When I investigated the teas that western vendors tend to sell (tldr: young raw pu’erh), the topic of pu’erhs value over time was brought up. In that post, I found that the average cost of a young raw pu’erh listed on western vendor’s sites tended to be less expensive than the semi-aged (7-15yrs+) or ripe teas that were listed. You shouldn’t read too much into this as it’s an imperfect comparison. The most obvious flaw is that the source material isn’t the same. There’s no quantitative way to measure the quality of the leaf, which makes the question of value over time tricky to answer. This article kicks off a series of posts looking at the pu’erh market. (more…)
Category: Ripe Pu’erh
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The Western Pu’erh Scene is Really Dominated by Modern Young Pu’erh
For people looking to learn about pu’erh I usually recommend picking a western-facing, pu’erh-centric, vendor and ordering a bunch of samples that cover a few different categories (my suggestion: young raw pu’erh, semi-aged raw pu’erh, and ripe pu’erh). Most pu’erh vendors feature teas from two or all three categories but the focus of pu’erh-centered western vendors has drifted towards just one of those three — young raw pu’erh. (more…)
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What to Expect from Traditionally Stored Tea
I get asked a lot about traditionally stored and wetter pu’erh. I like to drink these teas and it’s unfortunately a type that lacks a lot of the exposure in comparison with young pu’erh or ripe pu’erh. Most pu’erh focused vendors don’t offer this type of tea and the ones that do, it typically makes up a small part of their catalog.. Pu’erh offers a broad array of unfamiliar tastes to the western palate that can be different and a unique experience for new drinkers (see ripe pu’erh or young raw), but sitting atop that list is traditionally stored pu’erh. That lack of exposure isn’t the case in areas around southern China, where pu’erh has been consumed for much longer than anywhere else and traditional storage has historically been the default. (more…)
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Reading & Drinking Numbers, Numbered Recipes in Pu’erh
I’ve seen the hashtag #drinkingnumbers around instagram used by a few pu’erh heads. This usually means that you’re drinking a tea labeled by the recipe number.. The recipes are usually four digits, and you’ve probably seen them attached to certain teas, both raw or ripe pu’erh. 7542, 7572, 8653, etc.. (more…)
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Five Things I Like and Dislike. The Secondary Market, Four Year Old Pu’erh, 2017 Prices.
Things that have been occurring in the tea world that I like and dislike.. (more…)
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2006 Hailang Hao Jin Hai Lang via YS [Episode 220]
In this episode, Denny and James bring on a decade old ripe pu’erh from Yunnan Sourcing. It is a well-balanced, creamy, clean ripe pu’erh. Big thank you to Ryan for sharing this tea with us.
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Pu’erh Storage with Garrett [Inbetweenisode 137]
This episode, James is rejoined by Garrett for a discussion of pu’erh storage. Specifically covers Garrett’s own experiences storing pu’erh in Seattle with crocks and a cheap, second-hand pumidor.
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Travel Write-Up (JP + TW + HK)
I recently had the privilege of traveling to Asia for the third time. Within 3.5 weeks I traveled to Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. I wasn’t going to write anything originally, but a slow chatter of emails and messages have convinced me to type up a report. The trip was primarily not tea-related, I did manage to squeeze some tea experiences in along the way. My apologies for those looking for something 100% strictly tea. We are looking to travel to the Cayman Islands next so stay tuned; you can look over here for travel information. (more…)
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2004 Date Fragrance Ripe Pu’erh Brick [Inbetweenisode 135]
This episode, James brings on a humble, daily drinking ripe pu’erh brick from one of Toby’s boxes.
https://www.instagram.com/toby8653/
https://thejadeleaf.com/ -
1980s Xiaguan Xiao Fa Tuo Ripe Pu’erh [Episode 216]
This episode, James and Denny bring on a much older version of one of Denny’s favorite daily ripe teas, the Xiaguan Xiao Fa Tuo. Thanks to Bev for providing it.