The best sheng pu-er tea to try

[LeoFox]

Source for what? And why do you want this stuff? The real single tree gushu stuff is more expensive than gold - worth it? Is a 2000$ / bottle burgundy wine worth it?

I'm not talking about some specific tea here.
But even if I did, I'd love to have a source that I always can turn to should I need any genuine tea I like.

I had no love for pu until I started getting tea from this company. Pretty good prices from one of the most honest vendors out there - and you can order samples of almost every cake.

https://www.yunnancraft.com/en/


viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2138

Btw the owner wrote that blog post about fake teas I mentioned earlier

[Konrud]

I had no love for pu until I started getting tea from this company. Pretty good prices from one of the most honest vendors out there - and you can order samples of almost every cake.

https://www.yunnancraft.com/en/


viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2138

Btw the owner wrote that blog post about fake teas I mentioned earlier

Splendid. Thank you.

I shall probably order a few samples from him.

[Sunyata]

1. 30 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

2. 20 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

3. 10 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

4. 30 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

5. 20 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

6. 10 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

7. 30, 20, 10 aged single estate blend small trees raw pu'er.

Yep, raw pu'er has to be aged to be called pu'er categorized under black tea.
Pure unblended 100% GuShu will be best regardless of whichever region, that will be decided on your taste preference.
Then blends of GuShu + small trees.
Then small tress under 100 yrs old.

Lets keep fertilized/pesticide taidi for the other 90% mass consumption.

This is a very disingenuous and misleading post. I feel the need to step in and caution anyone, especially puerh newbies, from approaching sheng puerh in this old-fashioned and frankly, outdated perspective that has led to the obfuscation of what good puerh tea is.

If I may draw the analogy to wine... Not all wine is meant to be aged. The myth that aging improves the taste and quality of wine, and therefore its value, is already challenged. Aging a tea does not make it better, if the tea material isn't suited for aging. The concept of gushu puerh that emphasizes micro-specific terroirs did not emerge until the early 2010s - hence the majority of factory blends from 70s-00s consists of small leaf material taken from various tea plantations outside said region.

If I may draw the analogy to whisky - single cask private bottlings (IB) does not mean superior whisky to the regular standard expressions by distillery. Do not confuse exclusivity for quality.

[Randy the Intern]

1. 30 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

2. 20 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

3. 10 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

4. 30 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

5. 20 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

6. 10 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

7. 30, 20, 10 aged single estate blend small trees raw pu'er.

Yep, raw pu'er has to be aged to be called pu'er categorized under black tea.
Pure unblended 100% GuShu will be best regardless of whichever region, that will be decided on your taste preference.
Then blends of GuShu + small trees.
Then small tress under 100 yrs old.

Lets keep fertilized/pesticide taidi for the other 90% mass consumption.

This is a very disingenuous and misleading post. I feel the need to step in and caution anyone, especially puerh newbies, from approaching sheng puerh in this old-fashioned and frankly, outdated perspective that has led to the obfuscation of what good puerh tea is.

If I may draw the analogy to wine... Not all wine is meant to be aged. The myth that aging improves the taste and quality of wine, and therefore its value, is already challenged. Aging a tea does not make it better, if the tea material isn't suited for aging. The concept of gushu puerh that emphasizes micro-specific terroirs did not emerge until the early 2010s - hence the majority of factory blends from 70s-00s consists of small leaf material taken from various tea plantations outside said region.

If I may draw the analogy to whisky - single cask private bottlings (IB) does not mean superior whisky to the regular standard expressions by distillery. Do not confuse exclusivity for quality.

I have to agree. Age has never impressed me or earned the justification to charge a premium for the tea. Taste is subjective, but for me I actually prefer the taste of young sheng. I've also had plenty of younger tree material that has been much better than gushu I've had. Gushu isn't always better.

[Sunyata]

1. 30 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

2. 20 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

3. 10 year aged pure GuShu raw pu'er.

4. 30 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

5. 20 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

6. 10 year aged single estate blend GuShu raw pu'er.

7. 30, 20, 10 aged single estate blend small trees raw pu'er.

Yep, raw pu'er has to be aged to be called pu'er categorized under black tea.
Pure unblended 100% GuShu will be best regardless of whichever region, that will be decided on your taste preference.
Then blends of GuShu + small trees.
Then small tress under 100 yrs old.

Lets keep fertilized/pesticide taidi for the other 90% mass consumption.

This is a very disingenuous and misleading post. I feel the need to step in and caution anyone, especially puerh newbies, from approaching sheng puerh in this old-fashioned and frankly, outdated perspective that has led to the obfuscation of what good puerh tea is.

If I may draw the analogy to wine... Not all wine is meant to be aged. The myth that aging improves the taste and quality of wine, and therefore its value, is already challenged. Aging a tea does not make it better, if the tea material isn't suited for aging. The concept of gushu puerh that emphasizes micro-specific terroirs did not emerge until the early 2010s - hence the majority of factory blends from 70s-00s consists of small leaf material taken from various tea plantations outside said region.

If I may draw the analogy to whisky - single cask private bottlings (IB) does not mean superior whisky to the regular standard expressions by distillery. Do not confuse exclusivity for quality.

I have to agree. Age has never impressed me or earned the justification to charge a premium for the tea. Taste is subjective, but for me I actually prefer the taste of young sheng. I've also had plenty of younger tree material that has been much better than gushu I've had. Gushu isn't always better.

I also prefer younger sheng. But I must clarify that I mean younger sheng which is harvested from older trees - those are of higher quality than younger trees, in general. That does not mean one cannot enjoy younger tree, but one will notice that they are not as durable (last fewer steeps) and are usually more astringent and harsh on the mouthfeel. They may appear to be more "flavorful" and "complex", but the trade-off is they are less refined and muddled. Also, they tend to produce uncomfortable body sensations and not very pleasant to the stomach (hence, the common misconception that these teas need to be aged in order for the astringency to mellow out which is actually untrue - what is unpleasant young will hardly improve with age). It is better to pay more for higher quality (ie. older tree material) tea which is suitable for consumption when young and will age gracefully.

[teacreacha7]

This is a very disingenuous and misleading post. I feel the need to step in and caution anyone, especially puerh newbies, from approaching sheng puerh in this old-fashioned and frankly, outdated perspective that has led to the obfuscation of what good puerh tea is.

If I may draw the analogy to wine... Not all wine is meant to be aged. The myth that aging improves the taste and quality of wine, and therefore its value, is already challenged. Aging a tea does not make it better, if the tea material isn't suited for aging. The concept of gushu puerh that emphasizes micro-specific terroirs did not emerge until the early 2010s - hence the majority of factory blends from 70s-00s consists of small leaf material taken from various tea plantations outside said region.

If I may draw the analogy to whisky - single cask private bottlings (IB) does not mean superior whisky to the regular standard expressions by distillery. Do not confuse exclusivity for quality.

I have to agree. Age has never impressed me or earned the justification to charge a premium for the tea. Taste is subjective, but for me I actually prefer the taste of young sheng. I've also had plenty of younger tree material that has been much better than gushu I've had. Gushu isn't always better.

I also prefer younger sheng. But I must clarify that I mean younger sheng which is harvested from older trees - those are of higher quality than younger trees, in general. That does not mean one cannot enjoy younger tree, but one will notice that they are not as durable (last fewer steeps) and are usually more astringent and harsh on the mouthfeel. They may appear to be more "flavorful" and "complex", but the trade-off is they are less refined and muddled. Also, they tend to produce uncomfortable body sensations and not very pleasant to the stomach (hence, the common misconception that these teas need to be aged in order for the astringency to mellow out which is actually untrue - what is unpleasant young will hardly improve with age). It is better to pay more for higher quality (ie. older tree material) tea which is suitable for consumption when young and will age gracefully.

If I may advocate for the older stuff, I am a big fan of medium-older factory teas! I really enjoy the sweet and smokey round notes that come from the natural "composting" of the leaves. It reminds me of tobbaco, hay/straw and sometimes a smokey element (like with xiaguan). I don't know if some are worth the upcharge, but it's certainly something my palet has been willing to pay for!