A one-off episode about storage, pu’erh storage, tinning teas, and my pumidor. Thanks to Benoit for the great questions.
Author: James
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Denny Tea Farm Green & Black [Episode 143]
Very special episode.. Hand-harvested, monkey-picked teas from Denny’s farm…
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Pu’erh, The Body, and Are You Confused Yet!?
In the west, tea is annoyingly difficult to separate from its health claims. Will this help me lose weight? Will this cure cancer? blah blah blah… Due to its post-fermentation, pu’erh has its own set of purported health benefits many based off its status as a chic probiotic. Most seasoned vendors and drinkers roll their eyes at these, but most everyone has their own set of beliefs on how the different types of pu’erh can affect the body. You don’t have to look much further than a tea vendor’s FAQ to find a smorgasbord of questions and answers about the supposed health benefits of tea. This article is not intended to be a health guide, nor an advertisement or critique of any particular school of thought. (more…)
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2004 Commissioned 7542 [Teas I own] — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #66
Another tea acquired abroad. This one is a HK trad. stored commissioned (not Dayi) 7542.
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Jingjiatang’s 2007 Bada [Episode 142]
Jingjitatang’s 2007 Bada. This one is priced as a semi-aged daily drinker. A nice, balanced, middle of the road tea.
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1998 Yiwu Brick [Teas I own] — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #65
Continuing along with teas I own.. This is a tea acquired by James in his recent trip to Taiwan, a massive 500 gram brick from the late 1990s.
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Cha Ceremony’s Premium Rou Gui [Episode 141]
Sample provided courtesy of Marcus at Cha Ceremony. This is a dark roasted Rou Gui that’s a nice change of pace to the pu’erh we’ve been quaffing.
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Two Thoughts on Hitting Hard & Buying Pu’erh
Find Tea Worthy of Hitting Hard (Aim High, & DO NOT CHEAP OUT)
Repeat that five times… Here’s a few buying scenarios…
- You buy too much of truly great tea and run out of money and tea. You end up in tea exile quaffing some crappy sea dyke or *gasps in horrs* teabags! We’re all deathly afraid of this but it almost never happens. I’ve yet to hear a single instance of this is happening.… it is also really not too hard for most of us, except for the most picky, to find drinkable tea for a not too ridiculous price.
- You hit it right and have a good chunk of tea to drink and a good chunk of tea to set aside. Good work!
- You buy a lot of cheaper tea. WARNING WARNING!!!! Not only do you have to worry about space but there’s a very good chance you’ll grow tired of your purchase.
From what I can tell scenario #3 is really common and about 1000000x more likely than scenario #1.. One danger with hitting hard is becoming attracted to the idea of buying lots of tea for the sake of buying. Wanting to buy a tong, because well it’s a effing tong! There’s bamboo.. And seven cakes.. Good shit.. This is where the risk of cheaping out is high for people choosing quantity over quality, especially for newer drinkers. Before impulse buying loads of pu’erh, you should think long and hard about the quality and availability of suitable replacements for pu’erh. (more…)
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2002 Yiwu Ancient Spirit [Teas I own] via YS — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #64
Another tea from the stash.. This one is an old, reliable favorite that’s been covered by a number of different bloggers and sources. More humid storage than Kunming but still very clean, this is a good semi-aged chugger.
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2015 Essence of Tea’s Autumn Guafengzhai [Episode 140]
Episode 140 covers some fresh autumn maocha GFZ from Essence of Tea. Well-bodied, strong and very tasty.