Pu-erh for newbie

[Paragon]

Hi guys,

I've been searching for my first Pu-erh cake, recently. I found this seller:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product ... 55656.html

I know, it's aliexpress and the price is too good to be true (original), but he has many positive reviews and he says if I find out the cake is fake, he will refund the money.

I wanted to ask:
- if any of you knew him, if not, I would try to buy 1 cake and post here the photos, hopefully we can find out the authenticity
- is it dangerous for health to drink not properly stored tea
- which cake to start with from: V93 - 2015 or 2010, 8592 - 2013, 7572 - 2012, 7562 - 2013, T8653, or some of his other Menghai cakes under $20

Many thanks

[Exempt]

I wouldn't use aliexpress. If you just want to try some shu puerh, I'd go with yunnansourcing

http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/inde ... er=product here's the 2015 for 5 bucks

[tingjunkie]

If you are indeed a newbie, I'd avoid buying whole cakes at first. Go with Yunnan Sourcing, and order a ton of samples. Good way to learn!

[Paragon]

I guess I will have to order some samples in near future. I just wanted to know if improperly stored Pu-erh could damage one's health.

I am new to tea drinking as well (not just Pu-erh), so I wouldn't see much difference in those samples and the shipping fee is killing it for me.

[xiaobai]

The answer is yes, improperly stored sheng may damage your health, especially if it is moldy and/or if tastes musty or way too humid.

How much humid is bad and the extent to which slightly humid/musty is safe, are still a matter under research/discuss and there is not much available information from the "food safety" point of view, but IMO,
it would avoid really moldy stuff by all means.

You can find info and pics in other threads on Teachat and on blogs about the properties and appearance of the moldy puerh that needs to be avoided.

[.m.]

the shipping fee is killing it for me.

If you reside outside USA, you'll be better with their international site
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/6634793-ripe_pu-erh
The shipping is from china, it takes about 6 weeks by the cheap mail, but its usually quite inexpensive. They have lots of good shu there.
(They also have sales quite often, though the last one was just 2 days ago).

[tingjunkie]

I am new to tea drinking as well (not just Pu-erh), so I wouldn't see much difference in those samples...

How would you know unless you've tried?

[Exempt]

I am new to tea drinking as well (not just Pu-erh), so I wouldn't see much difference in those samples

So instead, you're going to buy a single tea you've never tried before and drink only that? Sampling is the way to go

[.m.]

Why not do both? Get one or two good teas and a lot of samples. In the beginning it might indeed be very hard to distinguish between the different samples. So just drink the same one tea until you'll know it well, and then try the samples, see how they are different. Also try preparing the tea with different kinds of water, different ratios and steeping times.

[Rui]

On the other hand why don't you join one of the Yunnan Sourcing, White2Tea or many other companies tea clubs?

Every month one gets few samples and if one likes a particular one a larger quantity can be ordered.

[Paragon]

Nope, no clubs. I don't want to spend $30 every month, for now.

I ordered one 100g V93 2015 cake from that AE seller ($5.21 in total = much cheaper than one 25g sample shipped from YS (I am outside of the USA)). Just from curiosity. I will post photos, when it arrives.

And I will be ordering some samples from TeaVivre on black friday.

[wyardley]

I am new to tea drinking as well (not just Pu-erh), so I wouldn't see much difference in those samples

So instead, you're going to buy a single tea you've never tried before and drink only that? Sampling is the way to go

With experience, you're better able to discern and articulate small differences, but there are very large differences in taste and quality, so I think it's important to try widely.

With pu'er, I think it is first important to get a sense of the range, so trying some well-reviewed examples of the breadth of pu'er is a good first step (that is, trying raw (sheng) and ripe (sh(o)u) teas, and ideally some >20yr old sheng with both drier and wetter storage). Once you get a sense of the general genres you enjoy drinking, you should try some more examples within that genre.

[toby]

2010 V93 is not bad.

Don't get a 2015 T8653. It will only be drinkable in 2022 and enjoyable around 2030.

Better off spending more and get some older stuff. 2006 Dayi 0622 200gg raw cakes, 2005 Xiaguan NanZhao tuo and FT8653-5 (both iron and normal cakes) would be a good place to start.

How I started a beginner of puerh, last year.

After 3 or 4 cakes worth of cheap-ish purchase, I wasn't happy.

An experienced puerh drinker friend and I ordered almost 15 raw puerh samples from Yunnan Sourcing. Different brands (Dayi, YPH, Mengku...etc) and storage conditions ( mostly kunming, two or three southern China)

What I learnt: I like Yiwu. I don't like Kunming Storage.

And then, a month later...

I got a 2003 Dayi 7542 and a early 2004 Xiaguan 8653 each from a reliable private collector in Fatshan. He also gave me sample of 2001 Dayi Yiwu, 2001 Dayi raw tuo...etc.

I use it as a "reference", or control test sample (the right term?), and develop my palate/understand what the "standard" is.

And I also learn from reading/posting on forums in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China (read only) and the non-Chinese world.

Now I just mostly buy from big/reliable tea merchants in Southern China (via their Taobao outlet), shops in HK (when I go home) and my HK tea friends.

Good luck!

[Psyck]

If you wish to continue purchasing from AliExpress, these are a couple of well known vendores:

CHINA GRANDNESS TEA CO.,LTD: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/215539

Dragon Tea House: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/726685

[Paragon]

I know Dragon Tea House, but thank's for pointing out GRANDNESS TEA.