Tastebud changing Pu erh?

[Empty Cup]

OK,
So I have a slight problem here. After drinking my 2nd ripe Pu erh brew, I'm getting that sour, tangy, electrolyte taste/feeling from inner side of my lower lip and on tongue tip. This isn't the first time it happened. Some month ago I was sleep depriving and drinking some (again) ripe Pu erh and it was so intense that I thought the tea released high dose of vitamin C
After that whenever I ate anything it had a lower or greater sour taste (I throw my beef stake under suspicion that it had spoiled, which wasn't the case). Licking anything of metallic nature would result in same taste. I freaked out that day. After some 12h of sleep my taste buds were OK.

Can someone please confirm that this reaction can come by consuming Pu erh (maybe bad tea)? BTW, I had my 7hrs of sleep this time.

[auhckw]

Sounds like you had a fake or badly stored or very badly done Pu. Don't consume it any more. It shouldn't give you the effect that you are drinking... otherwise Pu industry would have closed shop ages ago.

If you feel sharp sensation on your tongue or itchiness in your throat, than don't consume it any more.

Ripe puerh is considered warm drink. It should ease your sleep and not the other way round.

[MarshalN]

What pu is this, specifically, and where did you get it?

[IPT]

Photos of the tea and the wrapper would be appreciated too.

[the_economist]

oh dear...i agree with auhckw, this sounds pretty scary.

[Empty Cup]

OK, here it goes,

First time I got that weird taste was while drinking a mini pu erh, black tea taste.






I mostly buy mini pu erh to se wich one suits me best - ripe jasmine is my favorite so far (the left yellow one). I get these on eBay for 1-3$ per 50g (auction).



Second time (last night) I finally got my ripe pu erh brick and it wasn't much of a pleasant surprise when i saw it's almost dust and fennel sized (I was hoping for bigger chunks). It has a more murky color than usual ripe pu erh and leaves a slight bitter and nutty aftertaste.

I got this one on eBay for like 8$. I wanted to go cheapskate on brick for the first time to see how bad can it get.





I had two 10s washing and then three steeps ( 25-15-20s) with 4 grams on 250 (x3) ml bottled water and that strange taste started to kick in with the first steep. I drank that in like 40 min.

(Can someone tell me if I drink too much of (this) tea? I almost completely drink my '8 cups of water' by means of tea sometimes.)

Later that night I drank the same amount of Xia Guo Huang Shan Mao Fen (try remembering that one on first glance ) and I got only a slight hint of sourness, luckily not enough to mask away the taste of this tea.

Right now I'm drinking ripe jasmine mini pu erh (250 x 3), and it hit me slightly, but I realized if I let it cool a bit the sour taste diminishes almost completely. And one more thing, the sourness increases as I reach bottom of the cup, so I spill last 10-20 ml.

[MarshalN]

Those tuos are some weird stuff -- mix of cooked pu with non-puerh teas. I'd steer clear, honestly. You're better off buying Dayi cakes or tuos if you just want straight up good cooked pu. Much safer.

[betta]

Please don't take these comments personal. I'm not a medical doctor, so this might be wrong.
There's a possibility that the problem has something to do with your dental condition.
The "metallic" taste sometimes is caused by electrochemical reactions occuring in the mouth, which induced by dental filling material or any metal in contact with saliva.
A simple explanation is given here.

An easy test whether this problem is due to puerh tea or to specific to individual, is by sharing the tea with 2-3 other persons. Should other people than you have the same problem, then it's wise not to consume the tea further. Otherwise visiting a doctor would be an option, because you may encounter the same problem with other kind of tea.

[Empty Cup]

Please don't take these comments personal. I'm not a medical doctor, so this might be wrong.
There's a possibility that the problem has something to do with your dental condition.
The "metallic" taste sometimes is caused by electrochemical reactions occuring in the mouth, which induced by dental filling material or any metal in contact with saliva.


An easy test whether this problem is due to puerh tea or to specific to individual, is by sharing the tea with 2-3 other persons. Should other people than you have the same problem, then it's wise not to consume the tea further. Otherwise visiting a doctor would be an option, because you may encounter the same problem with other kind of tea.

Fortunately, I've never been at dentist, and my teeth are fine... better part of inherited genetics i guess
I'll try serving this tea to some friends, and maybe even send some abroad.
Thanks for the advice.

[hop_goblin]

There is nothing wrong with not liking a particular tea.

[Dass]

Get Dayi tea,thats the best as the quality is assured.Also get the dayi with the right stickers as there are fake dayi's too.

[heatwaves]

Flavored mini-tuos of puerh typically use chemicals to achieve the scent/flavor. I'd steer clear as well.

Years ago, I received a gift of "rice scented" mini-tuos. The first couple of times I thought they were really quite nice. Then, on the third time, I developed a bad headache after drinking a few extra infusions. I thought it may be an anomaly since the first couple times were okay. I tried it again a couple weeks later and the same thing happened at nearly the same infusion! I immediately threw all of that tea out.

Like many have said, stay to trusted brands (many of which are also very affordable).

[Empty Cup]

Thanks for the advices folks.

Can you please recommend me any particular seller(s) on eBay that sells legit pu erhs whis is affordable to 3rd World Country inhabitant's wallet

[Milhouse]

If you have limited funds than i would suggest not buying cheap stuff from ebay sellers. Its nice to find a bargain but going cheapskate usually ends up costing you more in the long run. Buying a couple really bad cakes before you find an OK one doesn't equal a bargain anymore when you add the last 2 that you couldn't drink to the total purchase price. Your better off paying the extra couple bucks for something decent from a reputable vendor such as here.

http://www.yunnansourcing.com (China)
http://www.puerhshop.com (US)
http://www.jas-etea.com/ (US)
http://stores.ebay.com/Dragon-Tea-House (China)

If your looking for ripe than I'd suggest buying something a few years old from Menghai Dayi as suggested by others. You won't find an authentic cake from them for $5 on ebay though so expect to pay $20 or more. Its worth the extra money to know your getting a product with a good reputation for quality.

Just noticed you from Bosnia so I'm not sure if you can order from some of those vendors i listed. Try emailing Scott @ Yunnan Sourcing or Dragon Tea House.