Pu’erh Collection Trajectories & Regrets [Inbetweenisode 205]

Posted on July 19, 2019 by

This episode Garrett talk and reflect on pu’erh collecting, including different trajectories towards your pu’erh stash. We finish by talking a bit about regrets and things we would’ve liked to know earlier on in our tea journeys. We don’t drink tea in this episode but if you are into spreadsheets and the nerdier aspects of just thinking about collecting pu’erh this is a good episode for you.

Mentioned:
https://www.mrlovenstein.com/images/comics/1092_objectified.png
http://www.marshaln.com/2013/06/hitting-hard-with-a-hammer/

Posted in Long-form Podcast, Podcasts | 3 Comments

WuyiOrigin Baijiguan Wuyi Oolong [Episode 323]

Posted on July 16, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink one of the four famous bushes of Yancha from Wuyi Origin and is usually processed and made on the greener end. This tea is aromatic, well-balanced and very enjoyable.

https://www.wuyiorigin.com/

Posted in Oolong, Podcasts, Wuyi Oolong | Tagged | Leave a comment

When do Pu’erh Vendor’s Raise their Prices?

Posted on July 13, 2019 by

The common wisdom around pu’erh prices is that they rise over time. This is of course true if we zoom out far enough. If you were to take snapchats of most pu’erh production every few years, the trend would be quite obvious even with a downturn or two (i.e. 2007/2008). Not everything rises equally though. One interesting point of a consideration as a consumer is when and why vendors tend to adjust price. Thanks to Matt for the idea.

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Posted in Article, Raw Pu'erh, Ripe Pu'erh | 12 Comments

2001 Xiaguan Iron 8653 Raw Pu’erh [Episode 322]

Posted on July 9, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink a sample kindly provided by Pat, a 2001 Xiaguan Iron 8653. This is a famous recipe and the tea itself is fairly aged, but still potent raw pu’erh. The character is partly woody, earthy and aged but there’s also a brightness and liveliness to the tea that keeps the session dynamic. Thanks Pat!

https://www.instagram.com/pat_love_tea/

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2007 Dayi Star of Menghai Ripe [Episode 321]

Posted on July 2, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink a special production ripe from last decade, the Star of Menghai. This is a production that is not made every year and is composed of a lot of tippy, gong ting leaves. Thank you to shah for sending this tea in.

Posted in Podcasts, Ripe Pu'erh | Tagged | 3 Comments

The 70/70 Line & Projecting Pu’erh Storage

Posted on June 29, 2019 by

A few years ago I thought it’d be interesting to try mapping certain temperature and humidity conditions to approximate a certain area’s storage. For instance, if you could maintain conditions of 55-65F/65RH in a storage setup that might approximate somewhat close to average Kunming storage. 80-85F/65-70RH might be Kuala Lumpur. After banging my head and never really getting anywhere I decided that this was a doomed exercise (or at least beyond what I’m capable of). One reason why is that while location clearly matters in storage conditions, trying to translate outside weather conditions to actual storage conditions is not easy or straightforward. In the west people will sometimes get quite excited about storage and look at their climate data and try to extrapolate. I don’t think this is a totally useless exercise but it’s pretty difficult to know what to do with these numbers. This article explores some limitations but also what I think is a shortcut to approximating your natural conditions and how they stack up with places with an actual record of pu’erh storage.

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Posted in Aged Pu'erh, Article, Raw Pu'erh, Ripe Pu'erh, Storage | 4 Comments

2016 WuyiOrigin Laocong Shuixian [Inbetweenisode 204]

Posted on June 27, 2019 by

This episode, James is joined by old friend “five kilo” Meet. We drink some of Meet’s favorite type of tea, Yancha, and talk about both the tea and where his five kilos have gone.

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2016 Zhengyan 105 Wuyi via Yunnan Sourcing [Episode 320]

Posted on June 26, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink a mildly unusual Wuyi. A fun change of pace vs. more typical mineraly Yancha.

Thanks to John for sending in this sample!

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How to Use a Gaiwan [Inbetweenisode 203]

Posted on June 20, 2019 by

NOTE: After thinking about it a bit, you can use four fingers to hold the gaiwan as well, especially for larger gaiwans where it may be difficult to get a good grip with just three fingers. The trick with your fourth finger is to make sure it isn’t place too close to the heat of the gaiwan, so please make sure you have a good grip around the rim (just like the middle finger).

This episode, I talk about gaiwans and walkthrough how to use them. This episode is focused on practical tips for people just getting started and are considering using a gaiwan.

Please check out our previous, very early episode on Gaiwans by Denny and I. It is easily one of our most popular episodes of all-time!

Posted in Podcasts | 6 Comments

2017 Zhengsilong Wangong Raw Pu’erh via Tea-Encounter [Episode 319]

Posted on June 18, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink a powerful young Yiwu tea. This tea was made by well-respected tea producer Zhengsilong and was kindly provided by Tiago of Tea Encounter.

https://www.tea-encounter.com/

Posted in Podcasts, Raw Pu'erh | 3 Comments