Pu’erh is one of the trickiest teas to buy and a very different landscape than other teas. One reason is the instability of the market, partially because pu’erh is treated as a commodity for investment and is mainly due to the the thought that pu’erh will improve over time. Another is the psychology behind the consumption of pu’erh. Pu’erh drinkers think about their tea in a much different way than drinkers of other teas. lacking the immediacy that naturally accompanies other teas (especially greener teas). In 2007, the pu’erh market busted largely because of over speculation of tea that really wasn’t very good to begin with. People were aggressively buying at a rate that outpaced consumption and the market eventually corrected itself. This article will discuss a few thoughts on pu’erh buying and an alternate buying strategy. (more…)
Author: James
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2006 Dehong High Plateau from TuoChaTea via Hster — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #17
A sample kindly sent my way via Hster of Tea Closet (seen below). The tea is the 2006 Dehong High Plateau which comes in the form of 1kg bricks. This is a nickel tea that is interesting and very functional considering its exceedingly low cost. Tea purchased from Tuo Cha Tea.
Note: After corresponding with Cwyn and Hster it turns out this tea is half shu/half sheng. Something that I did not catch nor realize while filming this episode :).
http://teacloset.blogspot.com/2012/08/gearing-up-for-lawith-06-de-hong-high.html
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Great Horse Tea’s Dancong Chaozhou Oolong [Episode 93]
Special guest Jake Knapp returns for episode 93 to review a Dancong. Like the Bai Ji Guan, this is a good quality oolong and fits an extremely fruity, naturally sweet profile.
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![Lincang Raw Pu’erh [January 2015 Tea Drinking Report]](https://teadb.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ripe-puerh3-940x198.jpg)
Lincang Raw Pu’erh [January 2015 Tea Drinking Report]
Big shoutouts to Dignitea, Brian, Jake, Carolyn and Cwyn for providing several of the teas for this month and allowing the content to be what it is! I hope you like long-form content, because this tea of the month report is truly massive.
In the month of January 2015, the tea of the month was Lincang Pu’erh. During this month, I had Lincang Pu’erh at least once a day (unless totally unfeasible). I’ll still consume other teas, but the primary focus is understanding and building a palate for a specific type/genre/region of tea through repetition. This is the most personal blogging type style of post for TeaDB, and the goal is to stretch my palate as well as give recommendations to interested parties.
Producers sampled from:
- S. Mengku
- Yunnan Sourcing
- Fengqing Sanning
- Mandala Tea
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Changtai’s 2003 Ji Nian Memorial Tuo (Raw) via Crimson Lotus Tea — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #16
From Seattle to Seattle, Inbetweenisode #16 covers the sister tea of Inbetweenisode #15. Also sold by Crimson Lotus Tea, the Ji Nian Tuo is a blend with larger leaf grades and is a very different tea. The profile is far more matured, with a smooth, earthy profile that isn’t nearly as fruity. Big thanks to Brian who sent this tea our way!
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Great Horse Tea’s Bai Ji Guan Wuyi Rock Oolong [Episode 92]
Denny and James bring on a special guest, Jake Knapp, who recently visited China with Great Horse Teas. In this episode, they drink some Yancha (Wuyi Rock Tea) procured on their latest trip, Bai Ji Guan.
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Pu’erh Regions: Lincang
This article frequently references and links to babelcarp. Babelcarp is a Chinese Tea Lexicon that is an essential resource for tea nerds that want to dive in further and don’t understand Chinese! This article also sources many maps from a TeaChat thread, original sources vary.
Regarded as the northern pu’erh region Lincang Prefecture is one of the largest and most tea regions that produces pu’erh tea. While there is some pu’erh production north of Lincang (Dehong) it is sparser and not nearly as common as Lincang or Xishuangbanna. To the west, Lincang borders Burma and to the south is Pu’er Prefecture. Despite lagging behind Xishuangbanna in fame and hype, Lincang is home to a few of the most famed and expensive areas in all of pu’erh. The most notable of these are Bingdao and Xigui. There are also several Lincang-based factories, including Shuangjiang Mengku, and Fengqing (the iconic Xiaguan is located nearby in Dali). (more…)
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Changtai’s 2003 Yuan Nian Shu Tuo (Raw) via Crimson Lotus Tea — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #15
From Seattle to Seattle, Inbetweenisode #15 covers a tea sourced from Washington-based pu’erh specialist Crimson Lotus Tea. This is a more humidly-stored tea and is a good example of an early Changtai production and Xishuangbanna storage. Big thanks to Brian who sent this tea our way!
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Shang Tea’s Red Tea [Episode 91]
Denny and James review a black tea from typically white tea base material. This tea also comes from white tea specialists, Shang Tea.