One good thing about TeaDB is it encompaseses a large chunk of Denny and my tea journey. This includes when we were new and fresh in the western tea world and while it results in some early embarrassing episodes, it also helps to document our own learning and progression. Here’s the advice I’d give to myself (beyond which specific teas to buy) if I were to rewind 6 years or to someone just starting in pu’erh now. (more…)
Category: Raw Pu’erh
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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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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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Thoughts on Marco’s Hotbox Storage Experiment [Inbetweenisode 174]
This episode, I talk on Marco’s fascinating experiment where he heats up his pu’erh in a cooler (kept at a fairly steady humidity). It’s only one year in, but there’s a lot of food for thought!
https://mgualt.com/tealog/2018/08/04/temp-control-experiment-w2t-bosch/
https://mgualt.com/tealog/2018/08/12/storage-experiment-w2t-tuhao-af-2016-one-year-in/ -
2018 Crimson Lotus Tea Guoyoulin (Yiwu) Raw Pu’erh [Episode 276]
This episode we drink a premium Yiwu from Crimson Lotus Tea. Very fresh, premium young tea with huge leaves.
Thanks to Glen & Lamu for the sample.
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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 everything.
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YQH Retrospective & The YQH Value Spot
In our small little westerm tea community, there was quite a stir over YQH in 2015 and 2016. I’ll personally admit to being caught up in both the dialog and purchasing of these teas. YQH remains available via Emmett, the most important figure in making these teas accessible). And while YQH as a conversation piece in the tea community has faded, I thought I’d share some thoughts on YQH, looking back with some perspective. (more…)
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2006 Yangqing Hao Qixiang Raw Pu’erh [Inbetweenisode 172]
This episode, I drink another Yangqing Hao raw pu’erh. This one is purportedly a spring only blend of the six famous mountains. It is softer and quite different than the 2007s with deceptive strength.
6.5 Rating.