Starter Pu Suggestions

[geeber1]

My husband recently dug into an Adagio Puerh Dante sample that I had and he loved it!

I would like some suggestions for a "starter kit" of sorts - types / varieties, vendors, tools, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[MarshalN]

Dante is loose cooked. How did you brew it?

[geeber1]

He just brewed it English style. 3 or 4 minutes, I think.

He really wants to try some of the compressed Pu cakes but I don't know where to start.

[hop_goblin]

He just brewed it English style. 3 or 4 minutes, I think.

He really wants to try some of the compressed Pu cakes but I don't know where to start.

Houdeasianart.com

and Puerhshop.com have great priced samples you can buy and they are based in the U.S.

[shogun89]

As mentioned above, Houde is great, however most of there stuff is a little past beginner level and can be quite expensive. Go to Puershop.com or the site of a fellow tea chatter; http://www.jas-etea.com/

[MarshalN]

Yeah, I'd try puerhshop. They're cheap enough so that you don't have to worry if something goes wrong. Since Dante is cooked, you'd want to buy a cooked (ripe) cake or at least a sample of it.

Something like this

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=819

Should be pretty safe, and bricks are easier to handle than cakes.

[geeber1]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

Does he need tools like a pick or knife? What type of pot is best? What about brewing methods and tea to water ratio?

[Drax]

I agree with MarshalN, puerhshop is a great place to start for cheap introduction into some good pu'erh samples, especially cooked.

I'd also recommend this cheap little guy:

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=928

And you will definitely need to buy a pick.

Puerhshop also has some loose Golden Sail that's not too bad, you wouldn't need a pick for it.

I usually go about 1g/1oz. I know that mixes measuring systems, but it works pretty well. You'd want to brew it much shorter, though. Boiling water, probably w/ a 20s rinse and a 20s first brew (that will vary depending on how tight the tea is).

[MarshalN]

Yes, get a pick

http://www.puerhshop.com/index.php?main ... cts_id=776

They're much better than the knives.

[geeber1]

Thanks, guys! Looks like I will be doing some shopping come next payday!
What about pots? Should he use a Yixing or a Gaiwan? Or something else?

[Drax]

I would recommend yixing, but if you have a gaiwan already, that will probably be a fine starter.

If it ends up being something enjoyable, then it would eventually be good to have dedicated pots for different types of pu'erh (I use three: one for cooked, one for young raw, and one for aged raw -- I'm sure you could do even more).

[shogun89]

Yeah, once you become addicted (and you will) head to YSLLC and get a nice yixing, it makes a difference.

[geeber1]

What is the difference between the different types? And how many are there? Can you give me suggestions for which to buy of each type?

[Maitre_Tea]

personally I say start with a gaiwan...talking about yixing will just open up another can of worms. Gaiwan are about $3 or so and easy to replace if they get broken. Get an yixing once you feel like you'll be drinking enough puerh to "justify" using a dedicated yixing

[geeber1]

I emailed Yunnan Sourcing (Scott) and he suggested these:

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... roduct=762
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1087
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1073
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1024
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... roduct=997
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... roduct=984
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... roduct=963
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... roduct=918

Since I can't afford all of them, any suggestions on which are "must-trys?"

I haven't had a chance to look at puerhshop.com yet, but that's next on my list!