How shou puerh should taste

[prezeus]

Hi guys, I'm new to shou puerh. I recently tried my two first shou. Both from YS tea club. First I tried the 2003 xinghai and I was pretty impressed maybe because it was something new to me, I didn't notice any unpleasant flavor the most prominent taste I remember is earthiness.Then I tried a 2005 Menghai friendlier but not as complex.


The second time a brewed the 2003 xinghai (http://yunnansourcing.com/en/xinghaitea ... ake.html)I was not as surprised and did notice some moldy taste, not in a pleasent way for me. Then because I'm new to shou I wanted to know if the earthiness and moldy tastes were normal I did and quick search and found this article.

http://hojotea.com/en/posts-38/

In case you don't want to read everything this is the part that worried me.


Tea with earthy flavour is not the right quality

Some customers have skeptical views on pu-erh tea. Normally, they dislike pu-erh mainly because of the moldy flavour which is caused by the poor quality of the tea. The earthy flavour in pu-erh tea does not only give an unpleasant drinking feeling, but also causes health risks. This defect that occurs in pu-erh is mainly due to the improper fermentation conducted under the wrong conditions, and therefore the incorrect type of mold or bacteria was cultivated.

Some ripe pu-erh tea produces flavour like dried squid or like smelly feet. That odour present due to the contamination of bacteria which is caused by the improper fermentation process or drying process.

Logically, any smell that we don’t appreciate is what our body does not require. For health reasons, it is not advisable to drink earthy or foul smelling pu-erh. To identify good quality ripe pu-erh, it has a flavour that is similar to dried Chinese dates or other types of dried fruit flavours. The variety of flavours mainly depends on the fermentation technique, and sometimes, the specific type of cultivar also contributes to certain flavours.

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So in your experience is right the earthiness and moldy flavors in shou puerh? I like shou for its thickness and richness but I'm not sure if its a safe for a daily basis.

Thank you in advance

[.m.]

in my opinion:
moldy flavor - not ok,
earthy flavor - can be very nice, sometimes even desirable. aged teas can develop a very nice earthy taste.

the main message i take from that article of HOJO is not to drink tea that one doesn't like. the rest of his claim is something in the sense that his teas are verified good, while other teas might not be good, therefore buy his teas. you can't argue with that

[William]

Just drink what you like and never force yourself; this should be the only principle upon which to base your journey.

I never liked shou Pu Erh, nor I have the intention to force myself drinking it; strangely, I see many tea "enthusiasts" who drink certain kind of tea just because of the popularity or for the mere fact of being the favorite kind of this or that "master".

Regards.

[prezeus]

Thank you guys for your answers!! I'll try today again the 2003 xinghai and let you know

[Puerlife]

Hojo writes some bizarre things. Somewhere he writes that laochatou is the most highly treasured blah blah blah, which some consider a waste product of the shou pile fermentation process. He writes a lot of interesting and useful info as well, but you need to read him with a filter. I found the remains of a sample from Yunnan Sourcing today, 2011 Hui Run from Bulang, and it was very good for shou. I'd go so far as to say it has much better chaqi than most sheng in that price range and it's pleasant to drink and not moldy, just very earthy and deep. I also sampled a laochatou from YS today and will probably throw it away--not good, with weak flavor and qi and a numbing of the tongue that I suspect is chemicals but I could be wrong. But for whatever reason, I didn't like the way it made me feel. While the Hui Run opened my throat, the laochatou made it want to close.
My most dependable good shu is my 701 7262 but tuochatea.com is sold out. 0532 and 7572 are other dependable Dayi recipes.

[Tead Off]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

[Puerlife]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

I've read that last year Dayi issued a 7572 of seven-year-old material. I wonder if you have that one.

[mr mopu]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

I've read that last year Dayi issued a 7572 of seven-year-old material. I wonder if you have that one.

Is this the one you are thinking of?
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-f ... grade-ripe

[Puerlife]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

I've read that last year Dayi issued a 7572 of seven-year-old material. I wonder if you have that one.

Is this the one you are thinking of?
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-f ... grade-ripe

No, I read that it was a 2014 7572 from a reliable source. Dayi must have a huge stash of older material. Very interesting. If the cost is low there's no reason to buy a new one, although I think almost everything Dayi releases has at least a year or two on it (correct me if I'm wrong).

[CWarren]

EDITED

[mr mopu]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

I've read that last year Dayi issued a 7572 of seven-year-old material. I wonder if you have that one.

Is this the one you are thinking of?
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-f ... grade-ripe

No, I read that it was a 2014 7572 from a reliable source. Dayi must have a huge stash of older material. Very interesting. If the cost is low there's no reason to buy a new one, although I think almost everything Dayi releases has at least a year or two on it (correct me if I'm wrong).

All their shou is 'held' 6 months before release for the wou dei aroma to dissipate. I will check in on the 7572 and see if I can dig anything up on it.

[Puerlife]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

I've read that last year Dayi issued a 7572 of seven-year-old material. I wonder if you have that one.

Is this the one you are thinking of?
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-f ... grade-ripe

No, I read that it was a 2014 7572 from a reliable source. Dayi must have a huge stash of older material. Very interesting. If the cost is low there's no reason to buy a new one, although I think almost everything Dayi releases has at least a year or two on it (correct me if I'm wrong).

All their shou is 'held' 6 months before release for the wou dei aroma to dissipate. I will check in on the 7572 and see if I can dig anything up on it.

This is where I read it; looks like I was off by one year. Since it comes in a special box you'd know if you had it. Perhaps it's a mainland only release.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3189439 ... 014%207572

[mr mopu]

Indeed, Dayi 7572 is a standard. My 2014 is very clean and tasty.

I've read that last year Dayi issued a 7572 of seven-year-old material. I wonder if you have that one.

Is this the one you are thinking of?
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-f ... grade-ripe

No, I read that it was a 2014 7572 from a reliable source. Dayi must have a huge stash of older material. Very interesting. If the cost is low there's no reason to buy a new one, although I think almost everything Dayi releases has at least a year or two on it (correct me if I'm wrong).

All their shou is 'held' 6 months before release for the wou dei aroma to dissipate. I will check in on the 7572 and see if I can dig anything up on it.

This is where I read it; looks like I was off by one year. Since it comes in a special box you'd know if you had it. Perhaps it's a mainland only release.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3189439 ... 014%207572

Those are from what I think is the Masters set. They are loose if I recall correctly. I have seen them albeit on the Tae Tea site , I think I also saw them on Aliexpress as well. Let me look around a bit.

[Puerlife]

OK, thanks.