A mature pu’erh from White2Tea. This tea has seen some humidity but has hardly any stank to it! This one’s for you Uncle Larry.
Category: Aged Pu’erh
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Zhang Jinghong’s Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic
This is a review of Zhang Jinghong’s Puer Tea: Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic. Please also check out TwoDog’s review. More people need to read this book. Seriously!
What is authentic pu’erh? This question is constantly asked in Zhang Jinghong’s challenging and informative Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic. Similar to other buzzwords like artisan or specialty, authenticity is frequently used as a term to push a product (tea or otherwise). The pu’erh world is very guilty of this. It’s no secret that the pu’erh world is full of lots of bullshit and misinformation that are just there to sell tea (read an ebay description). It’s a marketplace built on flat-out lies (ummm..) and numerous softer, difficult to verify lies (i..e why are all the trees ancient and wild?). Zhang’s book attempts to do the impossible and unpack the endless maze of perspectives and opinions in the pu’erh world. (more…)
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Peripheral Teaware — TeaDB James InBetweenIsode Episode #21
Musings on some teaware that James uses that you may or may not find useful!
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Pu’erh Regions: Pu’er Prefecture
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.
Previously named Simao, Pu’er Prefecture shares pu’erh’s name and is one of the three principle growing prefectures for pu’erh tea. Located in Yunnan, Pu’er is sandwiched in between Xishuangbanna and Lincang and despite not being a particularly important historical growing region it is a historical hub for the tea horse road. Pu’er prefecture also borders Laos, Burma and Vietnam. Within Pu’er Prefecture, there are a few high-profile regions although the majority of the prefecture lacks the hype of the most hyped regions, especially Xishuangbanna. (more…)
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Pu’erh Buying Thoughts: Diversification & Buying Tea for the Long Haul
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…)
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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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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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Yin Ming Hao’s 1980s Raw Pu’erh [Episode 89]
Denny and James review an aged raw pu’erh, Yin Ming Hao’s 1980s raw pu’erh. Sold by Tea Classico and sent our way by Cwyn of http://deathbytea.blogspot.com/ .
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Mature Pu’erh [November 2014 Tea Drinking Report]
In the month of November 2014, the tea of the month was Mature Pu’erh. During this month, I had Mature 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.
Vendors ordered from: