You Sir, know your tea! I never new that Darjeeling wasn't a true green, everywhere I've bought it has it classified under the greens. I guess I just never noticed it is under the black category too.
Green Tea
- Thread starter Edcculus
- Start date
Darjeeling is the classic "Afternoon Tea" beverage, it's really lovely and a timeless choice. Every good tearoom will serve you a Darjeeling and well they might! It's my usual choice for the Afternoon Tea ritual...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
- Thread starter
- #23
I went ahead and ordered a bunch of small samples as well as 1/4 lb of a seemingly decent dragon well. I'll let you know how it goes!
Good man! Where did you grab them from? 
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Then you, sir, need to try some good pu'er! Send me a PM if you like, and I can pop some samples into the post. I've got shelves of the darned stuff, courtesy of advanced TAD...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
I would definitely like some Pu-Erh suggestions - I really like the mini nests I purchased from the Tea House in Covent Garden when I was in London this summer, but am now running out.
- Thread starter
- #26
Good man! Where did you grab them from?
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Special Teas. For some reason I couldnt get the link you put up to work.
Edit: nevermind, its working now, my internet must have crapped out.
Well, sir, step into my office!
*Creaky door sounds*
I think I know the precise tea you're talking about - I called into Covent Garden's Tea House a while ago. I've not tried the little pu'er nests ("mini tuocha"), though. They are almost definitely ripe/cooked pu'er ("shupu"), and can be very pleasant: did you come across flavours like wet leaves, dark earth, and similar? It's very peaty - Scotto recently likened them to Islay malts, which is spot on.
I mean this in the nicest possible way, but from Tea House's mini tuocha, the only way is up! There are some fantastic pu'er out there, as it's as varied, complex, and enjoyable as good wine, in my opinion (sans inebriation, sadly - the day they make alcoholic tea, I'm well in). Let me shoot you a few fairly inexpensive starters that you might enjoy:
1. 2007 Xizihao "8582" Cake at $33
2. 2005 Dehong "Purple Tips" Brick at $42
3. 2006 Haiwan "Imperial Tribute" Mini-Brick at $10
These are great little starters. Bear in mind that the first two are large (large!) and will last you many, many sessions. If you brew tea in the traditional Chinese way with the little pots ("gongfucha"), it'll last about 60 sessions.
The first two are so-called raw pu'er ("shengpu"), which is unadulterated, straight-up pu'er leaves. They're likely to get better with age - I think #1 will age better than #2, but they're both great to drink now (there are some pu'er you'd really want to mature for some years before drinking). #3 is a cooked pu'er ("shupu") just like the little nests you had from the Tea House. It's a smooth little brick.
Generally speaking, shupu (the dark, "cooked" stuff - actually it's more composted than cooked!) is less complex, appealing, and satisfying than shengpu (the raw, green stuff). Shupu is an attempt at accelerated maturing of leaves. Of course, there's no shortcut to greatness, and an uncooked shengpu tea that's matured for several decades can be darned lovely (and correspondingly wallet-damaging).
I think the oldest tea I've ever had is from the 1960s - there are teaheads out there with teas from the 30s, though!
Let me know if there's anything else you're interested in, I love talkin' tea...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. I have no affiliation with the vendor (Yunnan Sourcing). It's one of the core on-line vendors for teaheads.
Thanks a ton - you're spot on about the mini touchas in terms of flavour.
I'd like to try some of the raw and good cooked, but don't necessarily want to buy a pound of something (or have to wait 3 -5 weeks for delivery). Any where to get a good sampler?
Also, since I drink a lot of tea at work, is there anything you might suggest for Pu Erh in a more user-friendly format?
Thanks again!
I'd like to try some of the raw and good cooked, but don't necessarily want to buy a pound of something (or have to wait 3 -5 weeks for delivery). Any where to get a good sampler?
Also, since I drink a lot of tea at work, is there anything you might suggest for Pu Erh in a more user-friendly format?
Thanks again!
Have you tried any of their minis?
While not as good as the larger cakes, would these be a step up from the ones I'm using now? I also note they have both raw and cooked versions.
Thanks.
Shoot me a PM, I'll put together some samples for you.
If you want to actually buy samples (I do - never buy a cake without either trying it yourself or having a really solid recommendation), then you might like to try:
Houde Asian Art
If you're a dirty, rebellious, colonial type (i.e., American) then Houde will ship for free, and quickly - it's run by a chap in Houston, Texas. His tea business is run on the side while he's an engineer, but it's got a well-deserved reputation for being a fully excellent tea business with plenty of choice stretching back through the years, to suit all wallets and tastes. He has some interesting contacts in Taiwan that arrange his teas, and he makes regular trips over there to find more. (Again, I've no connection other than being a good customer.)
Things I've enjoyed from that list of samples include:
1997 Menghai "Shui Lan Yin" 7542
2001 MengKu "Yuan Yieh Xian" of MengSa Mountain, Thin-Papered
2001 MengKu "Yuan Yieh Xian" of MengSa Mountain, Thick-Papered
2003 Menghai "HK Henry Special-Ordered 7542"
2006 Chen Guang-He Tang "Yi Wu Cha Wang"
and anything by "Xizhihao".
Be warned, my good man, for this is the slipperiest slope to end all slippery slopes. If you thought SAD was bad, wait until TAD really kicks in... brr... my shelves are groaning from the weight of slowly-maturing cakes of tea.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. If you really get into the full agony of TAD, you might care to call by my Half-Dipper, from whence you can jump to all manner of other pu'er and wulong web-sites.
No, minis are (sorry to say this!) generally not the best tea in the world. In terms of getting stuff to drink at work, they're OK, of course. That said, there's not much difference between the various minis from most companies.
For work, I have a number of fairly cheap cakes (such as those listed above) that I break up into a gaiwan (lidded-cup thing, which you can brew in). You can also brew in a Bodum or Adagio tea-infuser quite effectively. I'll have you weaned off those minis in no time!
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
No, minis are (sorry to say this!) generally not the best tea in the world. In terms of getting stuff to drink at work, they're OK, of course. That said, there's not much difference between the various minis from most companies.
For work, I have a number of fairly cheap cakes (such as those listed above) that I break up into a gaiwan (lidded-cup thing, which you can brew in). You can also brew in a Bodum or Adagio tea-infuser quite effectively. I'll have you weaned off those minis in no time!
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
I figured the minis were inferior tea, but just wanted to double check.
I already have a drawer in my desk that full of teas and other stuff - fortunately, I think I can make room for a cake or brick of pu erh as well!
The prices from the e-bay vendor you linked to seem very reasonable given what this sells for here in Canada.
Thanks for the info.
You bet. The eBay vendor (Yunnan Sourcing) is based in Yunnan, the province in Mainland China where pu'er (the original tea) has grown for millenia. As such, the prices from him are much lower than most Western vendors, but you do have to wait a while for your products to cross the globe. My approach is to "order and forget" so that you're not waiting impatiently - and I'm very impatient!
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
I'm starting to think that Hobbes' tag line should read "pu'er pusher" or the like. 
The first hit is always free...
I've had several people at conferences regard me with suspicion during the tea-break when I produce little plastic bags filled with strange leaves...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. Custom tag-line imminent?!
I've had several people at conferences regard me with suspicion during the tea-break when I produce little plastic bags filled with strange leaves...
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. Custom tag-line imminent?!
I personally am a tea drinker throughout the day, though I strictly have coffee in the mornings.
A great website to check out is www.uptontea.com. Everything is there - from cheap, all around day teas, to the "bust my wallet" brews.
I personally love oolongs. Not black. Not green. Somewhere in between. They can be steeped multiple times (I use a gaiwan, a lidded tea bowl) and produce a refreshing brew.
My favorites are Tiguanyin (usually 2nd grades) and Se Chung oolongs.
For green teas, I love a good Japanese sencha. Had one last night with a bowl of soba miso.
A great website to check out is www.uptontea.com. Everything is there - from cheap, all around day teas, to the "bust my wallet" brews.
I personally love oolongs. Not black. Not green. Somewhere in between. They can be steeped multiple times (I use a gaiwan, a lidded tea bowl) and produce a refreshing brew.
My favorites are Tiguanyin (usually 2nd grades) and Se Chung oolongs.
For green teas, I love a good Japanese sencha. Had one last night with a bowl of soba miso.
What's the consensus of the teas from Adagio? I find their Citron Green to be amazing.
Some people love them. They're usually a good, friendly way to get into fairly decent tea. Once you've got your bearings, you can dive into the "real stuff".
Friends say that the Adagio teas are above-average, and consistent in quality.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
P.s. Their green tea and wulong selections look stable enough, having just had a quick peek, but their pu'er is a bit "Mickey Mouse".
