Shu Recommendations for Sheng Lover

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

Sat Sep 26, 2020 6:10 pm

I cut my teeth on puer starting in my childhood with shu+chrysanthemum flowers during dim sum; however, when I got seriously into raw puer in my early adulthood I shied away from shu, thinking that it was inferior to aged, raw sheng. I've seen a lot more shu offerings from vendors now, and it's gotten me interested. What recommendations do people have for shu, preferably from Yunnan Sourcing or Crimson Lotus Tea (to add onto what I'm going to order). Thanks!
DailyTX
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Location: United States

Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:16 pm

maitre_tea wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 6:10 pm
I cut my teeth on puer starting in my childhood with shu+chrysanthemum flowers during dim sum; however, when I got seriously into raw puer in my early adulthood I shied away from shu, thinking that it was inferior to aged, raw sheng. I've seen a lot more shu offerings from vendors now, and it's gotten me interested. What recommendations do people have for shu, preferably from Yunnan Sourcing or Crimson Lotus Tea (to add onto what I'm going to order). Thanks!
@maitre_tea
I have had good experience with the CNNP 7581 from YS. It’s currently out of stock in their US shop. Their golden melon was also a good budget ripe

https://yunnansourcing.us/products/2007 ... 7fde&_ss=r

https://yunnansourcing.us/collections/r ... rh-tea-tuo
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StoneLadle
Posts: 347
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Location: Malaysia

Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:40 pm

Pre 2000 bricks of 7581 for the win!
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OCTO
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Location: Penang, Malaysia

Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:01 pm

StoneLadle wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:40 pm
Pre 2000 bricks of 7581 for the win!
I second that!. hahahaha..... 7581 is the first that came to my mind.
vuanguyen
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Location: San Jose, California

Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:08 pm

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OCTO
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Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:18 pm

vuanguyen wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:08 pm
OCTO StoneLadle Are these bricks the same? Would you choose one over the other?

https://teaswelike.com/product/90s-kunming-7581-brick/

https://globalteahut.org/collections/sh ... ppy-trails
@vuanguyen

Comparing the two, personal preference, I'm more inclined to lean towards TWL's stock of 7581. The colour of the dry leaves and the entire brick as a whole suggests a better storage condition that is not overly humid / wet.

Cheers!
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Stephen
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:26 pm
Location: Bay Area, California

Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:16 am

I've tried lots of shu puer from YS. Some of my favorites are out of stock now and I haven't sampled much in the past few years. Not sure your preferences so here's a range of options. Their house brand is pretty good too. I haven't bought tea from Crimson Lotus.

https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/ ... of-menghai
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/ ... h-tea-cake
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/ ... pu-erh-tea
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/ ... h-tea-cake
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/ ... ea-tuo-cha (this is the one if money is no object!)
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StoneLadle
Posts: 347
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Location: Malaysia

Sun Sep 27, 2020 2:32 am

OCTO wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:18 pm
vuanguyen wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:08 pm
OCTO StoneLadle Are these bricks the same? Would you choose one over the other?

https://teaswelike.com/product/90s-kunming-7581-brick/

https://globalteahut.org/collections/sh ... ppy-trails
vuanguyen

Comparing the two, personal preference, I'm more inclined to lean towards TWL's stock of 7581. The colour of the dry leaves and the entire brick as a whole suggests a better storage condition that is not overly humid / wet.

Cheers!
I would like to echo @OCTO on this one...

The TWL cake picture if accurate looks fluffy and chewy, like a brownie, pretty much like my own cakes of this stuff from a similar time period...

The other cake worries me as that "quality" sticker on the top right didn't start appearing in its various guises till the 2000s... Funny...
DailyTX
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Joined: Wed Jul 03, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: United States

Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:41 pm

I wonder if it’s the lighting. The other cake has 4 photos on their website, the 3rd photo that shows an unwrapped brick on top of two wrapped bricks. The wrappers look somewhat new.
maitre_tea
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 11:54 am
Location: Washington, DC

Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:31 pm

These are all good recommendations and I'll definitely include some of these with future orders. Thanks!
the_e
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:59 pm

Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:07 pm

StoneLadle wrote:
Sun Sep 27, 2020 2:32 am
OCTO wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:18 pm
vuanguyen wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:08 pm
OCTO StoneLadle Are these bricks the same? Would you choose one over the other?

https://teaswelike.com/product/90s-kunming-7581-brick/

https://globalteahut.org/collections/sh ... ppy-trails
vuanguyen

Comparing the two, personal preference, I'm more inclined to lean towards TWL's stock of 7581. The colour of the dry leaves and the entire brick as a whole suggests a better storage condition that is not overly humid / wet.

Cheers!
I would like to echo OCTO on this one...

The TWL cake picture if accurate looks fluffy and chewy, like a brownie, pretty much like my own cakes of this stuff from a similar time period...

The other cake worries me as that "quality" sticker on the top right didn't start appearing in its various guises till the 2000s... Funny...
+1. Old 7581s are so nice, as are older Hong Tai Chang shu cakes. Planning to open up one for mooncakes tomorrow. Light fermentation is where its at for good shu. I'm not a fan of the heavy modern fermentation.
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Nis
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Location: France

Fri Oct 02, 2020 3:23 pm

My experience with shu from YS isn't particularly extensive, but definitely try the 2019 Lao Man'e and the 1999 Menghai Basket Aged Loose Leaf Ripe. The Lao man'e is unlike most other shu you'll find.

The Hui Run cakes are sort of the high-end of the YS range of shu. I've tasted the 2011 and 2017, both of which were very nice indeed, but perhaps fairly typical shu.
You should also try some pure gong ting grade cakes. Endurance is lacking, but flavour can be really nice. Not sure which to recommend, though, since the only ones I've had are sold out.

For more suggestions, check out the TeaDB YouTube channel. James has done several episodes with YS ripes. He seems to really like the Ba Wang.
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aet
Vendor
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Location: Kunming ( China )

Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:07 pm

I believe that better than lifebuoy is to learn how to swim .

buy loose leaf - you get best price for quality , because no pressing & packaging fee involved , but the most importantly no branding ( that makes the highest margin , like from double price to what ever producer / vendor desires )
Brands like Dayi have tremendous mark up on what the material in cake is . ( they play investment game )

don't buy too old - false age claims on puerh are the very common and on shu puerh are the easiest to "get away" with ( for vendor ) , because it's not as easy as sheng to taste the age. The loose leaf is even more abused on age (story of forgotten batch is the most common one ;-) .
Shu pu is for drinking not for storing so get the real loose shu puerh very aged is very rare and on CN market very expensive.

You can buy 2020 very cheap and good quality loose shu pu and store in some jar to let it settle down. New shu doesn't have to always have strong "wo dui" if done well and not some cheap stock from Ba Gong Li ( Menghai ) .
You can get something for 2-5 years Kunming storage for good price as well. Store this one in some zip lock pouch if your environment is dry ( if u use heater in apartment )

If you insist on pressed , then choose something in simple wrap in bamboo leaf of what ever no name brand to avoid paying somebody for creating a nice picture and making them selves a name. Some semi big TF might offer ok price as well , but I would avoid those big ones.
I understand that for beginning puerh tea drinkers the chipping off the cake or brick is cool , very different from conventional and "boring" tea brewing ;-) of loose leaf. But at the end of the day , it is very up to you if you drink tea or label.

Try different areas ( Menghai, Lincang, Yongde, Puer, Guogan ) , different fermentation depths ( light, medium, dark ) , different grades ( gong ting, te ji , 2-5 grade , lao cha tou , huang pian ) , different brewings ( light red, dark red , soy /oil pitch black ) to get your very own sweet spot from Shu.

The most important , sample first!
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StoneLadle
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Location: Malaysia

Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:41 pm

@aet great stuff... Loose leaf PE is a bit of an anomaly for West facing vendors...

I didn't even think of mentioning it but loose PE can a great joy and bargain!
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aet
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Location: Kunming ( China )

Sat Oct 03, 2020 12:00 am

StoneLadle wrote:
Fri Oct 02, 2020 10:41 pm
Loose leaf PE is a bit of an anomaly for West facing vendors...
;-) yep, I know. We currently offer only around 20 products in loose Shu pu and mostly Asians buy though ;-)
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