2017 has been a transitory year for me with a few significant life changes. Part of this involved the very painful process of packing up all my tea-related things and moving from my apartment of five years. This is the first time since my tea-obsession began that I’ve moved. It also forced me to reckon with how much I had accumulated (maybe I can just get rid of more sweaters to fit a few extra cakes?). This year has also been quite different from 2014-2016, with both my consumption and purchasing shifting significantly downwards, a shift I consider to be both positive and healthy.. (more…)
Category: Tea Learning
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A Conversation w/Fellow Tea Blogger Oolong Owl [Inbetweenisode 149]
In this episode, James brings on the one and only, Oolong Owl. Char (Oolong Owl) is a fellow tea blogger who writes on a huge variety of teas. We cover a wide range topics, including Char’s tea journey, tea expos +events, and positive reviews while blogging.
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Does Pu’erh Increase in Value? Part 2. Landmark Years & Dayi Special Productions: A Look at Price
To some extent all pu’erh moves together in the market. When the pu’erh bust hit in 2007, teas across the board were hit. Raw tea, ripe tea, Dayi, Changtai, Lao Banzhang, Yiwu.. Of course this is only part of the picture. In the bust’s case, not everything was hit equally and teas definitely didn’t all recover at the same rate.. Some teas rebounded in a year or two, far more quickly than others. Others slowly creeped back up in five or six years and some teas and brands have never recovered. (more…)
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Does Pu’erh Increase in Value? Part 1. Big Factory Pu’erh Recipes
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…)
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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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Q&A, Recommended Teas, Blending [Inbetweenisode 140]
A quick Q&A session with James, including questions on good raw pu’erhs to order from Yunnan Sourcing, White2Tea, and Bana plus the topic of blending pu’erh.
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The Speed Test, cr. Marshaln [Inbetweenisode 139]
In this episode, James goes over a very simple, but informative way to look at your tea consumption.
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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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Western Tea Culture & Tea Hermits
Whenever I’ve been to Taiwan or Hong Kong, I’m reminded of the solitude of being a western drinker. In tea hotspots out east, you learn about teas by drinking with other people, shop owners, hobbyists, etc. You can explore different tea shops, drinking and talking about tea with other people. And while there’s plenty of writing online about different teas, tea as a hobby is a very social and interactive experience. In the west, most of us more closely resemble crazy, gongfu hermits. Outside of a few assorted tea shops there’s not really much tea culture in America and Europe that resembles east Asia. We may occasionally read an article online or watch a video, most (or all) of us do our gongfu sessions by ourselves or if we’re lucky with one other person. This presents some dangers in how we are developing habits and acquiring knowledge. (more…)