What Pu'er Are You Drinking

Puerh and other heicha
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wave_code
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Sat May 29, 2021 1:13 pm

very cool handle @Bok - it looks like a cloud, or a wisp of smoke expanding as it rises. given your ummm... feeling on pu, I'd actually be kinda curious how you tend to brew it in a way you are finding enjoyable.

Tried some of a 2006 Tulin brick the other day as part of my trying out more "big" pot brewing as well as being curious to try out more Tulin teas. While its not exactly premium end tea, and this one was stored pretty dry I think, something about the profile of their teas is appealing to me at the moment. Their shu I have tried before is very clean, almost non-descript in a way, but maybe that means its just more of a blank canvas that can be pushed one way or another depending on its storage. I have to try this one at higher proportions and in another pot to see how much of this is the tea or brewing method, but I actually really liked it and found it super easy drinking. 5-6g in around 200ml, going for double length steep times as I would otherwise and was really pleased with the results. Plenty of flavor, floral and honey notes, sweetness, very little to no bitterness or astringency, no unpleasant overpowering qi, easy on the stomach. Perhaps hinting at the frightening prospect that if it has enough age and is good enough tea I might be able to find more sheng I enjoy than I previously thought?
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debunix
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Sat May 29, 2021 2:36 pm

2012 Autumn Yi Wu Purple Sheng from Yunnan Sourcing, enjoyed from a Petr Novak shino cup and treebark pot.
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Sweet, earthy, hint of tart, subtlest herbaceous bitter notes in the aftertaste. Mmmm.

Editing now to note I was enjoying this one through a 15th infusion--I was keeping track. Stopped as it was getting thin, and I want to start fresh today because I just was looking at my puerhs that I have been ignoring....but it could have gone a few more.
Last edited by debunix on Sun May 30, 2021 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bok
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Sun May 30, 2021 12:04 am

@wave_code haha, it’s not so much about how I brew it, rather than the quality of the tea. I can only stomach good Puerh, but I can’t be bothered to dig through a pile of shit, pay a lot of money on the way, to find the good ones. That effort is not well invested, if I can get excellent Oolongs so much more effortlessly : )

Come to the rescue a few good friends who feed my occasional crave for Puerh.

I find Puerh requires very little attention on how to brew it. Rinse once(if it needs twice, I’d rather not drink it at all), then just brew. The beauty of it is that it goes long enough that one over-steep doesn’t affect what follows, just adjust on the go. Always very hot water and a little less leaf than what I’d use for oolong. That’s it. No magic.
DailyTX
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Sun May 30, 2021 1:21 am

Puerh definitely needs more work. I just finished cleaning a cake of CNNP 8891. After dusting off the particles left behind of bugs that chew the wrapper, I found a small patch of plastic :( Took out the patch of plastic along with a sample amount of tea. The tea still needs more time. Time to put it away until next time :lol:
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Bok
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:29 am

Repeating myself with still the same tea, yet another long neglected teapot…

Mangzhi.
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klepto
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:02 am

2019 Da Xue Shan Wild Raw Puerh:

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. Tried some nice Hojo pu samples in a nosaka reduction pot.
Very woodsy but a full flavored grape aftertaste. it also seems to be a muscle relaxer because it tucked me into bed.
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LeoFox
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:06 am

klepto wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:02 am
2019 Da Xue Shan Wild Raw Puerh:

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. Tried some nice Hojo pu samples in a nosaka reduction pot.
Very woodsy but a full flavored grape aftertaste. it also seems to be a muscle relaxer because it tucked me into bed.
That one is very similar to oolong and white tea in my opinion. A great pu for someone who doesn't like pu (like me) hahaha
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klepto
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:22 am

LeoFox wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:06 am
klepto wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:02 am
2019 Da Xue Shan Wild Raw Puerh:

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. Tried some nice Hojo pu samples in a nosaka reduction pot.
Very woodsy but a full flavored grape aftertaste. it also seems to be a muscle relaxer because it tucked me into bed.
That one is very similar to oolong and white tea in my opinion. A great pu for someone who doesn't like pu (like me) hahaha
I for sure don't like funk or barnyard in any pu so I'm in your camp Leo :D
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LeoFox
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:55 am

klepto wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:22 am
LeoFox wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:06 am
klepto wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:02 am
2019 Da Xue Shan Wild Raw Puerh:

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. Tried some nice Hojo pu samples in a nosaka reduction pot.
Very woodsy but a full flavored grape aftertaste. it also seems to be a muscle relaxer because it tucked me into bed.
That one is very similar to oolong and white tea in my opinion. A great pu for someone who doesn't like pu (like me) hahaha
I for sure don't like funk or barnyard in any pu so I'm in your camp Leo :D
I cant deal with the soul crushing astringency and bitterness common in many pu even aged up to 20-30 years..


I heard you had a lot from mei leaf. How does it compare?
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klepto
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:51 pm

I've never had any Mei Leaf tea but I've had plenty of TWL puerh. My preferences have shifted so I drink oolong and hong cha a lot more these days.
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LeoFox
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:59 pm

klepto wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:51 pm
I've never had any Mei Leaf tea but I've had plenty of TWL puerh. My preferences have shifted so I drink oolong and hong cha a lot more these days.
So based on the above, the twl pu you tried had banyard funk? Am curious to know which ones you tried.
oolongfan
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:45 pm

After a long hiatus I am glad to be back. Been a crazy year but still managed to drink some tea and find some new treasures.

At this point I might as well change my name to Puerhfan because I have fallen down the puerh rabbit hole. I blame Tingjunkie since he sent me my first puerh sample, the lovely 2000 EOT Green Peacock sheng.

Now having said all this, I hope to rectify things by getting some oolong teas from Ethan soon so that I may again proudly bear my forum moniker ;)

My biggest discovery this year has been the vendor Puerh Junky. I know that some of you are alreedy familiar with Puerh Junky’s wonderful offerings, so I am hoping some of you will share your favorites. For me Puerh Junky has filled a huge gap in my puerh collection because most of my tea is either relatively newer ‘boutique’ productions or else a few early 2000s or earlier factory productions. I had quite a gap what I will call the ‘sorta aged collection. In addition to fill the age gap (pardon the pun) PJ has also been extremely generous in sharing both samples and information which has increased my puerh knowledge without ever shilling product. PJ joins the ranks with Norbu Tea and Essence of Tea for me, as being a guide of sorts as opposed to simply pushing tea, and I am always grateful to those vendors who share information simply for the sake of sharing.

Starting with my favorite Puerh Junky acquisition, I present to you the 2004 6FTM Ji Xing/Lucky Brand sheng. This was not listed but I was given a sample with my order and eventually I convinced PJ to part with this treasure. Right away this is unique to me since most Lucky productions I have seen were commissioned under CNNP unlike this one is 6FTM. The wrapper and Nefei design are also unique compared against the other Lucky or 6FTM productions. The profile is leaf hummus (think the aroma of Autumn leaves on a rainy day), parchment, soft spiced earth, brown sugar, hints of browned butter and drying tannins at the end. I associate this profile with certain aged Yiwus but this has (in my experience) much more strength and structure than those Yiwu-Yiwu blends of similar age. This is a tea I have to remind myself not to overleaf unlike most teas of this profile. Despite its incredible refined gentle profile it has a lot of power which reveals itself during the session. I hesitate as always to describe Qi but this seems to have a calming but restorative effect. Hands down one of my favorite aged teas ever tasted, especially in this style as most examples are often too understated or else lack structure and endurance. This is also unique in that it is not dominated so much by caramel or brown sugar but by leaf hummus notes with the former notes playing a supporting role (instead of the usual dominant in aged examples of this profile). The drying tannins are gentle but enough to suggest this could age some more without losing structure. A stunning almost haunting tea that lingers on the mind long after being consumed, possessing a siren like ability to keep one’s attention. I would strongly encourage anyone who like aged tea to contact Puerh Junky to see if there are samples left.

I have included a few pictures of the wrapper and tea, taken on a cloudy day in natural light.
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olivierd
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Location: Paris, France

Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:35 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:06 am
That one is very similar to oolong and white tea in my opinion. A great pu for someone who doesn't like pu (like me) hahaha
I love that one :lol: , can’t stop laughing !
Nothing wrong about not liking pu or green or red. I hate red till now, it might change but often you’re told « you must like it or you don’t understand ». Well I’m stupid but still I don’t like it...
oolongfan
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:26 pm

Some more tea from Puerh Junky, all sheng/raw available on his site:

2007 CNNP/Kunming Factory ‘Thick Zen’ – The description Puerh Junky’s site is spot on. Thick apricot syrup like taste, honey, hints of camphor, some wood spice. with no bitterness and very little astringency. You can leaf this super heavy and will not get any bitterness - only thicker apricot syrups notes. Has a nice thick glycerol texture. This is a steal for the price which is a good thing since this is dangerously quaffable. I bought two cakes of this a few months ago and have almost finished one.

2007 CNNP/Kunming Factory ‘Water Blue Mark’
– Deep plum notes, honey, golden raisins, and lovely soft smoke and sweet straw. The fruits and honey are all deep toned as opposed to bright and light. The smoke and straw provides a wonderful balance to the former, almost like mincemeat but different. Another one that I got two cakes because I keep reaching for this almost every tea session. A little astringency that provides a nice lift to deep rich fruits. Nice thick texture.

2007 6FTM Poison Series 5 Sons Pass the Exam – This has a wonderful mincemeat quality like the Blue Mark but with more complexity and depth. Mincemeat like with notes of fig, candied bacon, plums, parchment, autumn leaves, and gentle smoke. Some elegent astringnecy underneath. This is beautifully complex and structured, already feeling quite balanced but promises to evolve even more. I could see this gaining incense and additional notes as this feels like it is only starting to reveal itself. One for aging but also a delight to drink now. On my list to buy. This is listed just as 6FTM Poison Series on the website.
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mrmopu
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Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:04 pm

oolongfan wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:26 pm
Some more tea from Puerh Junky, all sheng/raw available on his site:

2007 CNNP/Kunming Factory ‘Thick Zen’ – The description Puerh Junky’s site is spot on. Thick apricot syrup like taste, honey, hints of camphor, some wood spice. with no bitterness and very little astringency. You can leaf this super heavy and will not get any bitterness - only thicker apricot syrups notes. Has a nice thick glycerol texture. This is a steal for the price which is a good thing since this is dangerously quaffable. I bought two cakes of this a few months ago and have almost finished one.

2007 CNNP/Kunming Factory ‘Water Blue Mark’
– Deep plum notes, honey, golden raisins, and lovely soft smoke and sweet straw. The fruits and honey are all deep toned as opposed to bright and light. The smoke and straw provides a wonderful balance to the former, almost like mincemeat but different. Another one that I got two cakes because I keep reaching for this almost every tea session. A little astringency that provides a nice lift to deep rich fruits. Nice thick texture.

2007 6FTM Poison Series 5 Sons Pass the Exam – This has a wonderful mincemeat quality like the Blue Mark but with more complexity and depth. Mincemeat like with notes of fig, candied bacon, plums, parchment, autumn leaves, and gentle smoke. Some elegent astringnecy underneath. This is beautifully complex and structured, already feeling quite balanced but promises to evolve even more. I could see this gaining incense and additional notes as this feels like it is only starting to reveal itself. One for aging but also a delight to drink now. On my list to buy. This is listed just as 6FTM Poison Series on the website.
PJ has some nice gems in his shop. I try and not tell about him so I can stash a bit more for myself.....
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