Menghai Tea Factory. The gold standard of ripe pu’erh and the producer of famous benchmark raw pu’erhs from the 1980s and 1990s. If you purchase legitimate Menghai, it is usually thought of as a safe buy. Dayi has the reach to make these recipes consistent year to year and while there is a higher price associated with the brand, you are paying for a reliable tea factory with a proven track record (Dayi tea is also liquid). This article examines a number of different routes available to purchase young Dayi plantation recipes. One advantage to purchasing pu’erh, especially classic recipes like these is the ability to research the price compared with the Chinese market price (Taobao). (more…)
Tag: Yunnan Sourcing
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![Nannuo Pu’erh [June 2014 Tea Drinking Report]](https://teadb.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ripe-puerh3-940x198.jpg)
Nannuo Pu’erh [June 2014 Tea Drinking Report]
Every month, I dedicate it to one type of tea. This means I drink that genre of tea in some form at least once a day. This could mean gong-fu, grandpa, or even a cold-brew. I’ll still consume other teas, but the primary focus is understanding and building a palate for a specific type/genre/region of tea through repetition. This the most personal blogging type style of post for TeaDB, and the goal is to stretch my palate as well as give recommendations to interested parties. I had so many different teas this month that my notes were especially useful for this write-up.
Vendors ordered from:
Primary tea producers:
- Mengyang Guoyan (Yunnan Sourcing)
- Hai Lang Hao (Yunnan Sourcing)
- Yunnan Sourcing
Also featuring:
- Ruiyuan, Taochaju, Yunhai, (White2Tea)
- Mingsheng Hao, Nannuoshan Tea Factory, Changtai (Cha Wang Shop)
- CNNP, Guan Zi Zai (Yunnan Sourcing)
- Chen Yuan Hao (Origin Tea)
- Supermarket Pu’erh (Tienxi/Uwajimaya)
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Yiwu Pu’erh [May 2014 Tea Drinking Report]
Every month, I dedicate it to one type of tea. This means I drink that genre of tea in some form at least once a day. This could mean gong-fu, grandpa, or even a cold-brew. I’ll still consume other teas, but the primary focus is understanding and building a palate for a specific type/genre/region of tea through repetition. This the most personal blogging type style of post for TeaDB, and the goal is to stretch my palate as well as give recommendations to interested parties. I had so many different teas this month that my notes were especially useful for this write-up.
Vendors ordered from:
Primary tea producers:
- Yong Pin Hao + Guan Zi Zai (Yunnan Sourcing)
- Hai Lang Hao (Yunnan Sourcing)
- Yunnan Sourcing
- Taochaju (White2Tea)
Also featuring:
- Yang Qing Hao (Origin Tea)
- Cangyan (White2Tea)
- Misty Peak Teas (Tealet)
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Pu’erh Vendor Guide
Pu’erh is a hot tea. In the past 15 years it has moved beyond its longtime audience in Hong Kong and Taiwan into mainland China, the rest of Asia and more recently the west. With Ebay, Taobao, and the ever-growing worldwide marketplace, options for buying pu’erh online have exponentially increased in the last ten years. Pu’erh is even sold as a dieter’s tea to more “ordinary” consumers in the west. This dynamic marketplace has spawned both monstrous creations as well as very high-quality tea. The specialized vendor scenes tends to be different for pu’erh compared with vendors for other teas, i.e. Taiwanese Oolongs. This guide will attempt to highlight the various options available to the western consumer. This guide disregards any offline options (i.e. Chinese supermarkets). (more…)
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Pu’erh Compendium
White Tea. Green Tea. Oolong Tea. Black Tea. Yellow Tea. Pu’erh Tea? A weird outlier in the tea world, pu’erh is a weird, unntuitive name for an odd-ball in the tea world. Pu’erh represents both an ancient tradition of tribute tea, as well as a fast-moving, contemporary urban trend. So what is Pu’erh tea? Pu’erh tea not only represents a processing method and location (two actually!), but a successful marketing campaign that is mirrored by the chaotic tea marketplace that surrounds it. (more…)
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Wuyi Special Regions Feat. Zhengyan, Lao Cong, Huiyuan, Niulan Keng, Tianxin Yan
Wuyishan (Wuyi Mountain) is located in Northwest Fujian and is a naturally beautiful area with a great deal of nature and wildlife. This includes an impressive amount of biodiversity, due to the area’s naturally warm climate and a nutrient rich environment. In 1999 the Chinese government designated part of the Wuyishan area as Wuyi World Heritage Reserve (Zhengyan). Tea is well-represented in the world reserve, the Zhengyan region being the original home to countless tea cultivars. Despite having a somewhat low elevation (~300-700 m.) this terroir and Yancha’s complex processing make Yancha a unique and excellent tea. (more…)
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Gaiwans! Tea Basics [Episode 41]
A special TeaDB episode on Tea Basics! Episode 41 covering all about gaiwans. Denny and James cover how-to-use, different materials as well as some more advanced concepts on gaiwan use.
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The Price of Yancha
Good yancha is difficult to shop for. There are no distinctly yancha-specialized vendors and no obvious filters to quickly eliminate debris (eliminating non-specialized vendors works very well for Taiwanese oolongs + pu’erh). One other obstacle are forgeries designed to satiate the public’s demand for Da Hong Pao (usually Rou Gui + Shui Xian). This article will attempt to clarify and simplify the process of shopping for yancha by examining the prices of the four famous bushes (Si Da Ming Cong) and two of the most commonly sold Yancha (Rou Gui, Shui Xian). Please note that this article should not be taken as a statement of cheaper is better. Different buyers should shop for different types and grades of yancha. Depending on your individual purchasing goals it is often worth spending more for quality. (more…)
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Rou Gui Yunnan Sourcing Wuyi Oolong [Episode 38]
Episode 38 features the great daily drinking Rou Gui from Yunnan Sourcing (one of our favorite vendors). This Rou Gui is low-medium fired and is a spicy, aromatic tea with high notes.
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Wuyi Oolong Compendium
Home to the original oolong tea and its fair share of tea legends, the Wuyi mountains house some of the world’s most sought after oolong teas . Although there are many types of tea grown in the Wuyi mountains (notably Lapsang Souchong/Jin Jun Mei), it is most famous for its oolong teas. Due to the mountainous area that the tea is grown, Wuyi Oolongs are frequently referred to as yancha or rock/cliff oolong tea. This terroir and Wuyi oolong’s firing/processing methods contribute to the very distinctive taste of Wuyi yancha (this is sometimes referred to as yanyun. (more…)