Norbu is closing its online store

Chadrinkincat
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Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:17 pm

Bok wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 8:47 pm
But there might be a silver lining at the horizon – at least the good-bye message hints to a new venture happening in the future...

Selling premium, select tea for the Western market still is a real niche(and probably always will be). A lot of passion and commitment is needed for very little returns to me it seems... I've been toying with the idea a couple of times seen my geographical advantage, but it just seems not worth the effort.

Kudos to the ones who do it nonetheless!
I certainly wouldn’t complain if you started selling some teas.
.m.
Posts: 877
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Location: Prague

Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:49 am

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 8:25 pm
.m. wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 10:13 am
Chadrinkincat wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:59 am
its a bummer to see another long time vendor disappear.

On a side note Houde is officially offline now too.
There is this new website for Houde:
https://houdefinetea.com/
Interesting, thanks. Are you sure that’s a new site? I believe most of those yixing sold out awhile ago
I'm not sure how long it's been on or how updated it is. I've noticed it only very recently, while the old site was still on, and thought at that time that it was strange that there were 2 sites.
Ethan Kurland
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Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:33 pm

Bok wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 8:47 pm

Selling ... I've been toying with the idea a couple of times seen my geographical advantage, but it just seems not worth the effort.
For a man with a business, young family, & hobbies (you), I don't recommend it.
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Baisao
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Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:06 pm

DailyTX wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:41 am
.m. wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 10:13 am
Chadrinkincat wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:59 am
its a bummer to see another long time vendor disappear.

On a side note Houde is officially offline now too.
There is this new website for Houde:
https://houdefinetea.com/
I remember I browsed through HouDe's old website a year or two ago for ROC Yixing. Anyone purchased a pot from HouDe before want to chime in on the quality? :)
Nice teapots but sadly most appear to have been fake in the past. I have no doubt he believed in their authenticity though, so it’s not like he was tricking anyone but was more probably the victim of the person he bought through.

Teas were exceptional in the days before he handed it over to his wife. Guang knows his oolongs and he is a friendly fellow.
Chadrinkincat
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Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:25 pm

Baisao wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:06 pm
DailyTX wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:41 am
.m. wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 10:13 am

There is this new website for Houde:
https://houdefinetea.com/
I remember I browsed through HouDe's old website a year or two ago for ROC Yixing. Anyone purchased a pot from HouDe before want to chime in on the quality? :)
Nice teapots but sadly most appear to have been fake in the past. I have no doubt he believed in their authenticity though, so it’s not like he was tricking anyone but was more probably the victim of the person he bought through.

Teas were exceptional in the days before he handed it over to his wife. Guang knows his oolongs and he is a friendly fellow.
+1

Much harder 10yrs ago to verify claims about yixing.
DailyTX
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Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:40 pm

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:25 pm
Baisao wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:06 pm
DailyTX wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:41 am


I remember I browsed through HouDe's old website a year or two ago for ROC Yixing. Anyone purchased a pot from HouDe before want to chime in on the quality? :)
Nice teapots but sadly most appear to have been fake in the past. I have no doubt he believed in their authenticity though, so it’s not like he was tricking anyone but was more probably the victim of the person he bought through.

Teas were exceptional in the days before he handed it over to his wife. Guang knows his oolongs and he is a friendly fellow.
+1

Much harder 10yrs ago to verify claims about yixing.
Love this community, and you guys helped me learn more and more about Yixing each post :)
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Baisao
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Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:05 pm

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:25 pm
Baisao wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:06 pm
DailyTX wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:41 am


I remember I browsed through HouDe's old website a year or two ago for ROC Yixing. Anyone purchased a pot from HouDe before want to chime in on the quality? :)
Nice teapots but sadly most appear to have been fake in the past. I have no doubt he believed in their authenticity though, so it’s not like he was tricking anyone but was more probably the victim of the person he bought through.

Teas were exceptional in the days before he handed it over to his wife. Guang knows his oolongs and he is a friendly fellow.
+1

Much harder 10yrs ago to verify claims about yixing.
Indeed! And in this case I think it was the classic case of the trusted expert tricking the student into buying fakes, who unwittingly passes them on. I’ve seen this again and again in tea, suiseki/gongshi, pottery.
DailyTX
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Wed Dec 18, 2019 11:05 pm

debunix wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:57 am
Being selfish about certain things, I have secured as much Alishan Red Oolong as I could, and now I can recommend that, and the Ye Sheng log (delicately lemony and floral in the past, not sure what it might have aged into now, but I bought another few chunks to see), and the Yong De aged puerh leaf (didn't order this myself because I have some cakes).

The saddest part for me is that I could trust Greg's palate to interpret his descriptions accurately as to whether or not I would like a tea. It wasn't that I'd be equally enthusiastic about every one (although that was usually the case), but rather that I could read between the lines and know I'd really love this one and should certainly take a flyer on that one. So while there are a lot more online sources out there, there is *none* that I can trust to the same degree because of duration of relationship and diversity of teas.
@debunix
Trying out the Ye Sheng Wild Tea Log 2004 for the first time. It is certainly an interesting tea. The flavor profile taste different from pu erh, the color of the tea soup was dark creamy yellow, comparing to a 15 year aged pu erh that turns yellowish red. First steep has a strong lemon peel taste. By the 3 steeps onward, sweetness came, kinda like lemon ice tea served hot. I am very intrigued by this tea :o
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debunix
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Thu Dec 19, 2019 10:08 am

So glad you liked it. Now I've got a beeng's worth to enjoy, I hope for a long time to come.
oolongfan
Posts: 156
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Location: Indiana, USA

Fri Dec 20, 2019 6:44 pm

Norbu's 2004 Ye Sheng Wild Tea Log is wonderful yet different. It took me several sessions to figurethis out. I was brnad new to puerh at the time so the Ye Sheng almost tasted like herbal lemon tea meets sheng initially. Over time I finally 'got it' in a puerh perspective, noticing the more subtle creamy flavors. Now it is a favorite of mine. Not sure my budget will allow me to get some before the end of the year - we shall see.

I just picked up some more of Norbu's 1990s Loose Sheng to replace my dwindling supplies. I just posted a short review in the daily puerh thread so will not go into details except to say this is a wonderful example of how excellent loose aged puerh can be. It holds its own against my 1980s CNNP Yellow Mark sheng from Norbu in terms of depth and power. I even add in the tiny broken 'bits and piees' at the bottom of the bag -something I would normally avoid doing but in this case, even the broken pieces are excellent. If you wanted a stellar aged sheng, I highly recommend this. I would get several more bags of this if I had the funds.
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debunix
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Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:14 pm

I'd grab some of that if my puerh trunk were not running over....
DailyTX
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Sat Dec 21, 2019 3:34 pm

debunix wrote:
Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:14 pm
I'd grab some of that if my puerh trunk were not running over....
Time for a second puerh trunk :)
I recently migrated my puerh to a 4 shelves cabinet :D
DailyTX
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Sat Dec 21, 2019 3:41 pm

Sampling the Alishan red oolong today. The scent of the leaves reminded me of Dong Fong Mei Ren. When brewing in a gaiwan, it smells like a combination of Da Hong Pao tea. First sip has more Chinese red tea flavor, and afterward, the oolong flavor remains in the mouth.
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