What Pu'er Are You Drinking
I have been consuming a lot more shu recently in comparison to sheng. Revisiting this Tulin Phoenix Tuo Shu Puerh with black star yixing zini pot. The pot was used for sheng before, and now it has been converted to shu. The pot is about 220 ml. I can do 220 ml shou but sheng is a different story It's good to have a day off to enjoy tea and browse through forums...
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I placed an order from @YeeOnTeaCo and was gifted a sample of 2004 Yunnan Import and Export Corporation 8582 Raw Pu-erh Tea. Lot's of firsts for me!
- first order with this vendor
- first 'HK storage' / 'traditional storage' (forgive me if I have that incorrect, but I recall James on TeaDB saying something along these lines)
- first aged sheng of that age range (oldest I may have tried previously was a 2007, a few years ago)
When I first got into tea I talked to a local vendor about pu-erh, as I noticed the label on a tin and asked what that was, and after a whiff of the dry leaf I decided not for me (I had only ever tried goashan, since migrating from tea bags - ah, those were the days!). I started drinking pu-erh about 3-4 years ago, starting with young sheng, and then shu (young and aged) over the last couple of years, which has been my favourite tea, and my morning drinker. When I tried this sample, upon first whiff I was actually brought back to that scent of the tea from that shop many years ago. It smelled funky compared to what I was used to drinking (Western vendors). I thought it would taste different from the sheng I had been drinking, and it did - in a great way! It brewed up very dark, not shu dark, but a very deep red/brown, had that scent that was very different than what I was used to, but the flavour delivered. It was very good. And very different. I recall James (TeaDB) saying something along the lines of teas stored this way are different than what many of us in the West are used to, and that he quite liked the tea for this reason. I have to say I agree, though I like both and wouldn't choose one over the other as a forever decision. I'll be getting into my order (some cakes of both sheng and shu, and loose shu) in the next month or two and will be really interested to continue tasting these teas.
- first order with this vendor
- first 'HK storage' / 'traditional storage' (forgive me if I have that incorrect, but I recall James on TeaDB saying something along these lines)
- first aged sheng of that age range (oldest I may have tried previously was a 2007, a few years ago)
When I first got into tea I talked to a local vendor about pu-erh, as I noticed the label on a tin and asked what that was, and after a whiff of the dry leaf I decided not for me (I had only ever tried goashan, since migrating from tea bags - ah, those were the days!). I started drinking pu-erh about 3-4 years ago, starting with young sheng, and then shu (young and aged) over the last couple of years, which has been my favourite tea, and my morning drinker. When I tried this sample, upon first whiff I was actually brought back to that scent of the tea from that shop many years ago. It smelled funky compared to what I was used to drinking (Western vendors). I thought it would taste different from the sheng I had been drinking, and it did - in a great way! It brewed up very dark, not shu dark, but a very deep red/brown, had that scent that was very different than what I was used to, but the flavour delivered. It was very good. And very different. I recall James (TeaDB) saying something along the lines of teas stored this way are different than what many of us in the West are used to, and that he quite liked the tea for this reason. I have to say I agree, though I like both and wouldn't choose one over the other as a forever decision. I'll be getting into my order (some cakes of both sheng and shu, and loose shu) in the next month or two and will be really interested to continue tasting these teas.
@Noonie: good to see that you're enjoying a more humidly-stored example; I think that you'll find that there are plenty of good ones out there, albeit that they can be hard to find from Western-facing online sources.
I think that traditional Hong Kong storage has been an unfairly-maligned category of tea. My suspicion is that it got a bad reputation early on in the 'Western online tea world' thanks to comments by people who didn't know what they were talking about, coupled with a lack of online sources for nice examples of such tea.
My own biased view is that traditionally-stored puer is 'real' puer, whereas cooked puer is a modern imitation, old dry-stored tea is an anomaly, and young raw tea (or very dry 'aged' tea) is just not the same category of tea. Obviously, that's not to say that there aren't good examples of each of those, but only to say that they're very different one from another. For me, traditional storage changes the tea from something that I can't drink when it is young and raw because it is too uncomfortable, into something that I enjoy drinking because it is smooth and calming.
After a week of being too busy for a proper tea session (including some days with no tea at all), I rewarded myself late on Friday with some 80s 7542 (also from Yee On Tea Co, coincidentally), and I'm still brewing it today.
It is fun to drink something that can make you stare contemplatively out of the window with nothing on your mind... At least sometimes.
Andrew
I think that traditional Hong Kong storage has been an unfairly-maligned category of tea. My suspicion is that it got a bad reputation early on in the 'Western online tea world' thanks to comments by people who didn't know what they were talking about, coupled with a lack of online sources for nice examples of such tea.
My own biased view is that traditionally-stored puer is 'real' puer, whereas cooked puer is a modern imitation, old dry-stored tea is an anomaly, and young raw tea (or very dry 'aged' tea) is just not the same category of tea. Obviously, that's not to say that there aren't good examples of each of those, but only to say that they're very different one from another. For me, traditional storage changes the tea from something that I can't drink when it is young and raw because it is too uncomfortable, into something that I enjoy drinking because it is smooth and calming.
After a week of being too busy for a proper tea session (including some days with no tea at all), I rewarded myself late on Friday with some 80s 7542 (also from Yee On Tea Co, coincidentally), and I'm still brewing it today.
It is fun to drink something that can make you stare contemplatively out of the window with nothing on your mind... At least sometimes.
Andrew
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Having recently tried a couple of Anmo's Sunsing sheng teas it has been really interesting for me trying two teas 5 years apart, presumably in similar storage condition - though for all I know they could store particular teas wetter than others.
I tried the 2010 Yiwu Old Tea Caravan sheng yesterday - its long lasting and got some heady qi to it, but I think the tea showed how a lot of sheng is still just totally wasted on me - I could tell there is plenty going on in there, especially if I was probably better at brewing it, but instead I just get "sheng" profile. Granted it was plenty pleasant, actually didn't get harsh on the stomach, the material looked good, but still... its still very much not my thing.
It was also a strong contrast to the 2005 Red Label I tried a bit before. This is the first sheng I've had in a long time I really enjoyed and fully stretched out to its limits- its also the first sheng I've had above a cheapo price point I actually enjoyed enough that I would want to buy more. I take this as extra indication that Anmo is doing a good job with picks. The red label to me had much more storage profile, felt and tasted much older to me than the 2010. My experience with sheng is too low to know how much of this comes from storage, leaf choice/source material, processing... The storage profile on this was also much more present than on their shu's I have tried as well, so either their warehouse profile takes more time to really build up in the tea to that level or maybe the teas see different storage from each other at different points. I'd also recommend this to someone who is scared of HK storage - its not overly wet or funky.
I tried the 2010 Yiwu Old Tea Caravan sheng yesterday - its long lasting and got some heady qi to it, but I think the tea showed how a lot of sheng is still just totally wasted on me - I could tell there is plenty going on in there, especially if I was probably better at brewing it, but instead I just get "sheng" profile. Granted it was plenty pleasant, actually didn't get harsh on the stomach, the material looked good, but still... its still very much not my thing.
It was also a strong contrast to the 2005 Red Label I tried a bit before. This is the first sheng I've had in a long time I really enjoyed and fully stretched out to its limits- its also the first sheng I've had above a cheapo price point I actually enjoyed enough that I would want to buy more. I take this as extra indication that Anmo is doing a good job with picks. The red label to me had much more storage profile, felt and tasted much older to me than the 2010. My experience with sheng is too low to know how much of this comes from storage, leaf choice/source material, processing... The storage profile on this was also much more present than on their shu's I have tried as well, so either their warehouse profile takes more time to really build up in the tea to that level or maybe the teas see different storage from each other at different points. I'd also recommend this to someone who is scared of HK storage - its not overly wet or funky.
@Andrew S, that tea looks really good (puts my early 2000's to shame!). I feel like mine may have lasted to the next day as well, whereas that tea looks like a sure bet for multi-day brewing. Amazing the quality, when you consider that the bulk of the tea-drinking world drinks tea dust from bags!Andrew S wrote: ↑Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:53 pmNoonie: good to see that you're enjoying a more humidly-stored example; I think that you'll find that there are plenty of good ones out there, albeit that they can be hard to find from Western-facing online sources.
After a week of being too busy for a proper tea session (including some days with no tea at all), I rewarded myself late on Friday with some 80s 7542 (also from Yee On Tea Co, coincidentally), and I'm still brewing it today.
It is fun to drink something that can make you stare contemplatively out of the window with nothing on your mind... At least sometimes.
Something more mundane that I had this morning; just some 90s loose leaf puer to start the day (and yes, I kept brewing that 80s tea again for a few more simple, pleasant infusions).
@Noonie: there was a late 90s 8582 that I thoroughly enjoyed drinking a few years ago, because it tasted pleasantly aged, smooth, calm, yet with an assertive energy to it, and a very elegant perfumed quality about it, for want of a better expression.
That was one of the traditionally-stored teas that made a mark on me early on in my tea adventures. You just need one that makes you want to keep going.
Andrew
@Noonie: there was a late 90s 8582 that I thoroughly enjoyed drinking a few years ago, because it tasted pleasantly aged, smooth, calm, yet with an assertive energy to it, and a very elegant perfumed quality about it, for want of a better expression.
That was one of the traditionally-stored teas that made a mark on me early on in my tea adventures. You just need one that makes you want to keep going.
Andrew
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- BriarOcelot
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2020 1:42 pm
- Location: Montreal
It's been a while since I've had the time to check in to the forum. Crazy year, during which I moved house. In the packing rush, a teapot got packed before it had water poured into it, but after it was stuffed with tea.
I recall it was some loose sheng from Mengku that I'd found fairly disappointing.
Upon opening up the teaware 4 months or so later, I discovered the leaves and recalled what they were. They smelled pretty nice in the pot - so decided to brew it up. The difference in the tea was quite palpable. I've since read about breaking up tea and putting it in a jar for a while for it to 'wake up' but that was my first time (accidental) discovery.
So today I'm experimenting with it again with a tea I'm pretty familiar with. I put some Farmerleaf Dong Guo 2020 (spring) into a zhuni pot and left it at room temp in my fairly humid but airy basement (it's around 70% relative humidity down there) for a few weeks.
I can definitely notice a difference. It's sharper, brighter, a little sweeter and has more presence than before. Might be time to get some jars and dedicate some to regular cakes and tuo. Excuse my awful phone camera it seems to process the life out of every shot.
I recall it was some loose sheng from Mengku that I'd found fairly disappointing.
Upon opening up the teaware 4 months or so later, I discovered the leaves and recalled what they were. They smelled pretty nice in the pot - so decided to brew it up. The difference in the tea was quite palpable. I've since read about breaking up tea and putting it in a jar for a while for it to 'wake up' but that was my first time (accidental) discovery.
So today I'm experimenting with it again with a tea I'm pretty familiar with. I put some Farmerleaf Dong Guo 2020 (spring) into a zhuni pot and left it at room temp in my fairly humid but airy basement (it's around 70% relative humidity down there) for a few weeks.
I can definitely notice a difference. It's sharper, brighter, a little sweeter and has more presence than before. Might be time to get some jars and dedicate some to regular cakes and tuo. Excuse my awful phone camera it seems to process the life out of every shot.
- YeeOnTeaCo
- Vendor
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- Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:58 am
- Location: Hong Kong
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Glad you liked it! We know our tea is still fairly new in terms of taste to different markets, but we hope to show our new customers a different perspective of Pu-erh tea which made it famous a few decades ago. Hope we can provide you with more great teas in the future.Noonie wrote: ↑Sat Nov 13, 2021 11:25 amI placed an order from YeeOnTeaCo and was gifted a sample of 2004 Yunnan Import and Export Corporation 8582 Raw Pu-erh Tea. Lot's of firsts for me!
- first order with this vendor
- first 'HK storage' / 'traditional storage' (forgive me if I have that incorrect, but I recall James on TeaDB saying something along these lines)
- first aged sheng of that age range (oldest I may have tried previously was a 2007, a few years ago)
When I first got into tea I talked to a local vendor about pu-erh, as I noticed the label on a tin and asked what that was, and after a whiff of the dry leaf I decided not for me (I had only ever tried goashan, since migrating from tea bags - ah, those were the days!). I started drinking pu-erh about 3-4 years ago, starting with young sheng, and then shu (young and aged) over the last couple of years, which has been my favourite tea, and my morning drinker. When I tried this sample, upon first whiff I was actually brought back to that scent of the tea from that shop many years ago. It smelled funky compared to what I was used to drinking (Western vendors). I thought it would taste different from the sheng I had been drinking, and it did - in a great way! It brewed up very dark, not shu dark, but a very deep red/brown, had that scent that was very different than what I was used to, but the flavour delivered. It was very good. And very different. I recall James (TeaDB) saying something along the lines of teas stored this way are different than what many of us in the West are used to, and that he quite liked the tea for this reason. I have to say I agree, though I like both and wouldn't choose one over the other as a forever decision. I'll be getting into my order (some cakes of both sheng and shu, and loose shu) in the next month or two and will be really interested to continue tasting these teas.
1983 "Square 2" 7581 cooked brick from Yee On, after another busy week.
A relaxing and elegant tea; it gives me a very pleasant light, bright and airy feeling, and persistent aftertaste. It feels more heavily fermented than the 1994 Xiaguan cooked tuocha that I tried a little while ago, with a lighter mouthfeel, but a more calming feel to it.
The photo was from around the tenth infusion, from memory.
And it looks like they're having a sale at the moment...
Andrew
A relaxing and elegant tea; it gives me a very pleasant light, bright and airy feeling, and persistent aftertaste. It feels more heavily fermented than the 1994 Xiaguan cooked tuocha that I tried a little while ago, with a lighter mouthfeel, but a more calming feel to it.
The photo was from around the tenth infusion, from memory.
And it looks like they're having a sale at the moment...
Andrew
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- BriarOcelot
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2020 1:42 pm
- Location: Montreal
This inspired another order from YeeOn's sale as I thought I'd get some of their 1985 Liu Bao, some 2001 loose sheng chunks and more of the 2001 Wild Camphor (which I guess is broken Huang pian cakes).
Couldn't resist taking advantage of that 20% discount.
I'm marking the occasion with a much enjoyed past purchase - the last chunk of a 1985 CNNP 8592, which I'll miss.
Couldn't resist taking advantage of that 20% discount.
I'm marking the occasion with a much enjoyed past purchase - the last chunk of a 1985 CNNP 8592, which I'll miss.
- YeeOnTeaCo
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This tea just keeps on going .... glad to know you found it calming and relaxing.Andrew S wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 8:02 pm1983 "Square 2" 7581 cooked brick from Yee On, after another busy week.
A relaxing and elegant tea; it gives me a very pleasant light, bright and airy feeling, and persistent aftertaste. It feels more heavily fermented than the 1994 Xiaguan cooked tuocha that I tried a little while ago, with a lighter mouthfeel, but a more calming feel to it.
The photo was from around the tenth infusion, from memory.
And it looks like they're having a sale at the moment...
Andrew
- YeeOnTeaCo
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- Location: Hong Kong
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Please send us an email next time you order, we can give you something else similar to tryBriarOcelot wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 9:49 pm
I'm marking the occasion with a much enjoyed past purchase - the last chunk of a 1985 CNNP 8592, which I'll miss.