Global Tea Hut

Tetsubin
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Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:13 pm

oeroe wrote:
Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:02 am
Tetsubin wrote:
Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:57 am
I have tried a few of their sheng puerh. They all have this shou puerh note to them. Some have more of this "fermented taste" then others. Why is this, does anybody know?
Which ones? The older shengs have probably seen quite varying storage, and well, aged sheng ferments, if there's enough humidity. Honestly, I have hard time believing that their young sheng would have shou-like taste, but maybe you're really sensitive to the humid climate flavour?
I have tried their late 90:s 8582,7542,7532, Cinnabar (90:s maocha) and blue mark. they all have this shou note. But I would say that Blue Mark and Cinnabar has the most fermented taste. I do like the energy the best of those teas though, and those are the ones I drink the most of from them.
oeroe
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Fri Nov 01, 2019 3:41 am

Tetsubin wrote:
Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:13 pm
oeroe wrote:
Thu Oct 31, 2019 6:02 am
Tetsubin wrote:
Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:57 am
I have tried a few of their sheng puerh. They all have this shou puerh note to them. Some have more of this "fermented taste" then others. Why is this, does anybody know?
Which ones? The older shengs have probably seen quite varying storage, and well, aged sheng ferments, if there's enough humidity. Honestly, I have hard time believing that their young sheng would have shou-like taste, but maybe you're really sensitive to the humid climate flavour?
I have tried their late 90:s 8582,7542,7532, Cinnabar (90:s maocha) and blue mark. they all have this shou note. But I would say that Blue Mark and Cinnabar has the most fermented taste. I do like the energy the best of those teas though, and those are the ones I drink the most of from them.
For me, it seems that those are old enough, and aged humid enough :D Well, I guess it's a difference in preference/climate, maybe other pu of similar age you've had has been from dryer sources! As Bok said, it can be humid there!
For teas which they store, I know they measure humidity and take measures to keep it in check.
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Brent D
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Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:18 pm

Global tea hut is showing a 1998 7542 bing for $150
Am i missing something? Ive always considered them to be top notch although a bit pricey.
Isnt that like a $400+ cake?
John_B
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Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:11 pm

Brent D wrote:
Mon Nov 18, 2019 8:18 pm
Global tea hut is showing a 1998 7542 bing for $150
Am i missing something? Ive always considered them to be top notch although a bit pricey.
Isnt that like a $400+ cake?
That was discussed and answered in a Pu'er Tea Club Facebook post thread.

The 7542 is listed on the captured product description, which more or less directly states that it's a copy, a look-alike remade version from a different producer, presented as identical in age (really from 1998).

It's hard enough to verify if a real (known-version and producer) tea is really what it is but copies like that could be anything, or to some extent any age too. Establishing market value, given that it is exactly as it is presented, wouldn't be easy either. If it's possible to buy a sample that would definitely determine relative value for any given consumer.
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Brent D
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Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:50 am

Ya, I was the one that posted it in the FB group. Confirmed my suspicions of non Menghai, but even so, $150 for a 98' cake still leaves many questions.
DailyTX
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Wed Nov 20, 2019 5:41 pm

Brent D wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:50 am
Ya, I was the one that posted it in the FB group. Confirmed my suspicions of non Menghai, but even so, $150 for a 98' cake still leaves many questions.
$150 for a 1998 7542 definitely is questionable. I had my fair share of dilemma a few months ago when I encountered a tong of small yellow mark zhongcha at an old Chinese tea shop in US selling for 40 usd per cake. The seller told me it was imported 10+ years ago with no stamp or mark aside from the yellow mark zhongcha. I have done some research on how people date tea in China including texture of paper, color of the leaves, brew color, etc. at the end of day, any of those can be fake or what I learned from a family friend who’s a Dayi dealer, “B” grade tea. Afterward, I was encouraged not to touch zhongcha. Just a personal experience in my pu erh journey this year
Chadrinkincat
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Wed Nov 20, 2019 6:38 pm

DailyTX wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 5:41 pm
Brent D wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 11:50 am
Ya, I was the one that posted it in the FB group. Confirmed my suspicions of non Menghai, but even so, $150 for a 98' cake still leaves many questions.
$150 for a 1998 7542 definitely is questionable. I had my fair share of dilemma a few months ago when I encountered a tong of small yellow mark zhongcha at an old Chinese tea shop in US selling for 40 usd per cake. The seller told me it was imported 10+ years ago with no stamp or mark aside from the yellow mark zhongcha. I have done some research on how people date tea in China including texture of paper, color of the leaves, brew color, etc. at the end of day, any of those can be fake or what I learned from a family friend who’s a Dayi dealer, “B” grade tea. Afterward, I was encouraged not to touch zhongcha. Just a personal experience in my pu erh journey this year
These cake are hit or miss.
I think I paid around $150 for a generic late 90’s Zhongcha cake at a reputable shop in Taipei in 2011. $150 in 2019 seems far too cheap even for a generic cake like this.
.m.
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Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:29 pm

The precise date on these cakes may not be always easily verifiable, and it's hard to say how precise it is in reality. It could, for example, be the date provided by the person who donated those cakes, who knows ... add a couple of years and you are in early 2000's. For comparison: AdventureInEveryCup sells 2003 7542 Zhongcha for $140, and TWL offer 2004 7542 Zhongcha for $100. Afterwards the question is how those teas compare...
Chadrinkincat
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Wed Nov 20, 2019 9:40 pm

.m. wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:29 pm
The precise date on these cakes may not be always easily verifiable, and it's hard to say how precise it is in reality. It could, for example, be the date provided by the person who donated those cakes, who knows ... add a couple of years and you are in early 2000's. For comparison: AdventureInEveryCup sells 2003 7542 Zhongcha for $140, and TWL offer 2004 7542 Zhongcha for $100. Afterwards the question is how those teas compare...
This is why I prefer flexible dates when it comes to unverifiable 90’s stuff like this. Whenever ever I see cakes like this I just assume the actual age is within 5yrs of vendor’s claim. $150 for a decent 2003 is fine for daily drinker level imho. $150 for 90’s? Absolutely not, this price is well below anything I’ve seen on offer from trusted western vendors in awhile unless it’s a cake that has been sitting dormant for 5+ years w/o price increase. Below market rate because it was donated? Sure, that’s absolutely possible but w/o samples this isn’t worth the risk for me.
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TeaTotaling
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Sun May 24, 2020 11:54 am

Guy Juan wrote:
Wed Jul 31, 2019 7:22 pm
I just bought a young Sheng from them. Here is the description:

These little cakes are from a small grove of 1,000- to 2,000-year-old trees in Lincang. Each tree is numbered and requires scaffolding to pick. They use bamboo scaffolding that resembles what workers in the West use to paint the outside of a house. The trees are protected, so very little tea is harvested each year and trees are allowed to rest from three to five years, picked in cycles. The absolute best trees are processed individually, which is also rare for puerh. There are a lot of “old-growth” and even “ancient tree” claims in the puerh world that just aren’t true. One sip of this tea and you will know. As Master Lin always says, “If and until you try a fine tea, it is too hard to tell.” This will most likely be the best young sheng puerh you have had in your life. The flavor, aroma and Qi are out of this world, and tasting is believing. This is a very rare and precious opportunity. The High Road is by far the best tea we have ever offered in this Light Meets Light Fundraiser, and that is, frankly, saying a lot, since we have shared some amazing teas over the years. This tea may seem expensive to you, but it is actually very, very cheap. Through a dear friend, the farmers gave us a significant discount and we also didn’t mark the tea up very much. That said, tea of this type is relatively expensive compared to other puerh teas, or even tea in general.

I’m very interested in trying this...did anyone else order it?
What were your thoughts on this Sheng offering from GTH?
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klepto
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Mon Sep 14, 2020 7:37 pm

I spent some time last night reading archives of their magazine. There was a good amount of useful information but there was far too much woo woo in the magazine. They spent a lot of time trying to explain Chinese mysticism and Buddhist philosophies. I thought this magazine was about tea and teaware. Why do I feel like they are trying to indoctrinate Westerners into becoming some pseudo Asian wannabe? @Bok spoke about Westerners in Taiwan looking like they came out of the tv show Kung Fu, and they are generally laughed at. As much as I love tea and want to understand the culture and history I'll never be a Buddhist or go around quoting Lao Tsu.
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pantry
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Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:12 pm

@klepto I don't think they're trying to indoctrinate anyone, as they're not forcing people to subscribe or read their magazines. Sure, you might see their ads here and there on IG. There are aspects of GTH that turn me off, but I've listened to some of Wu De's tea talks, and I think the core of his messages isn't bad. I don't see them as religious either (not in the same sense as Abrahamic religions). But yes, the million-dollar palace crowdfunding maybe a bit over the top :lol:
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klepto
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Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:27 pm

pantry wrote:
Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:12 pm
klepto I don't think they're trying to indoctrinate anyone, as they're not forcing people to subscribe or read their magazines. Sure, you might see their ads here and there on IG. There are aspects of GTH that turn me off, but I've listened to some of Wu De's tea talks, and I think the core of his messages isn't bad. I don't see them as religious either (not in the same sense as Abrahamic religions). But yes, the million-dollar palace crowdfunding maybe a bit over the top :lol:
I've heard their tea is good and the magazine for sure has value. I think its the culty vibe they have that turns me off. Talking bout tea masters and respected experts like they walk on water is annoying. All the light and life talk reminds too much of the people I saw in California meditating with crystals and other woo woo stuff. I'm not saying they shouldn't think and do what they should. This is a big detour away from discussing tea and teaware. Do I need to understand zen philosophy in order for my tea to taste better? :geek: :geek: :geek:
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mbanu
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Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:14 pm

klepto wrote:
Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:27 pm
Do I need to understand zen philosophy in order for my tea to taste better? :geek: :geek: :geek:
Part of it is that taste in tea is a learned habit; there are objective changes that can happen to a tea based on changing certain parameters, but there is no objective best tea taste. You can see this historically in how the British and Chinese never were able to see eye-to-eye about what made a tea good, and you can see it in modern tea with the polarization around teas like pu'er or French flavored blends, whom some people love and others consider to be vile.

The habit for a particular tea is normally introduced as part of an associated tea-culture. So things like brewing a particular type of tea in a particular way to get a particular taste is a cultural or subcultural expression more than a scientific one, even when it takes on the trappings of science. So the taste of tea and the aesthetics of tea become hopelessly jumbled together.

You can pull a tea out of a culture and repurpose it, but what tends to happen is that a new tea culture or subculture starts growing around it and the quirks that make brewing and serving different than how it was done originally, sort of like how Ceylon tea is prepared and drunk in a very different way in the Middle East than it is in the UK, even though it is the same tealeaf, and each group has their own distinct aesthetic tea-culture.

Global Tea Hut is a subculture of Taiwanese cha yi culture that uses many of the same tools and teas, but that has taken them in a different direction aesthetically. Wu De was actually heavily involved at Wushing Publications pre Global Tea Hut and was partially responsible for their Art of Tea magazine, which was sort of like an English-language version of Puerh-Teapot magazine.

I think part of what makes some folks uneasy is it is hard to determine how seriously the people involved take it; is it a form of self-aware escapism and they are just not breaking character to maintain the mood, or is it an honest-to-goodness form of tea-mysticism? :)
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StoneLadle
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Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:15 pm

I really enjoyed a YouTube video they did on Liu Bao.

The stuff the guy said about colonialism and what the British said about Malay people (which is a race of people, as opposed to a nationality ie. Malaysian which didn't come into existence until 1963, so no, Malaysia wasn't under the control of the British because it didn't exist then) were cringeworthy and probably land him in prison here for disturbing racial and national harmony...

So... I won't link to the video because I don't think it's right to promote errors... but I did enjoy the video, as entertainment and as education ...
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