Getting back in the game

Puerh and other heicha
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maitre_tea
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:54 am
Location: Washington, DC

Wed Sep 02, 2020 9:48 pm

I started dabbling in puerh around 2009, taking a break after 2015 when I got busy and lived abroad until earlier this year. I've got 36 cakes in a makeshift pumidor - a shelving unit inside a hydroponic grow tent with a large container of water with an aquarium heater to keep it warm and more humid.

I've been getting back into tea and I'm looking to add to my collection. Luckily, with a little more disposable income now than when I was in my 20s, I can afford some nicer stuff. Put in orders for samples from YS and King Tea Mall, ordering a lot of the same thing from both vendors, so I'm looking forward to comparing the difference storage can make.
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StoneLadle
Posts: 347
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2020 12:19 am
Location: Malaysia

Thu Sep 03, 2020 5:31 am

Hey there!

How old are your tented cakes?? What do they taste like?

What have you ordered?

What are you drinking??

We wanna know!!!
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mrmopu
Posts: 269
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:48 am
Location: Blacksburg Va.
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Thu Sep 03, 2020 5:59 am

I am in the game too and would like to hear of your notes as well.
maitre_tea
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:54 am
Location: Washington, DC

Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:07 am

StoneLadle wrote:
Thu Sep 03, 2020 5:31 am
Hey there!

How old are your tented cakes?? What do they taste like?

What have you ordered?

What are you drinking??

We wanna know!!!
I've collected the following cakes so far:

1. 2009 7542
2. 2009 8582
3. 2002 MengKu Jing Pin - I got this off of Tao Bao. Woody with a slight Chinese medicinal flavor. Creamy with incredible throatiness,
4.2002 Xiajuan Jia Ji Tuo - I got this off of Tao Bao to age - haven't cracked into them yet
5. 1990s Hen Li Chang Bu Lang - I got this from EoT. Calming cha qi with bitterness that turns into sweetness around the fourth infusion. Very mellow and smooth.
6. 2006 2nd Southeast Asia Puerh Trade Memorial
7. 2001 Yong Pin Hao Yiwu Zheng Shan - Bought from PuerhShop the only thing I liked enough to buy a tong (it was also incredibly affordable) - hints of cocoa, very thick mouthfeel, and herbal-like aroma
8. 2008 EoT Mansai. I retasted this one recently, and I think it's in awkward phase...I remember it being a bit smoky when I first got it.
9. 2001 Ding Xing Yiwu - I got one cake from EoT and bought another one from someone. Aroma of longan, mint, and camphor. Fruitiness, good mouthfeel, and lingering aftertaste
10. 2010 Naka mini-cakes (private production)
11. Some 2006 Bu Lang cakes I bought in Shanghai

I got a bunch of 2004 - 2006 Changtai samples from YS and King Tea Mall to compare head-to-head. I also a sample of the 2006 Pasha Mountain Gu Shu from YS. I'm looking for middle aged puerh - something 10-15 years old that's a little aged and drinkable now, but could do with another 10 years of storage to turn into something magical. Value is still important to me and the idea of spending more than $150 on a cake is still a little hard for me to do. The market has definitely changed since I was away - some vendors have gone silent and other ones have popped up in their place. A lot of bloggers I followed have also gone silent, so I'm learning where to go for reputable reviews.

So far I've been re-tasting everything and just seeing how my stuff has changed in the last five years.
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OCTO
Posts: 1120
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:25 pm
Location: Penang, Malaysia

Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:23 am

@maitre_tea

Welcome back!! Looking forward to reading more from you!

Cheers!
the_e
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:59 pm

Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:20 pm

maitre_tea wrote:
Thu Sep 03, 2020 8:07 am
I've collected the following cakes so far:

1. 2009 7542
2. 2009 8582
3. 2002 MengKu Jing Pin - I got this off of Tao Bao. Woody with a slight Chinese medicinal flavor. Creamy with incredible throatiness,
4.2002 Xiajuan Jia Ji Tuo - I got this off of Tao Bao to age - haven't cracked into them yet
5. 1990s Hen Li Chang Bu Lang - I got this from EoT. Calming cha qi with bitterness that turns into sweetness around the fourth infusion. Very mellow and smooth.
6. 2006 2nd Southeast Asia Puerh Trade Memorial
7. 2001 Yong Pin Hao Yiwu Zheng Shan - Bought from PuerhShop the only thing I liked enough to buy a tong (it was also incredibly affordable) - hints of cocoa, very thick mouthfeel, and herbal-like aroma
8. 2008 EoT Mansai. I retasted this one recently, and I think it's in awkward phase...I remember it being a bit smoky when I first got it.
9. 2001 Ding Xing Yiwu - I got one cake from EoT and bought another one from someone. Aroma of longan, mint, and camphor. Fruitiness, good mouthfeel, and lingering aftertaste
10. 2010 Naka mini-cakes (private production)
11. Some 2006 Bu Lang cakes I bought in Shanghai

I got a bunch of 2004 - 2006 Changtai samples from YS and King Tea Mall to compare head-to-head. I also a sample of the 2006 Pasha Mountain Gu Shu from YS. I'm looking for middle aged puerh - something 10-15 years old that's a little aged and drinkable now, but could do with another 10 years of storage to turn into something magical. Value is still important to me and the idea of spending more than $150 on a cake is still a little hard for me to do. The market has definitely changed since I was away - some vendors have gone silent and other ones have popped up in their place. A lot of bloggers I followed have also gone silent, so I'm learning where to go for reputable reviews.

So far I've been re-tasting everything and just seeing how my stuff has changed in the last five years.
Super curious to hear how your 2002 XG tuos are doing. I have a bunch of 03 XG tuos myself that I haven't touched in awhile.
maitre_tea
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:54 am
Location: Washington, DC

Wed Sep 30, 2020 7:52 am

I haven't broken into any of my Xiaguan tuo - I'm waiting until they're aged enough that I can pry off some leaves without having to use a pick axe
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mbanu
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Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:25 pm

What kind of pu'er do you like? Taiwanese dry-stored? Hong Kong "traditional storage"? Young sheng that is drinkable fresh? Dim sum style shou? Gong fu style shou?
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mrmopu
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Location: Blacksburg Va.
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Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:31 pm

I have some good Taiwan stored stuff I just got in. A bunch is actually still fairly affordable for the age on it. A couple HK Henrys , some Changtai Bamboo Forest, T8653 and some custom 8582's HK style.
maitre_tea
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:54 am
Location: Washington, DC

Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:15 pm

mbanu wrote:
Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:25 pm
What kind of pu'er do you like? Taiwanese dry-stored? Hong Kong "traditional storage"? Young sheng that is drinkable fresh? Dim sum style shou? Gong fu style shou?
To me the ideal puerh is one that has a thick liquor that coats the throat and has good hui gan - I gravitate towards woodsy, dark fruit, medicinal, and camphor flavors. I'm not afraid of a little geosmin (what happened with calling it tasting like dirt?). I don't like young sheng - I used to drink it more often but it was only with the purpose of identifying teas that I want to age. My collection leans Bu Lang with some recent acquisitions, and I'm not the biggest fan of Yiwu or Nannuo (I have a few, but they're the exception, not the rule). Give me a tea with some trousers and heft to it. Dim sum style shou was what I grew up, and I'm rediscovering my appreciation for shou.
Last edited by maitre_tea on Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
maitre_tea
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:54 am
Location: Washington, DC

Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:20 pm

mrmopu wrote:
Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:31 pm
I have some good Taiwan stored stuff I just got in. A bunch is actually still fairly affordable for the age on it. A couple HK Henrys , some Changtai Bamboo Forest, T8653 and some custom 8582's HK style.
Maybe we can meet half-way some day between DC and Blacksburg - maybe somewhere in Staunton? :D

I remember trying the HK Henry 10 years ago and passing on it - I'd be very interested to see how it's aged and if it tastes better now.
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mrmopu
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Location: Blacksburg Va.
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Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:25 am

maitre_tea wrote:
Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:20 pm
mrmopu wrote:
Wed Oct 07, 2020 8:31 pm
I have some good Taiwan stored stuff I just got in. A bunch is actually still fairly affordable for the age on it. A couple HK Henrys , some Changtai Bamboo Forest, T8653 and some custom 8582's HK style.
Maybe we can meet half-way some day between DC and Blacksburg - maybe somewhere in Staunton? :D

I remember trying the HK Henry 10 years ago and passing on it - I'd be very interested to see how it's aged and if it tastes better now.
Could be a possibility. Although Natural Bridge is awful pretty this time of year.
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Victoria
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Thu Oct 08, 2020 10:31 am

mrmopu wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:25 am
Could be a possibility. Although Natural Bridge is awful pretty this time of year.
Brings back memories thinking of Natural Bridge, Va. What a great place.
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mrmopu
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Location: Blacksburg Va.
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Fri Oct 09, 2020 5:32 am

Victoria wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 10:31 am
mrmopu wrote:
Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:25 am
Could be a possibility. Although Natural Bridge is awful pretty this time of year.
Brings back memories thinking of Natural Bridge, Va. What a great place.
Yeah we haven't tripped there this year due to the virus. Maybe next Summer if all goes well.
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