Opinions?

[odarwin]

Thanks for your input odarwin! Though I have not ordered anything from YSLLC older than 2 years, I do know what you mean. Comparing this 2002 with a HK 2002 there is defiantly a noticeable difference. He even mentions how the 2004 cake has been stored in a dry climate and it does show, it looks like a 2007. I wish I could find a 2002 HK for $25, as I would love to have a drink now sheng, but dont we all...?

hi shogun, you just have to look... you will be surprised how affordable some drinkable decent quality raw pu is... dont be afraid to stretch your budget a little bit cause at the end of the day, its still the experience you are gaining... if i were you get some 00-04 stuff... there are still plenty around at affordable prices... how does $35 for a 400g cake sound to you? wet stored of course 2004 year yi wu, which is very good for a daily cup already... i dont want to seem like discouraging you from buying stuff from scott, hey i do buy from him, the last package i got was a few months back worth 10 kilos i think... but if you look at the cakes you are buying, they are not bad for the price, they seem to be the same price for a young cake too but a bit more expensive one in my opinion... maybe thats what you'll get after all... a young cake... just my thoughts

i have given up on betting on young cakes hoping they will turn out good in the years to come, its just not worth it for me... it will take a long time for me to be able to reach a level where i can gauge a young tea and say if it will age great or not... its just a fact of reality... even tea sellers say so too for themselves... and instead of wasting money on too much clutter from the buzz of the bubble, id decided to just try 7-10 year teas which i like after tasting and buy a tong or 2 if its good.
sometimes there is a good deal and most of the time you just have to be patient. now im not popping your hopes to find that treasure youve been waiting for in buying young or affordable teas, but the chances of that in the circumstances today is very unlikely, or youd have to have a very fat wallet to be able to get it.

just my thoughts

[oldmanteapot]

I wish I could find a 2002 HK for $25, as I would love to have a drink now sheng, but dont we all...?

I'm sure with come patience and good timing, you can.

Cheers!

[shogun89]

how does $35 for a 400g cake sound to you? wet stored of course 2004 year yi wu, which is very good for a daily cup already...

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated! Out of curiosity, where can you find one of these cakes?

[heavydoom]

this is just crap, how can anyone NOT break any leaves while going at it on a cake? sure, there will be a few whole stalks with leaves around the edges of your broken off chunk but you already have broken up some leaves by impaling your cake with your pu erh knife/axe/pick/chisel into the cake.

[wyardley]

this is just crap, how can anyone NOT break any leaves while going at it on a cake? sure, there will be a few whole stalks with leaves around the edges of your broken off chunk but you already have broken up some leaves by impaling your cake with your pu erh knife/axe/pick/chisel into the cake.

Well I've noticed some people are more precious about this than others.

Of course there will be some breakage, but you can minimize it if you are patient and sort of wiggle the tea apart instead of just using brute force. Some people get really obsessed with not breaking a single leaf... I'm too lazy and impatient for that.

[shogun89]

I tend to think some broken leaf gives the brew life. So a nice blend of broken and whole is good for me.

[nonc_ron]

[quote="heavydoom"]this is just crap, how can anyone NOT break any leaves /quote]

I agree... but just in case, I'm putting away my hammer and pry bar.

[shogun89]

this is just crap, how can anyone NOT break any leaves /quote]

I agree... but just in case, I'm putting away my hammer and pry bar.

Hammer and pry bar? I use a coffee grinder, Is this bad?

[depravitea]

I tend to think some broken leaf gives the brew life. So a nice blend of broken and whole is good for me.

Same here.
Tom (Verlain) has even suggested leaving some larger chunks be, and brewing them in with the rest of what was broken/wiggles/coaxed/pleaded off of the beeng.
I've been doing this and really like the results.

[aKnightWhoSaysNi]

Hmm, I try not to get too anal about those sort of minute details. It's just tea. If I enjoy it then I have accomplished my goal.

[oldmanteapot]

this is just crap, how can anyone NOT break any leaves while going at it on a cake? sure, there will be a few whole stalks with leaves around the edges of your broken off chunk but you already have broken up some leaves by impaling your cake with your pu erh knife/axe/pick/chisel into the cake.

Well I've noticed some people are more precious about this than others.

Of course there will be some breakage, but you can minimize it if you are patient and sort of wiggle the tea apart instead of just using brute force. Some people get really obsessed with not breaking a single leaf... I'm too lazy and impatient for that.

Leave breakage is unavoidable. Well, one can wait till the entire Beeng loosens up, but it will take a very long time. Good luck and happy waiting if you're waiting for an Iron Beeng to loosen up

I'll just find a fairly loose corner and start from there. You'll find rather good chunks that will break off easily without crushing the leaves.

Cheers!

[odarwin]

how does $35 for a 400g cake sound to you? wet stored of course 2004 year yi wu, which is very good for a daily cup already...

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated! Out of curiosity, where can you find one of these cakes?

of course where pu erh is mostly consumed...
hong kong, malaysia, taiwan etc... you just have to find them

a good start really is probably finding a generous and good friend to send you some samples... to "open up" your eyes to aged stuff... which im sure you have experienced already... cause i think its a step by step process, once you are ok with the idea of getting aged stuff of course comes the budget... and right there you should also be able to be prepared. old doesnt mean expensive and expensive doesnt mean good, old also doesnt mean good.

[pgho]

Hi Odarwin,

With another huge storm coming your way, you better move your pu to higher grounds. Heard parts of Manila are still under water and another super typhoon to hit soon.

Hope you and your family are safe and sound. Take care.

p.s. Wondering !! Accelarated aging of pu related to typhoons? Hong Kong and Taiwan get their fair share of typhoons too.

[odarwin]

Hi Odarwin,

With another huge storm coming your way, you better move your pu to higher grounds. Heard parts of Manila are still under water and another super typhoon to hit soon.

Hope you and your family are safe and sound. Take care.

p.s. Wondering !! Accelarated aging of pu related to typhoons? Hong Kong and Taiwan get their fair share of typhoons too.

thanks for the concern pgho,
im all safe here, we live in a higher part of manila... yeah you are right, some parts are still underwater.

accelerated aging due to typhoons? hmmm must be just the higher levels of humidity... but honestly, ive had experience with mold with them... its typically cold and damp, and from my experience mold appears fast when it rains for days and temp is cool... id say 85% humidity in my experience is the critical level. so now, i just turn on the dehumidifier that controls humidity to around 75-78% compared to 85-90% if i didnt have the dehumidifier turned on. so far, with the routines that i have, everything seems to be ok. dry season is about to come up already so that should be a relief. i dont think 1 year can really make a huge impact on tea to be even noticeable... well at least im still not to that level yet... but in general, i dont prefer to be aging my tea in an environment with lots of typhoons hehe who would, right?