The Pros & Cons of Tea Samples

[PuerhCollector]

We all do it!
… and most (if not all) of us like it

Is it even possible to get into tea without coming across tea samples?

Thought I would share some considerations on the pros and cons to tea samples.

http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/ ... ample.html
http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/ ... mples.html

What are your thoughts and experiences?
Best, VP

[Rui]

Nowadays many online tea suppliers have some sort of a club where, for a fixed monthly fee, one gets some tea samples.

This gives anyone an opportunity of tasting different teas specially to teas one not inclined to choose in the first place. For example, anyone who saw my postings in this forum will realise that I have a huge bias towards raw pu'er from the Yi Wu region. By getting samples from a tea supplier I am exposed to teas from different regions so long as I subscribe to a tea supplier who has a wide choice of teas. Lately it has happened that I have actually bought pu'er cakes that I have sampled before and they are not from Yi Wu.

[kuánglóng]

Nice writeups, Varan. To me samples are like snapshots; sometimes a little snappie is all it needs but more often than not, especially when we're dealing with more complex or finicky leaves a 10 or even 25g impression is not enough. Then there are those not so nice sellers who hand out samples that don't have too much in common with the stuff they really want to sell you; it has happened to me more than once. Others send you their 5-10g snappies in little paper bags and for some teas that's all it needs to ruin them within a couple days.
At the end of the day though I'm happy that I don't have to buy 50 or 100 grams of everything I want to try. Even after 35 years and xyz knows how many different teas I've only experienced a tiny sample of what's out there anyway. The hunt goes on

[theredbaron]

Traditionally one goes to a shop (or even to a tea farmer), and tries different teas, and then chooses which to buy. As most people do not have this possibility, or when one buys over the net, such sample packages are the second best option. Of course, how any particular tea will develop in storage is something where even with a lot of experience a large factor of luck is involved as well. And even many less than honest shops in especially China brew you one tea, but sell you then a much lower quality. So, one has to find both in the real world, and on the net shops that one can trust, and stick with them.

[Tead Off]

We all do it!
… and most (if not all) of us like it

Is it even possible to get into tea without coming across tea samples?

Thought I would share some considerations on the pros and cons to tea samples.

http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/ ... ample.html
http://theguidetopuerhtea.blogspot.com/ ... mples.html

What are your thoughts and experiences?
Best, VP

Can't disagree with what you wrote on your blog. Personally, I would never buy a cake without sampling. It's roulette, the Russian kind. But, if a vendor I knew recommended something to me, I would give him my checklist and if the tea passed, I would consider buying the cake. But all the good vendors I know sell samples!

The other point is the poor quality of some samples that have not been cared for over time and don't reflect the quality of the actual cake. For me, if the seller doesn't pay any attention to their samples, I wouldn't bother with them. This might make me miss something good, but I like my chances without them.

One of the biggest suppliers for many of the posters on this board is a big offender in this area. I have had more bad quality samples from them than anyone else. Many smoky teas that are not described as such, especially Xiaguan.

[PuerhCollector]

Thank you all for the comments. Really good and interesting points with some grounded logic and wisdom that can only come from old folks … I mean wise men who have been around

The idea of joining a tea club is exciting and I can see that being a lot of fun. Comparing a tea sample to a snapshot is ingenious. I like it, capturing a moment in time and tea at a certain state.

Looking out the window …
for the moment the sun is warm and the sky is blue,
people are walking by,
there is peace and plenty,
the tea cup is full.
It is a beautiful moment.

[theredbaron]

Many smoky teas that are not described as such, especially Xiaguan.

I guess this is a bit of an individual thing - you seem to react really badly to smoky teas, while i don't mind that much at all (maybe because i am a smoker ).