Raw vs. Ripe Pu

[Hobbesoxon]

Just checking my list, in addition to the 2008 Mengyang Guoyan "Queen of Yiwu", I have the following cakes noted for which Scott does not have samples:

2008 Xiaguan FT "Nan Zhao Yu" bing
2008 Xiaguan FT "Imperial Tribute" bing
2008 Shuangjiang Mengku "Muyechun Old Tree" bing
​

...all of which could be potentially excellent for the money, based on similar cakes from those brands this season.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[lpj]

I'm with Tim, I don't understand anything that is being spoken here. Wines, teas, coffees, lake water, etc. I know you referred Tim to a website, but is there any other sites? What would even be the search terms to use to search the web on this topic in general. Sorry to be so dense, but, guys, I'm confused. Looking forward to leads, links, understanding. Thanks

Lee

Just checking my list, in addition to the 2008 Mengyang Guoyan "Queen of Yiwu", I have the following cakes noted for which Scott does not have samples:

2008 Xiaguan FT "Nan Zhao Yu" bing
2008 Xiaguan FT "Imperial Tribute" bing
2008 Shuangjiang Mengku "Muyechun Old Tree" bing
​

...all of which could be potentially excellent for the money, based on similar cakes from those brands this season.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[Suzuki]

Chris - glad to hear you're in, that makes four of us, so far.

Regarding cakes from YS, I'm interested in trying the 2008 Mengyang Guoyan "Queen of Yiwu". This doesn't have samples, I think because it's a cheaper cake, and so I've no way of trying it - but it does look interesting.

I wonder if such cakes, where samples are not available from the vendor, would make good substance for this mutual tea-tasting exercise. The only way of trying these sample-less but interesting cakes, otherwise, is to just take the plunge and risk ending up with a whole cake of tea you don't enjoy.

What do you chaps think?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

P.s. "Queen of Yiwu" is a mistranslation. I think Gordon from Dragon Teahouse put this tea up first, using this mistranslation, and Scott of Yunnan Sourcing has just retained the name because it's already stuck in the tea community. (As he did with Xizihao, where he retained Guang of Houde's incorrect "Xi Zhi Hao" pinyin.)

The name of the Mengyang Guoyan cake is actually "Yiwu Cha Huang", meaning "Yiwu Tea Emperor". This is, what I consider to be, a cheap one-upmanship over the standard "Cha Wang" [tea king] label used by other vendors to indicate good tea. The unfortunate thing is, Mengyang Guoyan have used this uber-superlative for a really cheap cake, and so it's going to make them look like blowhards if the cake turns out to be average quality. The last brand to use this inflated hyperbolic naming was Xizihao, in their "Chahuang" of last year. It's so vulgar...

This is exactly what I was thinking of - a way of getting a decent sample where a sample is otherwise unavailable.

 

[Proinsias]

I'd love to join in if there's room, my pu-erh consumption has been rather minimal over the past few months or so as a darjeeling and wuyi addiction has reared it's head again.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

I'm with Tim, I don't understand anything that is being spoken here. Wines, teas, coffees, lake water, etc. I know you referred Tim to a website, but is there any other sites? What would even be the search terms to use to search the web on this topic in general. Sorry to be so dense, but, guys, I'm confused. Looking forward to leads, links, understanding. Thanks

Lee

Hi, Lee - have you looked at Wikicha? It's a good source of information for learning about new tea. We're talking about pu'er / puerh tea. The original tea!


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[Hobbesoxon]

I'd love to join in if there's room, my pu-erh consumption has been rather minimal over the past few months or so as a darjeeling and wuyi addiction has reared it's head again.

Send me a PM with your e-mail address, good sir.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[netsurfr]

I started a new thread about putting together a group buy from Scott at Yunnan Sourcing. If there is enough interest, I will volunteer to coordinate the effort and potentially get some additional discounts on the product and the shipping.

 

[Suzuki]

I started a new thread about putting together a group buy from Scott at Yunnan Sourcing. If there is enough interest, I will volunteer to coordinate the effort and potentially get some additional discounts on the product and the shipping.

As I indicated in the other thread, Scott's shipping is pretty reasonable and isn't that much if you use SAL shipping and spread it across a couple of cakes.

Also, because of their size/shape/weight, shipping individual cakes within the US isn't going to be super cheap - likely a few bucks per cake - so it might not make that much sense financially.

 

[Scotto]

Chris - glad to hear you're in, that makes four of us, so far.

Regarding cakes from YS, I'm interested in trying the 2008 Mengyang Guoyan "Queen of Yiwu". This doesn't have samples, I think because it's a cheaper cake, and so I've no way of trying it - but it does look interesting.

I wonder if such cakes, where samples are not available from the vendor, would make good substance for this mutual tea-tasting exercise. The only way of trying these sample-less but interesting cakes, otherwise, is to just take the plunge and risk ending up with a whole cake of tea you don't enjoy.

What do you chaps think?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

P.s. "Queen of Yiwu" is a mistranslation. I think Gordon from Dragon Teahouse put this tea up first, using this mistranslation, and Scott of Yunnan Sourcing has just retained the name because it's already stuck in the tea community. (As he did with Xizihao, where he retained Guang of Houde's incorrect "Xi Zhi Hao" pinyin.)

The name of the Mengyang Guoyan cake is actually "Yiwu Cha Huang", meaning "Yiwu Tea Emperor". This is, what I consider to be, a cheap one-upmanship over the standard "Cha Wang" [tea king] label used by other vendors to indicate good tea. The unfortunate thing is, Mengyang Guoyan have used this uber-superlative for a really cheap cake, and so it's going to make them look like blowhards if the cake turns out to be average quality. The last brand to use this inflated hyperbolic naming was Xizihao, in their "Chahuang" of last year. It's so vulgar...

Ah, a clarification from the pinyin pedant himself! Seriously, though, I was looking at this particular cake as well. As far as can be seen from a picture (not much), it looks intriguing.

What's next, Tea Demigod? You have to love the advertising.

 

[R-James]

I'm ordering from scott in the next hour or so so if you want me to pick up any particular cake to split amongst use let me know

 

[ouch]

Fellas,

Let's do it. I've got a whole spare cake of the 2008 Menghai "Peacock of Menghai". The reason being that I thought I had sent it to a friend, but it turned out I sent him a different peacock from the same set of five.

The cake is my favourite from the set of five, and, so it turns out, the favourite of Yunnan Sourcing's Scott, too. I'd like to get some comparative notes - I could pop them all into an article at the Half-Dipper, if you fancy it.

Rich, I've got your address. Scotto and Suzuki, I have addresses in New York and Toronto - have they changed? You might like to e-mail me your latest addresses, just in case!

Anyone else want to join in?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. I was typing so fast, my computer blew up.








So that's why Nick's wife refers to him as wang wang.

 

[R-James]

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. I was typing so fast, my computer blew up.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

As I indicated in the other thread, Scott's shipping is pretty reasonable and isn't that much if you use SAL shipping and spread it across a couple of cakes.

Also, because of their size/shape/weight, shipping individual cakes within the US isn't going to be super cheap - likely a few bucks per cake - so it might not make that much sense financially.

Also, Scott only charges precisely the amount that China Post charges him, which is (as you can imagine) a very low rate, for SAL.

 

[R-James]

Well I have a cake and some mini tuocha coming from him so I shall see what that lot is like when it arrives on the doorstep

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Ah, a clarification from the pinyin pedant himself! Seriously, though, I was looking at this particular cake as well. As far as can be seen from a picture (not much), it looks intriguing.

What's next, Tea Demigod? You have to love the advertising.

Some of the crazies were all of the "Abandoned Forest" and "Primeval Tree" rubbish that Xizihao came out with last year. I'd much rather an understated poetic name that all of that hyperbole, especially when the tea is not worthy of all the praise.

As we're talking about tea names, I like Nada's "Cha Cha Yi Wei", meaning "Tea, Zen - One Taste". Much better than Tea Kingemperor Wildancientarbor Fragrant Tribute nonsense.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

P.s. I have to be a pinyin perfectionist, because the darned pronunciation of Chinese words hinges on it absolutely, much like Latin spelling. One wrong pinyin and you're suddenly telling a mother her daughter looks like an elephant...

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Well I have a cake and some mini tuocha coming from him so I shall see what that lot is like when it arrives on the doorstep

Very nice - was it a 2008 Xiaguan mini tuocha? Those can be good.

Which cake did you grab?


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

P.s. Folks in it for the Menghai:

Scotto
Ouch
R-James
Suzuki
Proinsias
Netfurfr

 

[R-James]

It was the 2008 Nan Jian Tulin, maybe they are not mini tuochas after all I am still pretty green when it comes to deciphering what type of shape is what. the cake was 2007 Yong De which scott recommended to me. Both are shou teas, as the rest of my samples were sheng-pu and I am trying to try a few from each category and get a good mixture of tastes.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

It was the 2008 Nan Jian Tulin, maybe they are not mini tuochas after all I am still pretty green when it comes to deciphering what type of shape is what. the cake was 2007 Yong De which scott recommended to me. Both are shou teas, as the rest of my samples were sheng-pu and I am trying to try a few from each category and get a good mixture of tastes.

The Yongde will be good, I bet - decent factory, it seems. The Nanjian - fingers crossed! No idea on that one. I've got the 2006 Nanjian "Wuliangshan" bing, which was a bit average, but that wasn't shupu.

Good luck with 'em - tell us what you think.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

P.s. They're probably just straight "tuocha" - mini tuocha are the tiny (and really bad) little things that weigh just a few grams, where you drop the entire mini tuocha into your water.

 

[R-James]

ah, these are 100g a piece so your probably right, I'll let you know,

Also, I ran out of padded envelopes so your package will be dropped off in the morning Hobbes.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Woo, thanks! It always takes me weeks (literally) to post teas, so don't rush.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes