more the spirit of a tea tasting session rather than tea retail store. I think our company description jalam teas dot com slash pages slash about-us captures the essence of the direction we're taking with Jalam Teas.

It might be something you'll enjoy, maybe not.
However we hope it's something that will be of interest to tea connoisseurs, such as many of you, yet accessible to new tea drinkers. I realize that this will be challenging, but we're excited to take it on.
I believe that Jeff has not only a wealth of information about tea but is also a great ambassador that can grow our tea drinking community.

In that spirit, I'll soon share the adventure link with you on this forum. As puerh enthusiasts, your impressions will be hugely appreciated.

It has only been one week since we launched and the reception (and orders) have been very encouraging. This is a new venture, we're purposely putting ourselves out there to validate our concept. I hope you'll join us as we move forward during the next months.

Feel free to send me any comments, feedback and questions directly to aurelien at jalam teas dot com.

Sincerely,

Aurelien
Co-founder of Jalam Teas

[sherubtse]

Thanks for the comments, Aurelien. Good luck with Jalam Teas.

I hope that you will continue to be part of this forum and post often. Because you are a new company, I think that you will be able to learn much from the experts here.

Best wishes,
sherubtse