Pepper Leaf Puerh.

[tenuki]

I have a couple cakes of purple leaf puerh, this looked different, blacker. If I had to guess I would think it is maybe a higher grade of purple leaf or some special anomoly around purple leaf production. Her description of 'higher' leaves being purple sound exactly like it, which was the line of thought I was favoring when I posted here.

[hop_goblin]

FYI, that's anthocyanin (with an 'a' in there) that's the purple pigment maker. Here's more info than you probably wanted to know.

In fact, on the discussion of the original of autumn colors (coming from absence of chlorophyll) the statement "While this is indeed the case for the carotenoids and xanthophylls (orange and yellow pigments), anthocyanins are not present until the leaf begins breaking down the chlorophyll, during which time the plant begins to synthesize the anthocyanin, presumably for photoprotection during nitrogen translocation" would suggest that the previous quote about anthocyanins would mean that purple tea was harvested from plants about to go dormant for the winter.

The funny thing, though. . . I think it was on PuerShop where they mention one of the purple pu-erhs has a nickname of a "triple tea" -- because the leaves are green when cut, purple when dried/pressed, and amber when brewed.

Sounds like a lot of vendor-bunk flying around.

Edit: eh, after thinking about this more, some plants *do* obviously produce this purple pigment before autumn (blueberries, probably violets). So... perhaps particular sub-species do this so that after the kill-green step, all the purple shines through? Hrm, if I were still in chemistry, I think I know what I'd focus my studies on. . . .!

Of course, that's assuming all of this was a horrible butchering of "purple" into "pepper"....

Drax, I had posted earlier suggesting that it was Purple bud puerh as I have never heard of pepper. Good to know there is a second Opinion. Yes you are right, purple leaf is due to lower levels of light rays causing the the natural chlorophyll to switch to something a bit different for autotroph purposes.

Opinion, no purple bud is worth 120 USD. I believe they were trying to use creative advertising to pull one over.

[tenuki]

Opinion, no purple bud is worth 120 USD. I believe they were trying to use creative advertising to pull one over.

I don't agree.

I deal with NCTG on a regular basis, know the owners socially and have never felt they are anything but honest and straightforward. They do carry some very high grade stuff that is pretty expensive but they have the market for it in the asian community there. My own opinion is that some of their stuff is a bit overpriced, but not maliciously or excessively so and balanced by stuff that is a really great value as well. I personally didn't like the tea enough to pay 120 for it, but I also didn't think it was way overpriced for the quality and I bet they will sell it.

Could you share your personal experience with NCTG that would lead you to your conclusion? I'm very interested to hear it.

[hop_goblin]

Hey Tenuki, I was just making a general comment and not directly trying to attack your dude. I didn't know you personally knew him as well. I thought it was just a vendor in your area. You know that I don't have any experience with that particular vendor much less vendors that try to sell me crap. I typically buy directly from very reptuable well known sources who have an economic incentive not to fling clippings as their total buisness are generally based on puerh sales. And I try especially try not to trust anyone trying to sell me a 24k plated piece of shiat (not that your homeboy is trying to) I have studied pu-erh exclusively for a long time and do know that purple leaf is not worth 120 USD, or have ever seen it at that price - even if the his Holiness the Dali Lama himself stone pressed it. What I do know, is that many vendors don't know themselves what they are selling and peddle a bunch of inferior crap trying to sell it to the uneducated masses. Better yet, why don't you provide me the research which suggests purple bud is worth the buck and I will eat my words.

[Proinsias]

If it's fairly good tea and happens to be rather rare, eg black, then that would explain the pricing for me.

You have to pay for quality but rarity and quality together puts prices through the roof.

As Tenuki seems to have liked the tea and nobody here seems to have came across it before I conclude it to be both quite good and rather rare.

[hop_goblin]

If it's fairly good tea and happens to be rather rare, eg black, then that would explain the pricing for me.

You have to pay for quality but rarity and quality together puts prices through the roof.

As Tenuki seems to have liked the tea and nobody here seems to have came across it before I conclude it to be both quite good and rather rare.

Well, I beg to differ from your logic. However, I wonder if it is something like this.
http://tinyurl.com/7henqp

[tenuki]

Look, I was posting on here to search collective knowledge about 'pepper leaf' not turn this into a vendor bashing, my !!!! is bigger than yours sort of thread. I drank a sample of the cake and examined it and have my opinion and was curious about the name 'pepper leaf'. Given the common consensus I probably just heard it wrong, I'll clear that up next time I'm in.

As far as something being 'worth it', I'll leave that up to the experts and just buy tea I like at prices that seem fair to me. The last purple bud cake I bought cost me $11.20 from puerhshop and to be honest after tasting it I believed I had been ripped off....

[Fatman2]

Hops, high quality purple tips cakes are not like the qicha. They are really very dark in color and are real puerh. Unlike the qicha which taste more like dian hong.

Of the good quality purple tips cakes that I have the privilege of tasting, they all look very dark and shiny. They also give a very full flavored mouth feel. The huigan is pretty good too. The only thing that I didn't like too much was the price. These good ones are real ex. Haiwan has a purple bud beeng. Not very pure and taste is so so. Dehong brick is quite purplish. Great taste.

[puerhking]

Here is some info from Yunnan Colorful. I think this clears the whole thing up -

purple buds:
"After tea," says: those on the purple, green, times were wild, the park are times to shoot, shoot at those. Lu Yu tea sage tea for the selection of the three main criteria. Of which: Purple refers to species, purple buds species, the green means green shoot species of wild tea that wild, long in the mountains, the mountains, the park that artificial cultivation of tea, bamboo shoots that large-leaved species of bamboo tea-Yatou, referring to Bud Flat bud.

Yacha a wild purple leaves of Yunnan, mainly in the primeval forests in southwestern Yunnan Province. Purple buds of tea-tree plants, big leaf, Shushi tall, leaves for the purple and old leaves dark green, mesophyll Houer soft, obviously the main vein. Wild Violet Green Maocha Yacha made of drying, dry tea-green color-purple, violet part of the immersion Yedi for purple, reddish Tangse, this is wild purple Yacha of distinctive features. Purple spend less of tea buds, seeds, seed-setting rate is very low, at present there is no artificial cultivation, the annual exploitation of early March, the end of mid-on, growing long and the short duration of picking, the very limited number.

There. Doesn't everyone feel better now?

[Salsero]

Here is some info from Yunnan Colorful. I think this clears the whole thing up -

Well, when he explains it like that, it makes me wonder how I could ever have been confused in the first place!

[Drax]

Here is some info from Yunnan Colorful. I think this clears the whole thing up -

Yes.... as clear as bad shu.

Well, at least we know there's a number of cases for purple. I guess? Too bad we have no idea how it bears on pepper/purple question. That reminds me of something. . .

Peter Piper picked a peck of pepper pu-erh.
A peck of pepper pu-erh Peter Piper Picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pepper pu-erh,
Where's the peck of pepper pu-erh Peter Piper picked?

Sorry, couldn't come up with a p-starting tea-equivalent for 'peck.'

[hop_goblin]

Hops, high quality purple tips cakes are not like the qicha. They are really very dark in color and are real puerh. Unlike the qicha which taste more like dian hong.

Of the good quality purple tips cakes that I have the privilege of tasting, they all look very dark and shiny. They also give a very full flavored mouth feel. The huigan is pretty good too. The only thing that I didn't like too much was the price. These good ones are real ex. Haiwan has a purple bud beeng. Not very pure and taste is so so. Dehong brick is quite purplish. Great taste.

Fatty, I didn't suggest that qicha is purple leaf. Of course they are not. I was just making a suggestion in trying to find what Tenuki is talking about.

Tenuki, I seriously didn't mean any offense bro. Peace

[edkrueger]

Qi Cha cake actually looks good.

[Fatman2]

Haha. OK Hop.

Qi Cha is very nice. I bought some last year and have enjoyed them. The unique flavor of dian hong comes through. Rather rich tea broth. Nice.

[heavydoom]

Here is some info from Yunnan Colorful. I think this clears the whole thing up -

purple buds:
"After tea," says: those on the purple, green, times were wild, the park are times to shoot, shoot at those. Lu Yu tea sage tea for the selection of the three main criteria. Of which: Purple refers to species, purple buds species, the green means green shoot species of wild tea that wild, long in the mountains, the mountains, the park that artificial cultivation of tea, bamboo shoots that large-leaved species of bamboo tea-Yatou, referring to Bud Flat bud.

Yacha a wild purple leaves of Yunnan, mainly in the primeval forests in southwestern Yunnan Province. Purple buds of tea-tree plants, big leaf, Shushi tall, leaves for the purple and old leaves dark green, mesophyll Houer soft, obviously the main vein. Wild Violet Green Maocha Yacha made of drying, dry tea-green color-purple, violet part of the immersion Yedi for purple, reddish Tangse, this is wild purple Yacha of distinctive features. Purple spend less of tea buds, seeds, seed-setting rate is very low, at present there is no artificial cultivation, the annual exploitation of early March, the end of mid-on, growing long and the short duration of picking, the very limited number.

There. Doesn't everyone feel better now?

that's babelfishglish.