pu-erh in the UK

[Scotto]

You guys are killin' me - I have avoided buying more tea for a while (well, weeks, anyway). Now I may have to place a few more orders.

BTW, Hobbes, have you tried the new Purple Leaf brick from YSLLC? I know you were a fan of the older version, now all gone, and I see a 2008 available now. I never got to try the original, but will likely pick up this one, along with some other goodies.

 

[R-James]

You guys are killin' me - I have avoided buying more tea for a while (well, weeks, anyway). Now I may have to place a few more orders.

BTW, Hobbes, have you tried the new Purple Leaf brick from YSLLC? I know you were a fan of the older version, now all gone, and I see a 2008 available now. I never got to try the original, but will likely pick up this one, along with some other goodies.

We aim to please scotto!

 

[Hobbesoxon]

You guys are killin' me - I have avoided buying more tea for a while (well, weeks, anyway). Now I may have to place a few more orders.

BTW, Hobbes, have you tried the new Purple Leaf brick from YSLLC? I know you were a fan of the older version, now all gone, and I see a 2008 available now. I never got to try the original, but will likely pick up this one, along with some other goodies.

I'm glad to hear that you're aiming your browser towards tea purchasing...

I have some of the 2008 Dehong bricks - you'd be amazed how many people have asked me about them, in fact! Moreso than absolutely any other tea - they have a mysterious appeal. Well, not so mysterious - they're very tasty. Fruity, chunky, fresh. Think promiscuous fruitiness.

A few drinkers have commented that their older Dehong bricks have faded, but mine are still great after three years - a bit lower and richer, in fact - which is born out by a few others. Just one to be aware of - you might want to avoid keeping them out in a strong breeze.

As always, let us know how you get on!


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[ouch]

I had the good fortune of receiving a passaround box from the tea chat site. As would be expected, it's a community that draws a lot of nice folks.

 

[R-James]

I had the good fortune of receiving a passaround box from the tea chat site. As would be expected, it's a community that draws a lot of nice folks.

I thought I saw your avatar at teachat. I joined up but my application hasn't been confirmed yet. I thought it would be a good place to learn to appreciate more levels of pu than I can learn on my own.

 

[ouch]

Damned impersonators.

Pay no attention to that man behind the avatar......

 

[Suzuki]

Now I'm really looking forward to the 2008 Dehong I just scored.

The sad thing is that I'm in the process of convincing myself that I NEED the 5 peacock set - despite just getting my shipment this week. I'm enjoying my 2005 Yong Pin Hao as I type.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Now I'm really looking forward to the 2008 Dehong I just scored.

The sad thing is that I'm in the process of convincing myself that I NEED the 5 peacock set - despite just getting my shipment this week. I'm enjoying my 2005 Yong Pin Hao as I type.

You do need it! The Menghai, Mengson, and Bada, at least. I'll order more of those three. The Nannuo was nice-but-average, while the Bulang was tweaked into orangeness.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[R-James]

just a not to say, Nada came through this morning with:

'07 yichang hao yiwu
'04 yiwu private pressing
06 12 gentleman yiwu
08 12 gentleman chun ya shen yun
06 12 Gentleman da bao hao

spelling may be way off.

a 100 ml gaiwan and 2 25ml cups

Service was fast and clean, an I recieved more than I ordered... the sign of a generous and caring vendor.


Sorry about the rushed mid work photo:

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Great stuff, thanks for the photo!

I'm biased because Nada is a friend, but his pricing is really decent - along with Scott of Yunnan Sourcing, speaking as a buyer, I would say they are the two most fair on-line vendors that one could buy from.

Both can sell me tea cheaper via the Internet than the prices I got from buying it in person from the PRC...


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[ouch]

I know I'm going to get slammed for this, but one of my biggest peeves in enjoying tea is the miniscule serving size. Although I'm not particularly ham fisted, I'm still in the ugly American bigger is better camp. I have a very cute 250ml dragon egg shaped pot that I didn't use for ages because it was too small, only to discover that it's considered to be too big. My ~150ml pots seem to attract similar derision.

Don't get me wrong- I like small, cute items. In school, my then girlfriend once gave me a novelty Hibachi grill that used one piece of coal to cook a single hamburger, and I loved it. (I now have an even smaller 5" grill.)

But a 25ml teacup? Why not just use a thimble?

It's bad enough that I have to endure the taunts of my daughter about dad's "tiny teapots made from magic dirt."

 

[Hobbesoxon]

That... thing... is really pretty! I did a quick search from the image name:

"Use this exotic-looking ceramic Konro to serve grilled vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood sizzling hot to your guests. Liquid fuel or canned fuel keeps food warm and adds the finishing touch to grilling goodness."​

What a great idea!

If anyone complains about the small teaware, just say they're "the tea version of espresso" - that's a phrase that seems to turn aside most idle comment, I've found.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[R-James]

Personally, I was a bit sceptical when I first saw how small the gaiwan and cups were, but after brewing multiple gaiwans with varying brew times, I can appreciate a small serving size with the view of tasting different aspects of the tea in one session.

I can however see if I already knew the tea, that a bigger size may be good for a longer enjoyment.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

The bigger pots are perfectly usable - go with whatever feels best for you. The rationale behind using smaller pots is that the tea brews rapidly, and gives complexity in each infusion due to the larger number of leaves that may be used. If you brew larger volumes of tea, you necessarily have to use fewer leaves (otherwise it tastes bitter), and this reduces the complexity. Using few leaves and lots of water, and brewing for 1+ minutes, is "English" style - you get just a few infusions, and they're all very similar - nor does the tea reach its peak potential.

The smaller cups are practical in that the tea cools quicker. Typically, a small pot will brew about 3 or 4 small cups, and thus using small cups allows everyone to have a taste of each infusion. Use big cups if you wish, especially if you drink alone...

There are no "right ways" to go about it. You should only adopt a style because it gives tea in the style you wish, rather than being concerned about correctness. Gongfucha is so convoluted in its history that there is no de facto method, unlike Japanese chado. I think that's what gives it charm - I'm not one for prescriptive treatment, especially when trying to get the best out of a random tea, which is a highly subjective treatment. Maybe that's why gongfucha works so well - the goal is just "haocha" [good tea].

Question everything! Accept nothing without personal validation!


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[Suzuki]

While I do agree that the tea tastes best when brewed in small quantities, this is not practical at work (where I drink most of my tea).

My solution is to use a Thermos brand thermal teapot with an integral tea basket. The basket is quite large, so I can use the right amount of tea and its not so large (600ml) that the tea sits around too long. I brew the tea for the desired amount of time and then put the baskent on a saucer for when I want to brew up another pot.

This allows me to have a reasonable amount of tea on hand in a way that doesn't sacrifice too much flavour. I have yet to get a gaiwan, but suspect a trip to Chinatown is in order...

And Hobbes - you are quite the enabler there's a new AD - TAD - that I now have to contend with!

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Ah, TAD

I have a small tea-tray and gaiwan/zishahu in my office - a quick trip to the kettle fills up a 0.5L flask with boiling water, and then it's good tea all morning...


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

 

[Scotto]

Ha - my wallet hasn't recovered since Hobbes found his way to B&B. My shelves groan with pu'er, but I think Jay has it worse from what I can tell.

I just pulled the trigger on a bunch of stuff from YSLLC including some of the items discussed on this thread, as well as some other goodies.

 

[Hobbesoxon]

Fine work, sir!

 

[Suzuki]

Fine work, sir!

Are you on commission???

 

[Suzuki]

Ha - my wallet hasn't recovered since Hobbes found his way to B&B. My shelves groan with pu'er, but I think Jay has it worse from what I can tell.

I just pulled the trigger on a bunch of stuff from YSLLC including some of the items discussed on this thread, as well as some other goodies.

I rationalize my tea expenditures by telling myself that a pot of excellent pu-erh costs much less than a cup of lousy Starbucks coffee...