One more Pu Erh thread

[Huskysibe]

I use this place, great personal service by Steve!
http://www.jas-etea.com/

[slickster81]

Finally got that tea cake, musta been on the proverbial "slow boat from China".

Nice firm cake, leaves varied in color from green and silver to brown and nearly black, the aroma was heady, with a definite camphor coming from the cake.

I took a vertical section from the edge to center, the leaves look the same throughout the cake, some small twigs.

First infusion session today.
No special techniques, I have a Gong Fu type pot with the infuser in the top, seems to work well for my gunpowder and oolongs.

7 Gm. Rinsed 10 seconds twice, rested 1 minute.
1st infusion, 20 seconds, nice amber color, slight camphor aroma. Smooth and soft taste with a hint of astringency at the top of the mouth, sweet aftertaste with a coolness in the mouth.
2nd infusion, 20 seconds - much the same as the first
3rd infusion, astringency has fallen off, now a coolness in the mouth with a lingering sweet aftertaste.
Subsequent infusions saw little change in color of the tea, the coolness from the camphor tapered off, and the flavor became lighter.
I gave it up after the 15th infusion at 2 minutes, just not much left there.

Wonderful experience though. Now I have to try a "cooked" Pu.

[Zanaspus]

Scott of eboy fame now has a web store. It is from China, so shipping is annoying, but the way it works is a big lump sum followed by little margins. I usually buy at least 10 cakes when ordering from Scott. ;

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/

I'm not a big fan of the quality of puerhshop, but YMMV.

P.S. cooked is a lot like drinking dirt IMHO.

[slickster81]

Thanks Tony,
I keep reading reviews about cooked Pu being "earthy" "barnyard" "composted manure" etc.....kinda makes me want to steer clear, I don't mind earthy, but barnyard? And I grew up around the mushroom growing/canning business, so I know how compost is made, and judging by the descriptions of "wet piling" it is the same process....accelerated deterioration.

I will likely still get a small tuo, just for the sake of trying it and tasting for myself.

Anyhow, now I have slid down another slope. I'm hoping to get to Windsor, Ontario, Canada before Christmas and check out some of the shops there, they have a small Chinatown, so maybe I will find some samples there to evaluate.

[DocLogic77]

Originally Posted by slickster81

Thanks Tony,
I keep reading reviews about cooked Pu being "earthy" "barnyard" "composted manure" etc.....kinda makes me want to steer clear, I don't mind earthy, but barnyard? And I grew up around the mushroom growing/canning business, so I know how compost is made, and judging by the descriptions of "wet piling" it is the same process....accelerated deterioration.

I will likely still get a small tuo, just for the sake of trying it and tasting for myself.

Anyhow, now I have slid down another slope. I'm hoping to get to Windsor, Ontario, Canada before Christmas and check out some of the shops there, they have a small Chinatown, so maybe I will find some samples there to evaluate.

Do yourself a favor and stay far far away from cooked Pu-erhs. Pushing the aging process with cooking destroys many of the qualities I enjoy in this tea. There are so many well aged, well cared for Pu-erhs that are very reasonable that it doesn't really make sense to drink an artifically aged tea.

If a Pu-erh tastes "barnyard" "farmy" or "fishy" you either have a very young Pu-erh, or a poorly stored/processed tea. For me, it's unbearable...I just can't drink it. Talk with the owner of Jas...have him set you up a nicely aged selection of Pu-erh samples and get a gist of what formulas you like. Stay away from bricks, and only buy beengs. Most of my Pu-erh collection is being aged as beengs. And you are right this is just one more slippery slope. Pu-erh teas can bring a hefty price with 20-30 years age. It is indeed a consummable commodity and a wonderful hobby.

[DocLogic77]

Originally Posted by Huskysibe

I use this place, great personal service by Steve!
http://www.jas-etea.com/

I second jas. The owner is great...very helpful.