Well known recipes, A Guide to?
Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2020 6:50 pm
Hi there everyone. I'm very new to pu'er tea and have just a handful (5) of cakes. So far I've just gotten the gist of the differences between shu and sheng pu'er. Initially I really dislikes sheng but after trying and trying again I've learnt to enjoy one of my slightly older cakes.
I'm still perplexed by the bafflingly complex and honestly intimidating world of pu. There are so many factors and mysteries, not helped at all by the fact that I don't read Chinese. There are collectors, storage techniques, ageing, brands, fakes, record-breaking prices, spoilage... It's all very intimidating, but also exciting because of all the possibilities and the flavours.
Then there's the choices. So far I've bought cakes that I've been recommended to by people on forums like this one. It's a great start, but I find myself asking, "How do people know about specific recipes and cakes"? Unlike other teas, the fame of specific named pu'er makes seem to precede them, like there's a universal catalogue or guide out there. I've read how the "numbers" work, and that some like 8582 are famous, but I need to know: how do you know?
What makes a cake famous? How and where do you know of it's fame? Is there a list of the most famous recipes? Are they worth trying out, even once? What about newer, unnumbered cakes- are there famous ones too- or are all assigned numbers? I can't seem to find any information about this "system".
Is it just heard through forums and word of mouth? Is there a good guide out there? I'm trying to get a good book on pu in general but I'm not sure that's the answer.
I know the best way is to drink, drink and drink, which I intend to do, but it would be helpful if there were a guide describing the famous cakes out there. Anyone?
And thanks for reading the long post.
I'm still perplexed by the bafflingly complex and honestly intimidating world of pu. There are so many factors and mysteries, not helped at all by the fact that I don't read Chinese. There are collectors, storage techniques, ageing, brands, fakes, record-breaking prices, spoilage... It's all very intimidating, but also exciting because of all the possibilities and the flavours.
Then there's the choices. So far I've bought cakes that I've been recommended to by people on forums like this one. It's a great start, but I find myself asking, "How do people know about specific recipes and cakes"? Unlike other teas, the fame of specific named pu'er makes seem to precede them, like there's a universal catalogue or guide out there. I've read how the "numbers" work, and that some like 8582 are famous, but I need to know: how do you know?
What makes a cake famous? How and where do you know of it's fame? Is there a list of the most famous recipes? Are they worth trying out, even once? What about newer, unnumbered cakes- are there famous ones too- or are all assigned numbers? I can't seem to find any information about this "system".
Is it just heard through forums and word of mouth? Is there a good guide out there? I'm trying to get a good book on pu in general but I'm not sure that's the answer.
I know the best way is to drink, drink and drink, which I intend to do, but it would be helpful if there were a guide describing the famous cakes out there. Anyone?
And thanks for reading the long post.