Pu’erh marketing is filled with noise that ranges from the mildly inaccurate to absurdist comedy. One of the most important lessons you learn early is to filter out out information that isn’t important. In the end most of us can come to an agreement that the most important thing is the tea quality, taste and your own enjoyment. That is a lot easier said than done when trying to figure out what to try online. Information and descriptions still play a key role in decision making for purchases. You may just say sample.. But none of us want to or can afford to try everything. This is also the treacherous land of pu’erh, where you will be far better off playing the role of the skeptic until proven otherwise. A vendor like TwoDog has gone so far as to basically refuse to give out any information on his teas. He’s received a fair amount of negative feedback but his point remains. With so much BS out there, do those cookie cutter pu’erh descriptions (xx village, yy tree age, etc.) mean anything at all? (more…)
Category: Raw Pu’erh
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2007 Xizihao Kuzhushan [Episode 209]
A 2007 production from Simao Prefecture in the Kuzhu area. This is a semi-aged raw pu’erh, that is fairly dynamic and constantly shifting between a couple different profiles.
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2005 Biyunhao Manzhuan [Episode 207]
A Manzhuan production from Taiwanese boutique, private label.
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Xizihao Report & Tasting Note Compilation
Xizi Hao is a boutique Taiwanese pu’erh brand. With Xizi Hao coming available from Taiwan, I’ve decided to release a few of my notes from my google spreadsheets of tea notes. Unlike other reports these teas were not sessioned in close succession of each other. Thank you to Emmett for sending me a few of these recently. (more…)
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2016 Theasophie Guoyun [Episode 205]
One of the high-end Yiwu 2016 production from Theasophie.
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2013 Chensheng Hao Naka [Inbetweenisode 125]
A Naka production from a big Chinese brand, Chensheng Hao.
Thank you to a tea friend for sending a sample my way!
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2006 Yangqinghao Wushang Miaopin [Episode 204]
One of the topdogs from YQH. This is a dark, potent premium Yiwu tea. Thanks to Emmett for sending it our way.
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Simple Home Storage Solutions
Pu’erh storage is as complicated as you want to make it. But it’s also an issue that needs to be addressed for anyone with a stash. Keeping your pu’erh in open air or close to aromas is a good way to slowly ruin it. Pumidor is a scary sounding word and can represent overly elaborate, endlessly complex solutions.. For instance there are some pu-heads that have hand-built a sealed non-aromatic wood box from scratch with multiple humidifiers and hygrometers. Or installed a fishtank heater to emulate the humidity of more humid storage. This can all be a bit intimidating for someone just getting started with a cake or two. There’s also an appeal in keeping it simple. In many ways, the more complex the solution the more points of stress or concern. Maybe you’re just tipping your toes into the water and have a couple cakes or maybe you prefer a minimalist approach to tea. Either way, it is very possible to create simple, workable solution that don’t involve adding humidity or hygrometers. (more…)
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2007 Yibang Chamasi Mansa [Episode 202]
A production by Yibang Chamasi (formerly Tailian) featuring supposedly eastern Yiwu area material. Aged and priced well to be a daily drinker. Acquired from Toby via The Jade Leaf.
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Baseball Closers, 99 Bottles of Wine (Drink Your Damn Tea & Buy the Good Shit)
In major league baseball a team’s best relief pitcher is nearly always their closer. For years, the closer has been only used under very specific criteria. (a) Their team is ahead by three runs or less (b) there is one inning left. As advanced statistics and improved game theory have seeped into the sport, some teams have realized that this is a mistake. For instance… Utilizing a team’s best pitcher sometime in the middle of the game can make a lot of sense if stakes are sufficiently high. This logic has slowly caught on amongst some analytical savvy managers, some traditionalists continue to prefer waiting for a “save situation” and have suffered the consequences. This infamously occurred in the 2016 playoffs when long-time manager Buck Showalter never put in the best relief pitcher of the year in a winner takes all game, waiting for a lead that never came. (more…)