2008 pu cakes for aging?

[Bubba_tea]

I bought some 2007 cakes when my first daughter was born and have them stored away... now it's time for daughter #2's cakes to be bought (11 months apart ) - so I need some 11 month newer cakes! These are going to be socked away for gifting when they are older... and I'm open to any suggestions what might be on the mark! I bought some of the 7542 and Xi Zhi Hao cakes for 2007 - are these safe bets for 2008?

[tenuki]

I suspect your guess is as good as mine.

[shogun89]

Some may say to get fancy arbor Tree cakes costing $40 each. I would love to be buying these but cant afford it. 2008 made a damn fine 7542 and 8582, so that is what id go with Cheap and reliable!

[gingkoseto]

This is so sweet!
If you can, maybe consider getting some daughter (nv er) puerh? Xia Guan, Da Yi and some other factories make these, however they are not as commonly seen as other cakes.

[nonc_ron]

2008 made a damn fine 7542 and 8582, so that is what id go with Cheap and reliable!

Whats so good about the 8582? (grade 8 material)
I bought one back in 08 but I've never opened it.
Yunnan Sourcing has a large selection. ( Batch 801, 802 & 805 )
What would be the good one?
They are cheap.

[bryan_drinks_tea]

nonc,

The grade of the material(grade doesn't necessarily mean that the tea will be bad. Leaf grades these days are so non-distinct that it almost doesn't matter. It's about the taste, how well it ages given proper conditions, stuff like that. And to Bubba: From what I understand the XZH cakes are way overpriced. It's kind of like buying Nike Air Jordans. They cost more because of the name. Dayi, Xiaguan are safe bets - inexpensive, strong, generally good for aging.

happy drinking,

Bryan

[Bubba_tea]

And to Bubba: From what I understand the XZH cakes are way overpriced. It's kind of like buying Nike Air Jordans. They cost more because of the name.

Thanks Bryan - that's a good point, but since it has a reputation, they are more likely going to hold a good value. I'll buy a mix of good tea and tea that's likely going to appreciate in value.

Thanks all for the suggestions!

[entropyembrace]

someone correct me if I´m wrong but isn´t puerh leaf grading based on leaf size? So the grade 1 are tiny and grade 8 are bigger leaves?

[AdamMY]

Its roughly based on leaf size, but it also takes into consideration how intact the leaves are. Whether they are broken into pieces or whole leaf, I thought I saw somewhere a chart detailing exactly what leaf grades are what, but can not for the life of me remember where.

[nonc_ron]

nonc,

The grade of the material(grade doesn't necessarily mean that the tea will be bad. Leaf grades these days are so non-distinct that it almost doesn't matter. happy drinking,
Bryan

Hi,
Thanks for responding, I was hoping to get a response or a review out of someone. Gotcha!
Like I said I haven't opened mine yet.
Scott has an 09 I'm thinking about buying (I feel I should buy at least one per year)
Should I go with Batch 901, 902 or 905 ?

[shogun89]

nonc- This was posted by Bill on his forum not too long ago. others have already summed it up but this may be of further assisatance.

"Well, for many of you, I am sure that 8582 needs no introduction since it certainly has become a perennial favorite for many; and rightly so. Current aged examples are quite delicious and seem to age just as well as other "higher grade" leaf. I think I need to explain what I mean by higher grade. Many tea drinkers who begin to collect too more often than not assume that higher grade of mao cha is more suitable for aging than others. Well, this is not entirely so. The grade of the leaf only corresponds to the size of the leaf and has really nothing to do with its quality. For instance, when we have a MengHai Dayi 06(2)2 recipe, we can assume that the majority of the tea will have finer and more bud like leaves since the number in the paren will always indicate leaf grade - in this case it is a 2. However as I had previously stated, this will not always translate into a cake which will age. In fact, many cakes which are considered finer grade are not showing promise at all.

Now back to the 85(8)2. As will notice, the leaf grade in this recipe is a grade of 8. This will mean that the Marjory of the beeng will be composed of 8 grade leaves - generally bigger and heartier fare. The 8582 has become a perennial classic since many of the older 8582 are showing great signs of promise. I like them in my own collection for this very reason"


Anyway, as of 801 v 802 or 901 v 905. I dont really know, Usually the difference is very small and unlikely to be noticeable. It all depends on the drinker. I have 802 8582's and find them great. They were about $1 cheaper each, which is no biggie but whatever...

[nonc_ron]

nonc- This was posted by Bill on his forum not too long ago. others have already summed it up but this may be of further assisatance.

Thanks for the post. I took a detour over to Yunnan Sourcing and here is what he has to say:

2009 Menghai Tea Factory * 8582 * Raw Pu-erh Tea cake
Batch 901 * Classic blend raw recipe cake * 357 grams

A classic recipe from Menghai, but the first production of 2009 (901). This is an average blend of 8th grade material from 2007 and 2008, so it has already mellowed a bit.

8582 is a classic Menghai tea factory recipe that was first introduced in 1985. Although the leaves used are coarser and larger than 7542 and 7532 recipe cakes many people find this cake to be superior in taste and smooth after-taste.

I just found one: Dragon Tea House $8.49

[Bubba_tea]

Hmm... I was looking for some 2008 xi zhi hao cakes and only saw one at hou de for $55 (I'm not going to pay that much for a shu) - was 2008 a bad year or is it a little early for those cakees yet?

[Zpro]

Found these on Yunnan Sourcing, thought it might be of interest to you...

2007 Xi-Zhi Hao Dragon Phoenix 龙凤 Raw Pu-erh Tea cake for 40.50$
2007 Xi-Zhi Hao Traditional 7542 Raw Pu-erh Tea cake for 36$

And I sadly don't have enough knowledge to tell you if 2008 was a bad year...

Zach

[Bubba_tea]

I have one of those for 2007 - but need the 2008!

Has anyone tried this one? Hai Lang Hao * Lao Ban Zhang & Man'E cake from ysllc?