A Lao Banzhang production from Taiwanese boutique operation, Xizihao. This tea retails for more than $1000 in Taiwan and has gained a reputation for its qi.
Thanks to Dignitea for the sample!
A Lao Banzhang production from Taiwanese boutique operation, Xizihao. This tea retails for more than $1000 in Taiwan and has gained a reputation for its qi.
Thanks to Dignitea for the sample!
It’s a lonely world out there for those discussing pu’erh. We don’t have the same accessibility to in-person tea or pu’erh communities like urban centers in the east. This is a straightforward post detailing a few different resources and blogs that you might find valuable or useful. (more…)
A well-regarded, famous (and expensive) Dayi from 2005, the Dayi Mengsong Peacock. Stored in Guangdong, this is an example of why Dayi is so well-regarded in the pu’erh community.
Thanks to Grill for letting me try!
Another loot from Hong Kong and one I wish I picked up more of. This tea is traditionally stored Yiwu Spring Buds.
One of the very few young teas that I drink regularly. This is from the classic vendor, Yunnan Sourcing. This is from the Jinggu region, a place where Scott has begun to place a number of teas. 2014 Autumn Daqing Gushu.
In episode 148, Denny and James compare the same base material stored in loose maocha form (California) vs. the caked China-Stored version. Very interesting comparison and big thanks to Bana Tea for providing the materia (the 2009 Sanhehao)l

Santa Claus didn’t come this year? No problem.. Easter’s early this year.. And while it’s not traditionally much of a gift giving holiday, who’s not above spiking the kid’s easter egg hunt with a few adult treats. I’m not remotely suggesting that you should skip buying your kids candy (it’s unhealthy anyways) and replace the original tong bamboo wrapping of your YQH tong with a giant tong-shapped easter egg… (more…)
Jingjitatang’s 2013 Xile. This is a nice, good bang for your buck example of modern pu’erh from one of the six famous tea mountains (Youle).
A sample kindly provided by Toby. A HK-stored 2003 Changtai tea.. Nice matured, clean drinker.
Big thanks to those that contributed knowledge and time to helping make this a successful trip. You know who you are!
Hong Kong is a very different place than Taipei. Not having been to either, I naively expected a few more similarities. They’re both just big cities in east Asia, right? HK is dense, dense, dense, and built vertically and in general is far more commercial and fast-paced. While I’m more naturally inclined towards somewhere like Taipei, HK has a lot of very nice things that I greatly enjoy, especially the food. Dim Sum, Chinese bakeries, all cheap compared to Seattle prices. Yumm… We spent ~10 nights in Taiwan and four in Hong Kong. The first couple days were used doing relatively standard tourist things (going to tall buildings, Victoria Peak, Star Ferry) which left a bit of time for tea shopping. (more…)