I'd think no tea will ever require mixing, although if you wish to, then it's your choice. Why not try it on its own and then decide if it's worth it?
Rinsing for 30 seconds might be on the long side. You might be losing a good bit of flavour because of it. I don't know Adagio's puerh, but since it is probably similar to most loose, cooked puerh (they vary little) it is just going to stay that way. If you dislike the way it smells.... then there's not much you can do
Too bad nobody sells raw, aged puerh, it's really different
Rinsing for 30 seconds might be on the long side. You might be losing a good bit of flavour because of it. I don't know Adagio's puerh, but since it is probably similar to most loose, cooked puerh (they vary little) it is just going to stay that way. If you dislike the way it smells.... then there's not much you can do
Too bad nobody sells raw, aged puerh, it's really different
30 seconds of rinsing is overdoing it, IMO. 3-5 seconds is enough...and then I usually let the leaves sit in the pot (without water) for 30 secs before pouring water for a proper infusion. The first brew (that is the second, if you include the rinsing) is usually still a "warm up" tea...meaning it's good tea but the flavors have not really come forward until the 2nd or subsequent brews. Have fun experimenting!
Apr 11th, '06, 02:34
Posts: 402
Joined: Jun 15th, '05, 21:35
Location: Norristown, PA
Contact:
jogrebe
I'd disagree with that, for me I noticed a slight difference the first time I used my yixing pot for my puerh, then again it was also the first time that I brewed it in something other than a metal infuser so that might have made the difference. Regardless even after a bland taste test I did (to identical cups tagged on the bottom and mixed up I liked what was from my well washed but unseasoned pot better.MarshalN wrote:I wouldn't say yixing teapot will definitely make it better. Until it's well seasoned, it makes precious little difference.
Just brew it however you like
John Grebe
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
~C. S. Lewis
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."
~C. S. Lewis
Apr 13th, '06, 00:19
Posts: 63
Joined: Mar 6th, '06, 19:27
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:
kodama
Ain't this a pickle
I am now in love with pu-erh and have tried several others. Two brands of mini-toucha were great and rich and earthy.
I bought a can of Rishi pu-erh loose, and it was terrible. It had no earthy base and tasted like a bad black with a bit of honey, sickly sweet.
I then bought a new container (for school) of the SAME tuocha (1 mo later) and it tasted like the rishi. Totally different:
[url=http://www.isetsu.net/tuocha.JPG]
I marked where I cut each one, their sizes, and I included the box (same style for both). Note that the margianally older one is much less dark, it seems to have a grey fungus on it. Should I try rubbing on the grey fungus and dampening it? Giving it sun (I did to the other, but that made it slightly less earthy)?
Ideas?
I bought a can of Rishi pu-erh loose, and it was terrible. It had no earthy base and tasted like a bad black with a bit of honey, sickly sweet.
I then bought a new container (for school) of the SAME tuocha (1 mo later) and it tasted like the rishi. Totally different:
[url=http://www.isetsu.net/tuocha.JPG]
I marked where I cut each one, their sizes, and I included the box (same style for both). Note that the margianally older one is much less dark, it seems to have a grey fungus on it. Should I try rubbing on the grey fungus and dampening it? Giving it sun (I did to the other, but that made it slightly less earthy)?
Ideas?
Don't expose it to sun.
It seems what you've got are actually two different kind of teas. The green one seems to be a raw puerh, or at least a raw mixed with cooked puerh. The dark one, however, is totally cooked. It gives you the earthy/sweet taste when it's cooked, and really not terribly exciting. It seems like you've discovered the joys of raw puerh -- and forever doomed to buying the more expensive stuff.
The grey fungus is really just a badly kept puerh. I think you should just leave it, as it probably won't come off anyway. Do rinse your tea, since it's probably dirty.
How does the greener one taste like? Earthy? Is it a bit smoky? What colour is the liquor?
It seems what you've got are actually two different kind of teas. The green one seems to be a raw puerh, or at least a raw mixed with cooked puerh. The dark one, however, is totally cooked. It gives you the earthy/sweet taste when it's cooked, and really not terribly exciting. It seems like you've discovered the joys of raw puerh -- and forever doomed to buying the more expensive stuff.
The grey fungus is really just a badly kept puerh. I think you should just leave it, as it probably won't come off anyway. Do rinse your tea, since it's probably dirty.
How does the greener one taste like? Earthy? Is it a bit smoky? What colour is the liquor?
it'd be nice to see a close up of the grey fungus you're talking about..
tea leaves picked in the early spring are covered with thin white downy hairs which are lost after the first rain of spring. some pu er blends include leaves with these hairs on them still, and that will be visible in the brick. perhaps you're mistaking those hairs for mold?
i've never seen moldy pu er... although, if it is indeed genuinely moldy, throw it away, and buy a new cake that isn't.
from your picture it looks like you got one sheng (raw) cake and one shou (cooked). both are from CNNP, a very common and well known tea manufacturer (you should see the characters: 中国土產畜產進出口公司 on the box).
CNNP's tea is widely distributed and cheap, but not very good quality. if you're interested in trying some better quality Pu Er, I suggest finding a vendor with access to a wider variety. another commonly available brand is Xia Guan, which is recognizable by the white crane on the package. those are a step up from the CNNP products.
as for flavour, washing the tea is a must, and in fact, for the cheaper teas, a second washing is usually advisable. the third infusion is generally the first drinkable one.
brewing in yi xing definately changes the flavour. some prefer it, some do not. give it a try, and see what you like.
hth,
troy
tea leaves picked in the early spring are covered with thin white downy hairs which are lost after the first rain of spring. some pu er blends include leaves with these hairs on them still, and that will be visible in the brick. perhaps you're mistaking those hairs for mold?
i've never seen moldy pu er... although, if it is indeed genuinely moldy, throw it away, and buy a new cake that isn't.
from your picture it looks like you got one sheng (raw) cake and one shou (cooked). both are from CNNP, a very common and well known tea manufacturer (you should see the characters: 中国土產畜產進出口公司 on the box).
CNNP's tea is widely distributed and cheap, but not very good quality. if you're interested in trying some better quality Pu Er, I suggest finding a vendor with access to a wider variety. another commonly available brand is Xia Guan, which is recognizable by the white crane on the package. those are a step up from the CNNP products.
as for flavour, washing the tea is a must, and in fact, for the cheaper teas, a second washing is usually advisable. the third infusion is generally the first drinkable one.
brewing in yi xing definately changes the flavour. some prefer it, some do not. give it a try, and see what you like.
hth,
troy
Troy Howard aka Da Tong (大筒), Fine Chinese Tea Sales
Happy Panda Tea Co. 快乐熊猫茶司 (KuaiLe XiongMao ChaSi)
Portland, Oregon
illium37@yahoo.com (email me for more info!)
Happy Panda Tea Co. 快乐熊猫茶司 (KuaiLe XiongMao ChaSi)
Portland, Oregon
illium37@yahoo.com (email me for more info!)
Troy, are these hairy leaves considered better quality in a pu-erh than those non-hairy ones picked after the first rain?illium wrote:tea leaves picked in the early spring are covered with thin white downy hairs which are lost after the first rain of spring. some pu er blends include leaves with these hairs on them still, and that will be visible in the brick.