This episode we drink a premium white tea released from White2Tea. The tea is made from material normally used for pu’erh. After sampling four of White2Tea’s recent compressed white teas this is my favorite of the bunch.
Author: James
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Rare Tea: 1970s Ripe Tuocha
This tea was generously gifted to me by Su as a wedding gift. Thanks so much for your generosity!
About the Tea (& Is it Legit?)
Ripe pu’erh was invented in the 1970s, so this represents an extremely early specimen. The process has been tinkered with throughout the years so this humble tuo might show us a bit of how ripe has changed with time. (more…)
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2015 Chen Bug Bitten Taiwanese Oolong [Episode 280]
This episode we drink another solid oolong from Farmer Chen. This tea is his bug bitten oolong from 2015.
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10+ Year Old Loose Traditionally Stored Ripe Pu’erh [Inbetweenisode 176]
This episode I drink one of my daily teas I picked up in Hong Kong that’s unfortunately not available. This is a traditionally stored loose ripe that has a fairly different profile from normal ripe tea. Very chuggable tea for me.
6.8 Rating.
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2008 Fangmingyuan Nannuo [Episode 279]
This episode we drink an old blogger favorite, the Fangmingyuan Nannuo. This tea is from Tiago over at Tea Encounter and has been stored in Beijing for 10 years.
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Correcting Your Storage & Preventing Mold. What are Safe Parameters?
So you got mold? This is a real risk for anyone aging pu’erh, especially those with setups designed to add some form of humidity. After you deal with the immediate outbreak, you essentially have two options.
- Scrap your setup and find a new one.
- Tinker and mess with small things within your setup.
I think people often freak out and choose option 1, when option 2 will usually suffice. In some cases finding a new setup is justified. If your container holding pu’erh is leaching off aromas into the tea or if your container is susceptible to a spill risk, you’ll probably want to make significant changes.. (more…)
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2005 Changtai Jingpin Raw Pu’erh via Farwenwa (US Stored) [Inbetweenisode 175]
This episode I drink a Washington state stored raw pu’erh. The tea is the Changtai Jingpin, which was stored a couple hours east of Seattle. I think the dry-storage has treated this tea (which probably wasn’t overly aggressive to begin with) especially well. The tea is smooth and rich with a lasting huigan. Big thank you to Geraldo, the collector who sourced this tea years ago.
6.2 Rating (amended up after video).
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Wuyi Origin Wild Lapsang Hongcha [Episode 278]
This episode we drink an exceptional Hongcha from Wuyi Origin. Spicy, aromatic, with a great aftertaste. Thank you to Cindy for providing the tea!
https://www.wuyiorigin.com/store/p26/lapsang_souchong_wild_2016
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Tea-Side 2016 Jinxuan Thai Hongcha [Episode 277]
This episode James and Denny drink a Thai-grown black tea using the Jinxuan Hongcha. It is both familiar and unique in how it blends teas from China and Taiwan.
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How Much Does Ripe Pu’erh Cost from Western Vendors?
Since I’ve crunched a bunch of numbers for other pu’erh categories, I figured I should do the same for ripe pu’erh. Ripe pu’erh is not exactly the most talked about tea, but it is generally considered to be affordable and there’s enough options easily accessitlbe to keep most people satisfied. I compiled all the ripe productions sold by popular western pu’erh sources: White2Tea, Crimson Lotus Tea, Bitter Leaf Tea, Chawangshop, and Yunnan Sourcing, limiting the massive Yunnan Sourcing selection to 50 teas (still more than any other vendor). It’s also important to note that this data shows the cost of ripe pu’erh for a western audience and doesn’t necessarily imply much about the ripe pu’erh market in east Asia. (more…)