cant duplicate experience

One of the intentionally aged teas, Pu-Erh has a loyal following.
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Feb 10th, '09, 10:22
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cant duplicate experience

by silverneedles » Feb 10th, '09, 10:22

was doing some loose shu from pu shop
pretty sure my mouth was clean
eye-scooped some leaf (like 8g)
did some sort of rinse in a mug to about 1/3-1/4 height of strainer
then filled to the height of the strainer with hot water ... (< 8oz)
left for unknown time (>1 min & <5min)
got this very nice sweetness in the mouth, after a drink
tried to do it again, ... cant get it... quite frustrating...
now i'm wondering if i was hallucinating...
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Feb 10th, '09, 15:39
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by Geospearit » Feb 10th, '09, 15:39

This sort of thing has happened to me often. I wonder if it would even matter if the entire setup was exactly the same. It could possibly be uncontrollable factors coming into play such as time of day, mood, the day's diet etc.
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Feb 10th, '09, 17:14
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by puerhking » Feb 10th, '09, 17:14

Yes this is one of the beguiling and frustrating things about puerh. You brew one flawlessly and then can't repeat it. There are just so many variables involved. Yet we keep trying........striving for that thing of beauty.....in liquid form.
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Feb 10th, '09, 17:34
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by tenuki » Feb 10th, '09, 17:34

People are the biggest variable in making and drinking tea (not just puerh). Most folks don't even realize that what they are experiencing is mostly themselves. The green mirror.
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Feb 10th, '09, 18:08
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by Drax » Feb 10th, '09, 18:08

Hrm, I would say the weirdest variable to control is your own mouth. . .

Case in point: brushing your teeth and then having some orange juice.

You did mention your mouth was 'clean' though -- but I'm not sure if this means you hadn't had anything to eat, or something else.

There's even that 'miracle berry' that can affect your palette for 30-60 minutes after you eat it.

So many variables. . .
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Feb 10th, '09, 19:21
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by Geospearit » Feb 10th, '09, 19:21

Drax wrote: There's even that 'miracle berry' that can affect your palette for 30-60 minutes after you eat it.
Goji berries?
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Feb 10th, '09, 19:37
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by Drax » Feb 10th, '09, 19:37

Geospearit wrote:
Drax wrote: There's even that 'miracle berry' that can affect your palette for 30-60 minutes after you eat it.
Goji berries?
Hmmm, no... I think those are different (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_berry)

Goji berries are apparently AKA "Wolf berries."

But... either way, probably not at play in silverneedles' issue... :D
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Feb 10th, '09, 20:23
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by Geospearit » Feb 10th, '09, 20:23

Drax wrote:
Geospearit wrote:
Drax wrote: There's even that 'miracle berry' that can affect your palette for 30-60 minutes after you eat it.
Goji berries?
Hmmm, no... I think those are different (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_berry)

Goji berries are apparently AKA "Wolf berries."

But... either way, probably not at play in silverneedles' issue... :D
Interesting. From the wiki you cited:

"The berry contains an active glycoprotein molecule, with some trailing carbohydrate chains, called miraculin.[5][6] When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing sour foods to taste sweet. While the exact cause for this change is unknown, one hypothesis is that the effect may be caused if miraculin works by distorting the shape of sweetness receptors "so that they become responsive to acids, instead of sugar and other sweet things".[3] This effect lasts between thirty minutes and two hours."
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