Aged puerh vs Young

[Nefarious]

Ok, so I only discovered puerh about a year ago and I have 5 whole cakes in my collection so far. The ones that have really hit the mark so far are both 2002's; the more recent and less expensive cakes have been rather less satisfying, which led me to conclude (maybe prematurely) that I am an 'aged puerh drinker' - a sobering thought given the prices!

However... I recently bought a few samples from greenteaguru in the UK, mostly seeking similar older puerhs, in an attempt to try out a new supplier and widen my collection. Along with my 6 ordered samples, I received a complementary sample of a 2012 Xiaguan FT Taiwan Tuo; a tea, given its age and my preconceptions, I would never have thought of ordering. I have to say that it is a bit of a revelation - turns out I like this at least as much as my older and much more expensive teas! I am now having to completely rethink my purchasing search targets - can anyone make some suggestions of other younger puerhs that might be equally revelatory??

The link to this one, together with a nice YouTube link is here... http://www.greenteaguru.co.uk/shop/raw- ... -taiwan-6/

[mr mopu]

Greentea guru is a good shop.
If you are looking into some younger shengs I think Yunnan Sourcing has a vast sample size repertoire. I would sample and see what your preferences are. Most of my stuff from 2009 and back is aging well. Some of the new teas I have are nice and I am waiting to see how they age.
Lots of good shops to choose from nowadays. Many more than when I started my journey.

[Tead Off]

The majority of Xiaguan tuos that I've had have all been rather smoky. Deeply smoky. Many drinkers that are new to Puerh may mistake the smokiness for the actual flavor of the tea. Sometimes, you have to learn to differentiate a smoke induced taste from a clean taste of only tea. Xiaguan is a big offender in this area. Keep your taste buds sharp and learn what Puerh is supposed to taste like.

Aside from this, aging cakes is what it's all about.

[Nefarious]

The majority of Xiaguan tuos that I've had have all been rather smoky. Deeply smoky. Many drinkers that are new to Puerh may mistake the smokiness for the actual flavor of the tea. Sometimes, you have to learn to differentiate a smoke induced taste from a clean taste of only tea. Xiaguan is a big offender in this area. Keep your taste buds sharp and learn what Puerh is supposed to taste like.

Aside from this, aging cakes is what it's all about.

The one I have isn't particularly smoky - to me the flavours are very similar to my 'better' older cakes; just more so

[quikstep]

may i know what aspect of aged puerh that you like? there are plenty of enjoyable youngs as well.

[Jaymo]

I always collect raw and new Pu'er from good production districts in China. Always need to care about where the pu'er produced! Sometimes I can buy cheap but good pu'er cakes from tea farmers' factory. After several years, it may become perfect Pu'er tea. Price is not always equal to quality. If you want to know more, maybe I can help you.

You should get in touch with Chip, the moderator, to have you listed as a vendor member so people know that.

[Nefarious]

may i know what aspect of aged puerh that you like? there are plenty of enjoyable youngs as well.

Interesting question but hard to be definitive - I like the flavours, obviously; buttery, forest floor, musty, rich, oily but most of all long on the palate. A little smokiness is ok but not so it's overpowering. The puerh in question was described in a review as bitter but I did not find it so - it did meet all of the above though. Some make you go 'meh' after whereas others prompt an irresistible sigh - is that the cha qi??

[quikstep]

may i know what aspect of aged puerh that you like? there are plenty of enjoyable youngs as well.

Interesting question but hard to be definitive - I like the flavours, obviously; buttery, forest floor, musty, rich, oily but most of all long on the palate. A little smokiness is ok but not so it's overpowering. The puerh in question was described in a review as bitter but I did not find it so - it did meet all of the above though. Some make you go 'meh' after whereas others prompt an irresistible sigh - is that the cha qi??

The "musty" part is not often associated with young shengs. Instead, it should be nice smelling e.g. floral, vegetal, etc. Other than that, good shengs will cover 2-3 characteristics you mentioned.

Anyway, I'm still trying to get the "vendor" tag so I won't post my suggestions here but will contact you via PM.

[tingjunkie]

Just so we're all on the same page, we're talking only about raw puerh here?

I, too, prefer well aged raw puerh. Preferably of 20-30+ years, but I can't really afford to drink that everyday. I think the more you drink good puerh, the more you'll learn to appreciate the high quality tea regardless of age. The hard part for beginners in coming to understand what makes a high quality young sheng. It was a challenge for me at least. What I now look for in a young sheng is the energy (Qi) first and foremost, the stamina (number of infusions), and the strength and clarity of aromas left in the cup. The upfront flavors and aromas have little to do with it. As with all tea, bitterness is ok, as long as the bitterness eventually changes in your mouth to something else- floral, fruit, sweetness, perfume/cologne, wood, mint, etc. If a tea starts bitter and stays bitter, I don't think it's a good tea.

[Nefarious]

Yes, we are definitely talking raw. I quite like cooked puerh but it seems a completely different and less interesting drink to me