What Pu'er Are You Drinking

[Teetrinker]

I tried today my first Pu Erh ever, a Sheng Yi Wu. Used my Kyusu for it, and I regret to not have bought it earlier. I was surprised by how intense the taste and smell is.

[debunix]

Another Puer fan is born, excellent

[debunix]

Gray and chilly morning is just right for lively and sharp 2007 organic sheng from Mengku:

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ENJOYED from a Shyrabbit (Michael Coffee) cup & prepared in a Petr Novák tree bark pot.

[LeoFox]

The spring weather made me want to revisit Hojo's big snowy mountain purple sheng. Clay is hong qing shui ni - seems to be looking better over time

[mrmopu]

Having some YiWu from TeaJunky. Stored loose and pressed in 2018. Very different profile. Has some darker notes hard to put a finger on but very reminiscent of the 2006 YiWu that TeaUrchin carried years ago. Not wet but a sweeter almost vanilla note from it. Nice leaf size on it as well. Going to continue the session today and see how far it goes.

[LeoFox]

Revisiting wuliang shan shou from hojo. Over time, I feel I prefer the dry, sealed storage for shou. Some of my shou stored under more humid conditions have done poorly - for me.

[d.manuk]

Had my first tea session in 2 years, ranked from best to worst. The best was certainly David Lee Hoffman’s 1980’s Tong Qing Hao. Sweet and easy to drink and good energy.

We both agreed it would have been a better tea session if we hadn’t drunk the last one at all.

[mbanu]

Had my first tea session in 2 years, ranked from best to worst. The best was certainly David Lee Hoffman’s 1980’s Tong Qing Hao. Sweet and easy to drink and good energy.

Not sure if I should post in a different thread, but have you heard anything from him? His home had an experimental sewage recycling system that was fine in the 1970s, but that was not so fine today -- I heard that his home had been repossessed after a long legal battle.

For pu'er fans, it is important to note that this includes his pu'er-storage -- I imagine at the moment it is in limbo, but limbo makes any pu'er fan nervous, as pu'er loves stability.

[d.manuk]

He still lives on the same property though the town is trying to repossess it. My friend visited him a few weeks ago.

I’m not sure if the puer cave is on the same property. He’s very secretive about it and even his assistant that worked w him for 15 years has never seen it.

[vuanguyen]

I have never heard of David Hoffman before today. I googled his name and saw that he has an online tea store. The price of his 1980 raw Tong Qing Hao is $400 for 400gm. This is really a good price for 1980 tea. Is he legit or is he one of the many sellers online selling fake aged teas?

[Balthazar]

I've never had any of his teas and won't comment on the authenticity (or quality) but note that his storage is ... divisive/controversial, to put it nicely. Personally I wouldn't gamble on anything without having sampled.

But interesting guy and story for sure, would love to sit down for a cup with him.

[d.manuk]

I have never heard of David Hoffman before today. I googled his name and saw that he has an online tea store. The price of his 1980 raw Tong Qing Hao is $400 for 400gm. This is really a good price for 1980 tea. Is he legit or is he one of the many sellers online selling fake aged teas?

You can always go take a trip to go see him, you're not that far away. I think a lot of people would credit him specifically with bringing/spreading tea culture to the US...

He built his own cave to store thousands of puer cakes he bought over the past 20-30 years and is selling the cakes for a reasonable price though you have to jump through a few hoops to buy it. Anyway, the tea was very nice and that's the end of my story.

[Balthazar]

In what has become another "accidental tradition", I once again took the thawing of the snow and return of ducks to mark the beginning of this year's sheng-pu season. Coincidentally kicking it off with the same tea as last year too, the 98 Kunming factory "Da Hong Yin". A hassle-free enjoyment as always. Looking forward to drinking lots of sheng in the coming months.

竹外桃花三两枝，春江水暖鸭先知

The last, stubborn remains of snow and ice on a nearby forest path has been thawing the last few weeks, and are now almost completely gone. Took a trip through the woods this morning and happened upon a pair of ducks in a small stream. Early spring is definitely a fact by now.

The trip with all its signs of spring prompted me to go for raw puer today. This is a 98 production from Kunming Tea Factory (CNNP), with a decade of HK storage before moving to Taiwan. Camphor, faint notes of tobacco, a sweetness that lingers in the throat. Might be just on the border of what some would consider musty - but this is pretty much right up my alley. A very pleasant surprise.

[trexero]

Drank some 20+ year-old Shu Pu'er yesterday. beautiful deep earthy taste. Really enjoyed that one... It lasted more than 14 steeps. Excellent tea.

[DailyTX]

Playing with some of my teawares today. Vintage Iwachu Tetsubin, JLZ pot, and brewing some 2003 HK Henry 7542. Cheers!