Hand Leg Pu-erh aka Tampered Pu-erh

[Drax]

It's interesting how 2 people will walk away from the same information with two different conclusions. Here's what *I* would have highlighted from that abstract.

Abstract:
Pu-erh tea is a popular beverage in Southeast Asia, especially in many areas of China. Natural fungal inoculation and fermentation form its special quality and function in health care. At the same time, a common assumption is that unknown fungi from natural inoculation may pose a risk for safety of drinking the beverage, leading to an urgent need for a thorough fungal survey of Pu-erh tea. The present paper reports the natural fungal colonizations isolated from 60 representative samples. The results of the survey showed that the fungal colonizations were isolated from all the samples studied, ranging from 1.6 × 103 to 1.16 × 105 cfu/g, and 62 isolates were identified to belong to 41 species of 19 genera, including 13 species of Aspergillus and seven species of Penicillium, and 21 species of other genera. The predominant fungi were yeasts and different species of the genus Aspergillus. The concrete species of the dominant fungi varied with environment conditions of various production places. Sample parameters such as water content, AW, pH, polyphenol content were recorded, though they appeared to have no obvious effects on the total number of fungi, whereas processing and storage methods evidently affected total number of fungi. Some species of fungi such as Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium spp., Trichoderma spp. and Fusarium culmorum, etc., which maybe excrete toxic metabolites, were isolated in the survey. Further evaluation on the safety of these fungi isolated from Pu-erh tea products is needed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus_fumigatus

Without specific isolation densities for each of those species in the study, and comparison to the corresponding "safety limits," all you have is fear-mongering. For example, did you know that the safety limit set by the food industry in the U.S. for E. Coli is 100 cfu/gram?

In fact, if you actually read the entry on Aspergillus fumigatus, you read this statement, "Its spores are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and it is estimated that everybody inhales several hundred spores each day."

Enjoy!

Back to the question about 'dangerous' shu, I think much of it draws from the sanitary conditions in which the shu is fermented. . .

[MarshalN]

Well, that, and a lot of small factories simply don't control their process very well, so you end up with very strange tasting things.

[entropyembrace]

Well, that, and a lot of small factories simply don't control their process very well, so you end up with very strange tasting things.

I´ve seen and tasted awful disgusting sheng puerh from unknown factories that western vendors sell that made me feel sick even just smelling them.

Some of the big factory sheng is delicious...I haven´t seen any from minor factories sold by vendors that I trust for puerh.

[the_economist]

this thread has been immensely helpful! i'm expecting a tuo from a friend soon...shall try to decipher its origins!

[MarshalN]

Well, that, and a lot of small factories simply don't control their process very well, so you end up with very strange tasting things.

I´ve seen and tasted awful disgusting sheng puerh from unknown factories that western vendors sell that made me feel sick even just smelling them.

Some of the big factory sheng is delicious...I haven´t seen any from minor factories sold by vendors that I trust for puerh.

YMMV, but I find that to be true much more often with cooked than with sheng.

[entropyembrace]

Well, that, and a lot of small factories simply don't control their process very well, so you end up with very strange tasting things.

I´ve seen and tasted awful disgusting sheng puerh from unknown factories that western vendors sell that made me feel sick even just smelling them.

Some of the big factory sheng is delicious...I haven´t seen any from minor factories sold by vendors that I trust for puerh.

YMMV, but I find that to be true much more often with cooked than with sheng.

sorry I meant shu (cooked)

sometimes I do not always type what I am thinking.