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Q&A. Vendor + Tea Recommendations, Tea Books, Judging Pu’erh, etc. [Inbetweenisode 173]
This episode I answer a series of questions on tea, covering a pretty wide range of topics. Topics include vendors for aged oolongs, water, tea books, caffeine content, judging pu’erh, and some pu’erh recommendations. Thanks for all the great questions sent in! I answered as many as I could, but unfortunately could not get to…
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Tea-Side, Vendor Profile & Interview
I had the pleasure of meeting tea vendors and Russian expats Valerii and Jane when I went to Chiang Mai. I had not been planning on any tea meetups on this trip, but Valerii happened to see I was traveling to Chiang Mai on Instagram and we met up for tea. Valerii’s family was very…
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Garrett Pre-Taiwan Travel Diaries [Inbetweenisode 171]
In this episode, we discuss Garrett’s upcoming trip to Taiwan in September. We talk about shopping for tea abroad, what he hopes to buy, and some aspects of traveling there. After he returns from his trip in late September, we plan to do a recap episode.
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Some Reasons You Should Consider Aging More Oolong & Less Pu’erh
Sometimes when I’m sipping a particularly delicious aged oolong, I’ll glance over at my tea fridge and then to my wine cooler and get some major self doubt. I enjoy drinking pu’erh and happen to own enough that I’ll be aging it for a very long time. But I I also really do enjoy aged…
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Datapost: The Dearth of Aged Pu’erh Available From Western Facing Vendors
It’s no secret that aged pu’erh is scarce out west. The western vendor scene is dominated by vendors traveling to Yunnan bringing back predominantly young tea to sell. For this exercise, I added all of the older teas from western vendors I could think of. Unlike some of my other data compilations, this one didn’t take…
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Why Not (Age) Oolong? [Inbetweenisode 167]
In this episode, regular guest Garrett comes back to discuss why more people aren’t aging oolong. The episode focuses on difference in pu’erh when it comes to aging, storage, and ease in the west.
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1993 Chiang Rai “Raw Pu’erh” via TeaSide Stored in Thailand [Episode 263]
Today, James & Denny drink a unique loose raw stored purportedly from 1993. The tea has been processed like a pu’erh but was harvested and aged in Northern Thailand. Clearly aged, clean, and quite relaxing. Big thanks to Valeri! https://tea-side.com/aged-raw-pu-erh-tea-1993/ https://tea-side.com/ (My apologies for the audio, the recording was corrupted so we had to use…
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Some Thoughts & Problems With Traditionally Stored Pu’erh
85-90% of the tea being sold is young pu’erh, and the remainder is almost exclusively ripe or 5-10 year old semi-pu’erh. Old-school, traditionally stored pu’erh is an afterthought or an afterthought of an afterthought… This sort of tea can be hit or miss and more of an acquired taste for many.. For me, it’s always…
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Western Vendor Pu’erh Prices at Conception have Risen Since 2011 (& Probably Before)
It’s common in the pu’erh-verse to note the seemingly always rising price of freshly produced tea. Every year more expensive than the last… Even with the limited scope of western-vendor labeled pu’erh, we can take a quick look at the Way Back Machine and glance at what pu’erhs were selling for a few years ago…
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Indoor vs. Outdoor Pu’erh Storage & Aging Cigars Compares w/Aging Pu’erh [Inbetweenisode 163]
In this episode, James is joined by recurring guest Garrett for another long conversation on pu’erh. The first half of the conversation involves a post written by James on Indoor vs. Outdoor Storage and some of the implications on home storage. Indoor vs. Outdoor Storage The second half of the conversation involves Aging Cigars and…