Tuos are toys.

[ouch]

Tuos are cool. They look great, and some are beautifully packaged-- Dream of the Red Chamber, Hong Yun (Mini cake, actually. They're just a flat tou, if you ask me.), and Xi Zi come to mind instantly. They make terrific gifts for the fledgling pu'er drinker or anyone into tea.

I just don't think they're "serious" in the way a bing is. They're the demi-bouteille of the tea world, and if you've ever had a split of Bordeaux, you were left wanting more.

Mind you, I'm not talking about the big 250g tuos or mushrooms, let alone those tuos on steroids, the melon. I refer to the common 100g tuo, which is almost gone as soon as you get into it. Just not enough material for me.

So how am I wrong, and why should I be buying more tuos?

 

[Hobbesoxon]

The great thing about this year's Xiaguan baby-tuocha is the hexagonal-close-packing!

 

[ouch]

Okay, I'm sold.

 

[Scotto]

Awesome new avatar, BTW, Jay! I knew that pu'er was one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

 

[ouch]

Awesome new avatar, BTW, Jay! I knew that pu'er was one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe.

Wow, five minutes and already it got a better reception than the first time around.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=65284&highlight=periodic+table+elements

 

[thanks]

Xiaguan is most famous for their tuocha, and I honestly can't tell you the last time I had a tuo from Xiaguan and thought, "this isn't worth the price". My only real problems with tuocha lie in storage, as they usually take forever to age.

 

[netsurfr]

Think of the tuo as the instant all-occasion gift. You should also buy more because I have lots coming in and you know you need to try them at least once.

Oh, and the new avatar is awesome... or should I say, puerh-some.

 

[ouch]

Xiaguan is most famous for their tuocha, and I honestly can't tell you the last time I had a tuo from Xiaguan and thought, "this isn't worth the price". My only real problems with tuocha lie in storage, as they usually take forever to age.

A tuo can be fairly thick, and I'd guess it has less surface area per enclosed volume than a bing, so it should age more slowly. If I recall 7th grade math correctly (and I probably don't) a sphere has the smallest surface area per volume, so a melon (which most closely resembles a sphere out of the commonly pressed shapes) should take the longest to age.

It's probably very complicated. A tie bing is solidly compressed, but thinner- which affects the aging more?
My head hurts.

 

[netsurfr]

Time for some Xiaguan "Happy Tuo." Feelin' a need to get happy!