What Pu'er Are You Drinking

Puerh and other heicha
Andrew S
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Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:20 pm

@wave_code: I don't have experience with younger teas, but I do think that loose old (1990s or thereabouts) pu er can offer a very pleasant drinking experience, whereas many 1990s cakes (even those with a little bit of humid storage early on in their lives) are still too young for me.

The difficulty might be finding good quality loose tea that hasn't been stored badly, especially when there are often no brands to go off of (at least for the older ones), and you just have to trust the vendor to have picked a decent one and to have described it accurately.

@LeoFox: I don't really know what "artisan Hong Kong storage" means, as mentioned on their website, but perhaps it helps to explain the overall pleasant experience of your still-young tea.

Your description reminded me of some slightly humidly-stored late 1990s and early 2000s pu er cakes that I've tried, which had a bit too much smoke, bitterness or astringency in the first few infusions, but which then had a smoothness in later infusions which I think the storage contributed to.

Andrew
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LeoFox
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Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:24 pm

@Andrew S, I thought you had quite a lot of sunsing before?

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Andrew S
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Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:34 pm

Ah, you're right, I missed the reference to Sunsing in the title.

I've been playing with a few small early 2000s samples that they gave me, and they present similarly to yours (and others around that time period with humid storage); young at the start, but then smoother and more pleasant. They still feel young, but I can drink them without complaining too much.

And I think that that's the objective with their kind of storage; not to turn a young tea into a cooked tea, but rather just to smooth out the rough edges and change its nature to something more mellow and pleasant to drink.

Andrew
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LeoFox
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Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:39 pm

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:34 pm
And I think that that's the objective with their kind of storage; not to turn a young tea into a cooked tea, but rather just to smooth out the rough edges and change its nature to something more mellow and pleasant to drink.
Andrew
This is a deep insight. Thank you
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Bok
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Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:31 pm

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:34 pm
And I think that that's the objective with their kind of storage; not to turn a young tea into a cooked tea, but rather just to smooth out the rough edges and change its nature to something more mellow and pleasant to drink.
I do think they are doing a pretty good job with their teas, they are consistently clean and pleasant to drink, while I did not like all I had from them, none I would have described as being disgusting or undrinkable as so many other Puerh I had over the years from various sources.

And none of the guess-work-fake-or/not-am-i-being-ripped-off-circus that seems to make up most of the Puerh trade, which is good on the nerves...
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Tea Adventures
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Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:02 am

Starting the day with a 2007 Mangzhi sheng puerh. Stored by Sunsing Tea in Hong Kong.

Got a new teapot and wanted to try it with sheng of 10-15 years old. It’s doing a good job so far...
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Bok
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Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:13 am

Tea Adventures wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:02 am
Got a new teapot and wanted to try it with sheng of 10-15 years old. It’s doing a good job so far...
It arrived! Let's see if it lives up to expectations!
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Bok
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Sun Jul 11, 2021 7:33 am

I really do like this reduction fired Chaozhou pot for Sheng…
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Balthazar
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 3:06 am

Drinking the late 90s Yee On Tea loose sheng this morning. Having consumed about 100 grams of this, I'm still not able to determine whether or not it's really sheng, or some sort of bansheng/banshu. I've heard it can be hard to tell with these Hong Kong stored loose puers, and I have had very few of them. Putting that puzzle to rest, in the end it doesn't matter.

I like it quite a bit, especially for a morning brew. Warming, energetic and a very nice texture (like a good liubao).
Andrew S
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Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:52 am

@Balthazar: is this one of the two 1999 loose teas on their website, or something else?

I haven't yet tried them, though they seem interesting. My usual concern is getting 1990s tea that's too young or youthful. and not old enough or wet enough, so it sounds alright from your description.

At least, "energetic" sounds promising, and in line with other old loose raw puer that I've tried. They usually lose their storage character in the first few infusions, and then surrender more of their original raw character in subsequent brews.

Andrew
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Balthazar
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Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:23 am

Andrew S wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:52 am
Balthazar: is this one of the two 1999 loose teas on their website, or something else?
Nope, this one was bought through one of those FB auction pages. Loose teas always go for quite cheap on there, no doubt due to the fact that it's anyone's guess what they really are (and very little or no value as an investment).

From the description, if you're curious:
茶廠:(港)義安茶莊 特訂(邊境古樹茶)
年份:1990年末
規格: 200公克一袋
生熟: 生茶 木質樟香 藥香浮現 茶性溫和 身體發微熱 幫助循環 氣通胃順 回甘生津 湯色很漂亮紅潤 如圖所示 這種類型的散茶市場已經很少看得到了 好茶共享
茶倉:輕港倉 後期台灣自然倉 老韻陳香
Andrew S wrote:
Sat Jul 17, 2021 1:52 am
They usually lose their storage character in the first few infusions, and then surrender more of their original raw character in subsequent brews.
This one does that too. The raw character comes through after 3-4 brews, and it's this character (together with the energy) that has me thinking it's either a mix of sheng and (lightly fermented) shu or all sheng. But I'm not experienced enough with loose puer to conclude either way.
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wave_code
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Tue Jul 27, 2021 10:22 am

bouncing between a couple Sunsing samples from Anmo the last few days - so far mainly the white wrapper tuo and the Master Loo brick.

The white wrapper tuo is a nice tea - its very clean, has a bit of but not overwhelming sweetness, basically an all around solid but simple shu. Maybe so so clean and as to not have so much character going for it even... but maybe I need to give it another go pushing the leaf ratio a bit, see what it brings out. I think this is a great introductory shu for people who think all HK tea is nasty or have only had young motor oil shu to get a sense of something a bit more subtle and mellow. The tea has good longevity, quite relaxing, so while it is kind of simple its really nice and relaxing to drink. Great as a good quality everyday tea when you want something good but not fussy. Has a pretty noticeable effect on the body for such a mellow tasting tea.

The Master Loo brick is the deluxe version then. I notice it tastes a little different every time. Overall I feel like its like a higher quality or more amped up combination of Yee On's Fuloushu and Best Taste if blended together, and has a very similar overall sweet sticky rice smell taste that probably is the result of the storage. Still very clean, but having a bit more character than the white wrapper. Today was coming out very sweet, while last time it wasn't quite as sweet but had a bit more roasted coffee and nutty character as well as a bit of something like a faded-out smoke taste. Strong root beer/sarsaparilla type flavor, a nicely aged rather than wet wood type flavor under everything, also a bit more mineral rich. Also really good longevity and both relaxing but up lifting so you don't wind up in too much of a fog. This one I can see wanting to have a couple bricks around.

Both of these have been really nice and I'm sure I'll wind up grabbing more of one if not both, and it makes me feel pretty confident about the profile of their shu that I'm curious to pick up the Old Tree mini brick.
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mbanu
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Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:12 pm

Been tempted to post but it's just the same teas -- curse of being a slow tea-drinker. :lol: My appreciation for Nor Sun keeps growing. It is what it is, which is a Hong Kong traditional-storage raw/ripe blend, but also a great example of pu'er blending skill. I think maybe this would be the pu'er I would recommend to a loose-tea drinker who is intrigued by pu'er but who doesn't want to buy cakes or build a pumidor or do any hobbyist things that are much different than standard loose-leaf hobbyism. "Store it in the top cupboard where it will be warm, and don't forget to rinse the tea" is enough, I think, and makes it easier to incorporate pu'er into their usual teatimes. No need for a Yixing teapot, although like the tar in a heavy Lapsang Souchong, people tend to quickly decide whether the moldy notes in traditional-storage are right for them.
Andrew S
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Fri Aug 06, 2021 6:39 pm

@mbanu: I agree with you that traditionally-stored loose puer is the best way to dip into the world of aged puer, and probably the best way to start on puer more generally (and it is certainly conducive to drinking the same tea every day).

Most Western vendors only sell young cakes of puer, and when people start out trying puer, it can be hard to understand what an aged raw puer can taste and feel like (hence the typical and understandable questions on forums such as 'does old puer start to taste like cooked puer' or similar). Of course, not everyone enjoys traditional storage flavours, and many people seem to enjoy only very dry-stored or very young puer for some reason, but my own feeling is that if a person can't find any enjoyment in a traditionally-stored puer, then there is a good chance that they won't find much enjoyment in aged puer more generally, and they should perhaps treat puer just like any other tea that should be consumed if it tastes nice and discarded if it does not, rather than as some sort of investment where bad-tasting tea is said to 'need more time'.

This morning I'm enjoying a 1970s loose leaf puer that EoT sold a few years ago. I don't drink young puer, so I can't talk much about the characteristics of different regions, but this tea reminds me of the few aged and young Bulang puers that I've had. It has a certain 'Bulang bite' to it, which comes through quite strongly despite the age.

Of course, it also creates a powerful sense of tranquility. It can be hard to describe the different feelings that different teas can provide, but for me, this one is a feeling that makes me want to watch the world go by my window.

It will be very interesting to see how the young puers that were made in the 2000s will have matured in a few decades. Assuming, of course, that they haven't all been consumed while they were young, that enough of them received sufficiently-humid storage to be able to mature gracefully, and that they're not as expensive in the future as a red label is right now.

Andrew
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Balthazar
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Thu Aug 26, 2021 7:05 am

2006 CNNP Yiwu Yesheng "Classic Grade" - There's two version of this tea with green tree wrappers: the 380g "Classic Grade" and the 357g "Special Grade" . And then there's a 357g version of the "Classic Grade" with a different wrapper. I'm having the latter.

This has aged nicely in its Taiwan storage and is very drinkable at present (doubt it's gonna more). A simple and reliable tea. I appreciate the fact that it has not appreciated much in price (this is true for both grades).

Funfact: Apparently the usage of "yesheng" (wild) on puer wrappers became illegal some time in 2006, so the word no longer appears on productions after 2007
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