Shu advice

[Xeractha]

Hi!

I'd like to buy 1 or 2 samples but there are just too many teas to choose from. Main problem is that I couldn't find any informatiom about some teas and I'd like to ask whether it's worth trying them or not. The shipping is around 3-4 weeks which means it could take months till I get something drinkable if my first order is complete rubbish.

Some teas from Berylleb:

2011 Yunnan Menghai Dayi 7562 http://www.ebay.com/itm/221869697116?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

2006 Yunnan Boyou 0508 Ripe http://www.ebay.com/itm/221873311316?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

2012 Yunnan Xiaguan Round Tea 7663 Ripe http://www.ebay.com/itm/321856767371?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Some teas from Awazon: (shipping is 8,6 USD for me)

2006 Ancient Tree "Bai Zhen Jin Lian" Ripe http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=50

2006 Banzhang Old Tea Tree Ripe http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=76

2010 Xiaguan Tea Factory Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake "8663" http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=283

2012 Xiaguan Tea Factory Ripe Pu-erh Brick Tea 250g http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=793

2006 Haiwan Laotongzhi Ripe Pu-erh Tea Brick http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=60

2006 Haiwan 7568# Laotongzhi Ripe http://pu-erhtea.com/TeaDetails.aspx?TeaID=82

The first 3 teas would be a safe bet probably, the uncertainty comes with Awazon. Some teas seem to be too cheap like the 2012 Xiaguan Brick. I don't look for a particular flavour I just wouldn't want to buy something that tastes like a mini tuocha stored in a sewer.
Anything else can be suggested if you can help, thanks!

[jayinhk]

Advice: buy samples from YS/Chawangshop/Bitterleafteas. They'll get there a lot faster, and you won't get any fake teas!

[Xeractha]

Advice: buy samples from YS/Chawangshop/Bitterleafteas. They'll get there a lot faster, and you won't get any fake teas!

Thanks! Too bad I have to exclude Chawang and Bitterleaf stores from my list. The prices are nice but the shipping cost is ridiculous for me, 20 USD.
I forgot about YS, fortunately for 100g the shipping is only 5,5 USD and 8 for 200+.

[mr mopu]

Advice: buy samples from YS/Chawangshop/Bitterleafteas. They'll get there a lot faster, and you won't get any fake teas!

Thanks! Too bad I have to exclude Chawang and Bitterleaf stores from my list. The prices are nice but the shipping cost is ridiculous for me, 20 USD.
I forgot about YS, fortunately for 100g the shipping is only 5,5 USD and 8 for 200+.

I have dealt with Berylleb for years. They have never sold me anything fake. I have a good amount of tea from them. Yunnan Sourcing also has good shipping rates , usually epacket, from the China site.

[jayinhk]

Advice: buy samples from YS/Chawangshop/Bitterleafteas. They'll get there a lot faster, and you won't get any fake teas!

Thanks! Too bad I have to exclude Chawang and Bitterleaf stores from my list. The prices are nice but the shipping cost is ridiculous for me, 20 USD.
I forgot about YS, fortunately for 100g the shipping is only 5,5 USD and 8 for 200+.

Chawang will send you an invoice...the amount in the cart isn't the amount you pay!

Berylleb has a good rep on here, and if mr mopu is vouching for them, I think you're in safe hands! This close to China, I buy new factory pu direct from China at very fair prices. For special stuff/single tree/region stuff, I like YS and Chawang, and Bitterleafteas have a good rep. I met with them in Kunming and tried a sample of their 7581. REALLY good storage. Kunming storage can actually be lovely--mild and delicate vs more humid storage. It can also be too dry. It depends. I've had shu that came along amazingly well in Kunming. Really sweet flavors. I've had a really flavorful newer 7542 in Kunming too...wow. So much complexity and each flavor was so well defined. There's really a whole continuum of storage levels, and they're all interesting, aside from the far extremes.

[shah82]

Nobody can tell you what's likely to work well for you, as it seems you're just starting out.

Get a bunch of samples, and pay attention to leaf size/grade, as that is one of the key factors that determines how a shu will behave.

[Xeractha]

@jayinhk The shipping is really 20 usd, well 19 for SAL and 22 for AIR (I live in Hungary). Unfortunately most of the stores offer the same shipping prices and it's not worth it anymore. Berylleb, Dragon Tea House is the cheapest so far and then comes Yunnan Sourcing. I found this Awazon which isn't worth it if I buy only 1 tea (depends on the price though) but after 2-3 teas (even if samples) it's worth it for me. Downside is that I've never bought anything from them and that's why I decided to ask before doing anything.
And of course there's white2tea which could be an option too but I'd rather use it for higher budget. Forgot to say but I wouldn't want to go over a 20-25 USD budget now 'cause I have to get some (red) black tea for my father.

@shah82 Kinda true, like some people love mini tuos, who knows I might like something that's total garbage. It's not really about what would work for me but those who have more experience than me probably can tell if somethings sounds fishy or the prices are normal or the store is infamous. For example that 250g Xiaguan brick is only 6,6 USD or the 2010 cake is only 11 USD and I don't know if it's a normal price. Somewhere else I found a CNNP cake from 1990 which is interesting because it would be cool to have a tea that's the same age as me. But for 30 USD there's no way it's any good.

[kuánglóng]

@jayinhk Forgot to say but I wouldn't want to go over a 20-25 USD budget now 'cause I have to get some (red) black tea for my father.

I'm not much of a shu man but you might want to check out Oli's offerings @ http://www.greenteaguru.co.uk. He carries a decent selection of shengs and shu pu, including some Yunnan Sourcing tea and you can order samples of everything. Oli's prices are OK and I've been pretty happy with what I bought from him so far. The flat international shipping rate is 5 pounds and I usually receive my orders within a week or thereabouts.

[mr mopu]

Have you tried Puersk? They have some good teas as well. I know customs can be a pain for some countries.

[jayinhk]

No tax within the EU too.. Huge incentive to buy from European sellers in his case! Whatcha sell quite a bit of pu as well.

[Xeractha]

Oh, I totally forgot about taxes. Actually if an item costs more than 22 USD then I have to pay +27% tax (even within EU) and if it's not from EU then another +6%. Though it can be solved easily if it's sent as a gift, then I can buy stuff for up to 70-80 USD without taxes I think (or writing lower price on the package). It all depends on whether they check an item thoroughly or not. This stupid country loves to put taxes even on air.

That greenteaguru site looks nice, thanks! Added to my store list. Because of the brexit stuff the GBP is worth a little bit less for me thus I get almost the same prices as on YunnanS. Not bad :O

Anyway, the only reason I want shu now is because I know what sheng I'd like next.

Thanks for the sites, I think I'll order something tomorrow, they wouldn't ship anything today or tomorrow anyway.

@Edit: I forgot to mention it doesn't matter if the item is 1$ and the shipping is 22$, they include the total price for taxes.

[.m.]

Oh, I totally forgot about taxes. Actually if an item costs more than 22 USD then I have to pay +27% tax (even within EU) and if it's not from EU then another +6%.

That's weird. There are no import taxes within EU (except for alcohol and tobacco), and the VAT is paid by the seller and included already in the price...

You should definitely try some classic Menghai Dayi recipes with a couple years of age, they are good point of reference for shu. Also Haiwan.

[jayinhk]

I got some 2008 Haiwan shu bricks with pesticide levels I can taste! It's put me off Haiwan entirely. I'd only buy Menghai and Xiaguan, and maybe Fengqing shus, but I prefer YS shu to the rest because I trust Scott's testing and the fermentation is done very well.

[Xeractha]

Oh, I totally forgot about taxes. Actually if an item costs more than 22 USD then I have to pay +27% tax (even within EU) and if it's not from EU then another +6%.

That's weird. There are no import taxes within EU (except for alcohol and tobacco), and the VAT is paid by the seller and included already in the price...

You should definitely try some classic Menghai Dayi recipes with a couple years of age, they are good point of reference for shu. Also Haiwan.

I read an article that says it has changed (in 2015) and the buyer has to pay the VAT for the buyer's country. Maybe it was just mentioned and nothing has changed. Doesn't really matter for me though, most of the time I only buy books within EU and everything else from China, Japan etc. Even if I had to pay it would be worth it. Years ago I wanted to buy a kindle from USA and the total cost would have been around 180$, if I wanted to buy it here it would have been 270$.

I tried some teas from Menghai so I think I'll try something else. Is the Haiwan 908 any good? Almost every store has it.

@jayinhk I suppose I'll go with YS then, many people seems to prefer it and now there's a 12% discount on green, black etc. :O

[jayinhk]

Oh, I totally forgot about taxes. Actually if an item costs more than 22 USD then I have to pay +27% tax (even within EU) and if it's not from EU then another +6%.

That's weird. There are no import taxes within EU (except for alcohol and tobacco), and the VAT is paid by the seller and included already in the price...

You should definitely try some classic Menghai Dayi recipes with a couple years of age, they are good point of reference for shu. Also Haiwan.

I read an article that says it has changed (in 2015) and the buyer has to pay the VAT for the buyer's country. Maybe it was just mentioned and nothing has changed. Doesn't really matter for me though, most of the time I only buy books within EU and everything else from China, Japan etc. Even if I had to pay it would be worth it. Years ago I wanted to buy a kindle from USA and the total cost would have been around 180$, if I wanted to buy it here it would have been 270$.

I tried some teas from Menghai so I think I'll try something else. Is the Haiwan 908 any good? Almost every store has it.

@jayinhk I suppose I'll go with YS then, many people seems to prefer it and now there's a 12% discount on green, black etc. :O

YS shu is my favorite of all! I would suggest buying a bunch of samples so you can try different shus, and see what you like. YS has quite a few CNNP/Dayi offerings, too.