What Pu'er Are You Drinking

[Bok]

You started collecting shuipings? That is a really nice one.

PS. What tea is it?

Haha I was referring to the same Mangzhi I’ve been having the last few days…

I can make an exception for a Shuiping if it’s old enough and pretty…

[Tea Adventures]

I’m having a 2019 sheng puerh from Ailao mountain. Supposedly from gushu tea trees. Nice and gentle tea and perfect to start a sunny Sunday.

[Stephen]

Satisfied my mood for dark and deep tea over the past few days with 2000 CNNP Hong Kong stored shou tuo from TealifeHK, 1992 Da Ye loose leaf sheng from EOT, and 2003/2005 Hong Tai Chang shou from CWS.

[LeoFox]

More wild "poolong" from hojo.

Hong qing shui ni pot from @Bok is coming along nicely

[Andrew S]

I like how pu er is the kind of tea where one person can post a photo of a pitch-black brew, and the next person can post a bright-yellow one...

On the topic of TealifeHK, I tried their 2005 traditional storage 8582.

The leaves are almost black, but still with a hint of green that comes through more in this photo than in person. The tea (or the 'soup', really) is sweet, dark and smooth. It is simple but enjoyable, and not 'rough' like some badly wet-stored tea. I think the 8582 formula takes kindly to humid conditions in general.

This might be something to try for people who are afraid of wet storage; it has certainly been stored humidly, but it's survived quite well.

That said, I brewed it in a pot that is very kind to both wet storage flavours and any hints of bitterness, so people brewing in a gaiwan might have a slightly different experience.

Andrew

[Bok]

More wild "poolong" from hojo.

[Bok]

I’m having a 2019 sheng puerh from Ailao mountain. Supposedly from gushu tea trees. Nice and gentle tea and perfect to start a sunny Sunday.

Interesting how quite a few people do like to have Puerh in the morning. For me it is definitely an afternoon/evening tea, or after/during heavy meals.

In the morning I mostly opt for hongcha.

[Andrew S]

That is interesting... Mornings belong to yancha for me (or occasionally some liu bao). Old pu er is best from about midday onwards. Young pu er doesn't deserve to be consumed.

Perhaps somewhat strangely, I'll happily drink old wet pu er on hot and humid days, despite how dark and rich it might seem. It seems to refresh me; it feels like it has both warming and cooling aspects to it.

Andrew

[Bok]

Perhaps somewhat strangely, I'll happily drink old wet pu er on hot and humid days, despite how dark and rich it might seem. It seems to refresh me; it feels like it has both warming and cooling aspects to it.

Andrew

Is it? The birth place of wet Puerh is always hot and sticky the whole year When would they drink it? Haha

[Balthazar]

Two new puers for me in one day, a rare occasion.

Started with loose leaf tea (to the right in the photo above), supposedly (who really knows with these loose ones) a “special order” from Yee On Tea, supposedly late 90s, supposedly (gushu) border area material, supposedly sheng. Hong Kong stored, then Taiwan. The “supposedlies” aren’t that important, I bought this assuming a fair bit of hyperbole but hoping for something pleasant for the mornings.

After lunch I proceeded to the second one, a real oddity. It’s a slice from a “puer column” (pressed into a “柱”much like qianliang tea). This vendor’s “natural Taiwan storage” is on the heavy side, and considering the loose compression and amount of stems in this tea the jinhua could be natural. Other “supposedlies” of this tea is that it’s 90s Menghai material.

It’s too early to make conclusions about either tea, but my first impressions are very positive. The loose leaf tea has more stamina than I expected and a storage profile very much to my liking. The column slice one has the good kind of “jun” (i hesitate to use the word “fungus” or “germ” as it brings up the wrong kind of connotations to me…) no doubt thanks to the jinhua, in addition to a nice plum flavor. Look forward to trying these out with some different parameters and brewing vessels.

[Tea Adventures]

I’m having a 2019 sheng puerh from Ailao mountain. Supposedly from gushu tea trees. Nice and gentle tea and perfect to start a sunny Sunday.

Interesting how quite a few people do like to have Puerh in the morning. For me it is definitely an afternoon/evening tea, or after/during heavy meals.

In the morning I mostly opt for hongcha.

Also depends on the weather. If it’s sunny and hot, something refreshing will do the trick...

[Lucifigus]

I don’t know if Vietnamese “Sheng Style” tea qualifies as Puerh, (wine can only be called Champagne if it’s from…) but I’ll post anyway. A few months ago I ordered some tea from Hatvala, a Vietnamese vendor. One of the teas in the order was a loose leaf sheng style, “Forest Genie” from wild trees. Although I am not a big fan of young sheng, this tea hits a mark that makes it an attractive brew for me. It has a slightly forward balance of bitterness and astringency that seems to support the overall flavour profile. It suggests nice fruit aroma and flavour with a wondrous sweetness and spice notes on the tongue and through the finish. I find all the elements are in balance in a way that other (few) young shengs I have had do not demonstrate. Although it makes a very fine afternoon tea, I may try this in the morning instead of coffee.

[LeoFox]

I don’t know if Vietnamese “Sheng Style” tea qualifies as Puerh, (wine can only be called Champagne if it’s from…) but I’ll post anyway. A few months ago I ordered some tea from Hatvala, a Vietnamese vendor. One of the teas in the order was a loose leaf sheng style, “Forest Genie” from wild trees. Although I am not a big fan of young sheng, this tea hits a mark that makes it an attractive brew for me. It has a slightly forward balance of bitterness and astringency that seems to support the overall flavour profile. It suggests nice fruit aroma and flavour with a wondrous sweetness and spice notes on the tongue and through the finish. I find all the elements are in balance in a way that other (few) young shengs I have had do not demonstrate. Although it makes a very fine afternoon tea, I may try this in the morning instead of coffee.

Wow a young sheng can look that dark?

[Lucifigus]

Apparently. They do describe it on their website as Dark Tea. Does that usually translate into a dark liquor?


__________________________________________

Wow a young sheng can look that dark?

[.m.]

I don’t know if Vietnamese “Sheng Style” tea qualifies as Puerh, (wine can only be called Champagne if it’s from…) but I’ll post anyway.

In my opinion it should qualify as puerh, no matter what the chinese goverment says. If one considers puerh as a separate category of tea, and most people do, then tea that is processed the same way, comes from the "same" trees growing in the same wider geographical area and in the same ecosystem, must fall into the same category. Something else would be Yiwu puerh, for example. A puerh from the mountains just across the border from Yiwu could be "yiwuish" in character but won't be Yiwu. This is the analogy with Champagne or Cognac, neither of which is a category of alcoholic drinks (one is a sparkling wine, other is a brandy), but a product from a specific geographical denomination. Please excuse my rambling.

The tea looks nice, the darkness of the brew makes me curious. Thanks for sharing!