Tasting From Deep in My Storage. Pu’erh Progress Report 2019 [Inbetweenisode 193]

Posted on March 15, 2019 by

This episode I talk about a series of tastings I’ve done with teas deeper in my stash that I purchased in 2014-2015. Most of the teas have been stored in my storage but I also drank a couple from fellow Washington state residents, Garrett (guest collaborator) and Geraldo. I discuss how the teas have been progressing and a few thoughts on storage in my climate.

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2001 Menghai Tea Factory 7432 Raw Pu’erh, Traditionally Stored via TWL [Episode 305]

Posted on March 12, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink a traditionally stored tea from Menghai Tea Factory, the 7432. No that is not a typo. This is a recipe that isn’t frequently produced, but the tea is quite legit. It is traditionally stored but overall quite clean. Would make a great introduction for anyone curious about this sort of storage. Sample provided by Marco at Teas We Like. Thank you Marco!

https://teaswelike.com/product/2001-m…

https://teaswelike.com/

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Tea Progress Report – Washington State Stored Tea 2019

Posted on March 9, 2019 by

This is an extremely overdue tea drinking report. It was conceived for two reasons. (1) I recently reconfigured my storage into a larger setup. (2) I have a yearly tradition of picking some teas out of deep storage to retry and note their progression (or lack thereof). The latter allows me to get a better feel for my storage and pick out anything going wrong with the teas. This year I picked eight teas from my own storage as well as a couple extras from tea friends, all of which have been stored for a significant chunk of their lifespan in Washington state. Continue reading →

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2012 YS Purple Spring Yiwu Raw Pu’erh [Inbetweenisode 192]

Posted on March 7, 2019 by

This episode as a part of the larger 2019 progress report I drink a tea that has been in my stash for five years, the 2012 Yunnan Sourcing Purple Yiwu Raw Pu’erh. This tea is just turning the corner as a slightly aged raw pu’erh and is much more focused than when I had it now.

Rating: 6.0.

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2007 WuyiOrigin Smoky Lapsang Souchong [Episode 304]

Posted on March 5, 2019 by

This episode Denny and I drink an aged and smoky Lapsang Souchong from WuyiOrigin. This is an interesting tea (still smoky!) that feels familiar but also different from much of what we’ve tried.

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2017 YS Crimson Rooster Ripe Pu’erh [Inbetweenisode 191]

Posted on March 1, 2019 by

This episode, I finish off another ripe cake, the Yunnan Sourcing Crimson Rooster. This is a light-mid fermented ripe pu’erh fermented by the same guy who did the Green Miracle. A good, textured, well-above average ripe.

Rating: 6.6.

Posted in Podcasts, Ripe Pu'erh | Tagged | 2 Comments

How We Think About Storage.. The Storage Spectrum. Is Storing Pu’erh at a Constant 70RH in a Box OK?

Posted on February 23, 2019 by

Pumidors are bad.
Sealed storage is bad.
No airflow is bad, you’re suffocating the tea.
Too much airflow is bad, you’ll suck out the aroma.
Your tea is drying out.
Heated storage is bad.

Other than a few select controversial posts, storage articles tend to be subject of vigorous debate and polarized opinions. In my humble opinion there is often too much spoken absolute certainty without leaving room for nuance. It’d be dumb to weight every possible storage setup equally, but I do think it’s good to be open to a wide band of possibilities working. Certainly when it comes to something as uncertain as storing tea in the various climates of the west. Once you get past the do’s and don’ts storage should be thought of more of a range. Continue reading →

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Naked Yiwu Raw Pu’erh via TWL [Inbetweenisode 190]

Posted on February 21, 2019 by

This episode I drink a very unique Yiwu tea from Teas We Like. The tea is interesting for both its pedigree and its storage. It is decidedly old school and nothing like the boutique Yiwus that are often produced in more recent years. The tea (est. production 1999-2002) was seal stored in Taiwan which gives it a greener feel.

Rating: 6.3

https://teaswelike.com/

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2007 Xizi Hao Xishangmeishao [Episode 302]

Posted on February 19, 2019 by

This episode, Denny and I drink a raw pu’erh kindly sent to us by Darius. Thank you! The tea is a special opportunity to try something that has been dry-stored in the US (near Atlanta) for many years. It is a particularly interesting session because most of the Xizi Hao being circulated has been stored in Taiwan. We have also tried a TW stored version of this tea before and it is totally different.

Darius’ stored version is clean, punchy, and quite powerful. The tea tastes greener and rawer but it rewards in complexity and aroma.

Previous video w/the TW stored version of this tea.

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Deep Dive: An Exploration of Temperature & Heat Retention [Inbetweenisode 189]

Posted on February 14, 2019 by

This is a non-tea drinking episode that explores a topically related topic to tea. In this episode, I perform a series of very simple tests that explore the interaction between heat and a number of various factors.

I use a variety of different devices (small gaiwans, large gaiwans, yixing, larger pots) and measured temperature immediately, after a minute, and then after five minutes. These experiments were repeated a few times.

Topics explored include pre-heating, does yixing retain heat more, high pours, filling up half your vessel and how quickly you may want to reboil your kettle.

Posted in Long-form Podcast, Podcasts | 4 Comments