Discussion by Example -- Health-concerned Puerhs

[Luva]

2004 Yiwu Mahei
-- Plain, Simple, no sign of YiWu (this could go to the "Discussion by Example -- Puerhs represent the region well" thread, but it's so bad I think it deserves a separate thread/another catagory.). The tea leaves from the edge of the tea cake are whole and look normal, while those from the inside of the cake is messy and seemingly dirty-looking (very chopped tea leaves and mixed of green, red/black, and in between. I even smell some jasmine, fragrance of black tea, wierd smell of lamb chop(???), and some others I didn't bother trying to figure out.). I bought this tea from TaoBao. The first cake I got have an neifei, as contrast to what the pics shows on the vendor's website. With TaoBaoFocus' help, the vendor admitted there were some cakes with neifei and while others didn't, and they sent me a second cake for free. However, it's the same material with the second cake. I couldn't bring myself to drink this tea, given some concern of the tea hygiene here.
Always make sure the material inside the cake is also clean and consistent (not from the edge, front or back of the cake but inside the cake). Be afraid!

Have you experienced any puerh tea it's so bad vs. what you think a clean/good tea should be? Please share. I think if we have a list of these kind of tea, we could help each other avoid/skip them, so we have more time for some other good tea.

[TIM]

2004 Yiwu Mahei
-- Plain, Simple, no sign of YiWu (this could go to the "Discussion by Example -- Puerhs represent the region well" thread, but it's so bad I think it deserves a separate thread/another catagory.). The tea leaves from the edge of the tea cake are whole and look normal, while those from the inside of the cake is messy and seemingly dirty-looking (very chopped tea leaves and mixed of green, red/black, and in between. I even smell some jasmine, fragrance of black tea, wierd smell of lamb chop(???), and some others I didn't bother trying to figure out.). I bought this tea from TaoBao. The first cake I got doesn't have any neifei, as contrast to what the pics shows on the vendor's website. With TaoBaoFocus' help, the vendor admitted there were some cakes with neifei and while others didn't, and they sent me a second cake for free. However, it's the same material with the second cake. I couldn't bring myself to drink this tea, given some concern of the tea hygiene here.
Always make sure the material inside the cake is also clean and consistent (not from the edge, front or back of the cake but inside the cake). Be afraid!

The more you post, the more confuse I am.... How can you check the inside of the cake? And discussion by example of noobs experience or well seasoned tea head experiences?

[Luva]

The more you post, the more confuse I am.... How can you check the inside of the cake? And discussion by example of noobs experience or well seasoned tea head experiences?

Sorry, my fault. my first time trying to post a pic here. And having some trouble (my original pics are too big but tea chat didn't give any error message while loading without success.) I have just shrinked the pics and they are here now. Thanks.

[Luva]

And discussion by example of noobs experience or well seasoned tea head experiences?

I would leave this at your discretion. Different people have different concept of newbies or well-seasoned tea heads. I conside myself an intermediate tea geek but for the real well-seasoned tea heads (10+ years in the puerh tea world) I could be just a beginner. On the other hand, I might be considered as a well-seasoned tea head by some others (total puerh beginner or those haven't figured out their own taste yet). Read my posts and discussion, and I am sure you would have some idea. I just don't want to push to anyone who I think I am, so to respect their opinion. Thanks.

[Luva]

It seems there is a limit on how many pics you could upload to one post, so I couldn't paste these two pics in the first post here in this thread.

[TwoPynts]

That does not look good.

[TIM]

And discussion by example of noobs experience or well seasoned tea head experiences?

I would leave this at your discretion. Different people have different concept of newbies or well-seasoned tea heads. I conside myself an intermediate tea geek but for the real well-seasoned tea heads (10+ years in the puerh tea world) I could be just a beginner. On the other hand, I might be considered as a well-seasoned tea head by some others (total puerh beginner or those haven't figured out their own taste yet). Read my posts and discussion, and I am sure you would have some idea. I just don't want to push to anyone who I think I am, so to respect their opinion. Thanks.

Please share with us more of your background. What is your most familiar or most comfortable tea and why? So at least we have a bit more background to further discuss your questions and it's intent. Thanks in advance ~ T

[shogun89]

Luva,
Would you by any chance be getting rid of those teas...? I'll give them a home for free

[Luva]

And discussion by example of noobs experience or well seasoned tea head experiences?

I would leave this at your discretion. Different people have different concept of newbies or well-seasoned tea heads. I conside myself an intermediate tea geek but for the real well-seasoned tea heads (10+ years in the puerh tea world) I could be just a beginner. On the other hand, I might be considered as a well-seasoned tea head by some others (total puerh beginner or those haven't figured out their own taste yet). Read my posts and discussion, and I am sure you would have some idea. I just don't want to push to anyone who I think I am, so to respect their opinion. Thanks.

Please share with us more of your background. What is your most familiar or most comfortable tea and why? So at least we have a bit more background to further discuss your questions and it's intent. Thanks in advance ~ T

Tim,

I am plerplexed why you have been insisting to know what kind of experience I have. Not that I can't share. I just don't see it has anything to do with the discussion. You could give as much as you could or just some, or none, I am fine with it. I don't ask anyone who has a lot of experience and has to tell me everything they know. Or I would stop anyone who has less experience to post any comments. As long as it's polite and respectful, it's fine with me. I invite and encourage any comments from anyone with different experience levels, be it beginner or well-seasoned tea heads. Trying to come into someone as a better experienced tea geek doesn't sound that good to me at all. We are equal players here and that's what I believe.

[Luva]

Luva,
Would you by any chance be getting rid of those teas...? I'll give them a home for free

I know. And luckily I don't have much. I am just brave enough to explore the modern-day puerh world recently, and some of the encounters were not that good, as you saw from posts somewhere else.

PS: If you have any chance, please post what you think about the 2005 Manluo, here or at the other place. Thanks.

[Luva]

I am not in the tea bussiness, if anyone wonders. Thanks.

[TIM]

Tim,
I am plerplexed why you have been insisting to know what kind of experience I have. Not that I can't share. I just don't see it has anything to do with the discussion. You could give as much as you could or just some, or none, I am fine with it. I don't ask anyone who has a lot of experience and has to tell me everything they know. Or I would stop anyone who has less experience to post any comments. As long as it's polite and respectful, it's fine with me. I invite and encourage any comments from anyone with different experience levels, be it beginner or well-seasoned tea heads. Trying to come into someone as a better experienced tea geek doesn't sound that good to me at all. We are equal players here and that's what I believe.

Its merely a request for you to share a little of your background, a respectful inquiry indeed. Seems like you came asking innocent questions about puerh, it processing tradition and health concern, but answering them with a wealth of unknown facts.... that is just confusing. Are you teaching or its a one sided discussion?

I am still new to puerh, like many others I struggle every day to learn more about the truth rather then those make believe ideas. We are equal players here and I do share the same believe, thats what make this place wonderful.

[MarshalN]

I've had this cake before, and find it very pleasant.

The inconsistency of leaves is not a surprise -- in fact, that's true of a lot of companies, and has nothing to do with health issues or quality, for that matter. Using different leaves to cover the surface/edges is an age-old technique in puerh making. It has no effect on "health" concerns. The only thing I'd worry about is mold, which is clearly NOT present in the cake you're showing.

[betta]

Back to your first question, from the more affordable cakes I broke so far, most of the inner layer of the tea really does consist more broken/less appealing leaves than the outer layer.
It should have something to do with the marketing but I think it doesn't necessarily bad.
Certain tea factories master really does chop the tea leaves intentionally so that the flavour easily comes out starting from the early infusions. But on the other hand they're pressing the cake very tight. They "design" the cake in such a way that it takes certain years so that the cake will be delicious jewel after storage. The spent leaves of one of the best cakes I ever tasted are almost entirely broken, too.
Of course there's no guarantee that it will be a jewel, it all depends on the material and aging process.

About the color of the cake, I found the outer surface tends to have darker colour than inner layer. Puerh aging takes place inhomogeneously
A seasoned tea had told me quite long time ago to break cake and mixed between inner and outer layer in a storage jar.
Normally leaves in aged cakes are slightly loose than the younger ones. If you find a "hard rock" compression, you may forget about mixing.
Added to that one should pay attention to the amount of whole and broken leaves in the tea. Control brewing time, etc..etc..

In your case, there're still green leaves in there...

The rule of thumb is... you are the one who consume the tea, so you have to decide based on your intuition and other information.
Despite whatever others say, whether such a cake is good or not, normal or not, at the end it doesn't make sense to brew further if you can't enjoy it.