On Mar 29, 10:06*am, cha bing wrote:
Is there such a thing as pu-er that is too old?

http://www.cnpuerh.com/wh/read-3431.html
In the 60s when cleaning out the Forbidden City, workers found nearly
2 tons of balled pu-er tea from the size of tennis balls 2 large
pumpkins. These teas are presently kept in the Hangzhou Agricultural
University & Forbidden City museum. Samples of the tea were tested, &
the general opinion was that it has color, but the fragrance & taste
are thin. The complexity of the tea was gone. Some experts considered
this 2 be the ultimate taste of pu-er: ethereal, now-u-taste-it-now-u-
don't flavors - the complexity of the character has submerged but
subtly it is still there; but some think that the leaves had oxidized
beyond drinkable brew.
Zhuang-tse teaches us about the point of diminishing return, & this
probably it; only most of us are not as old as some of the aged pu-er
2 say at which point the tea is no longer drinkable. I have sampled pu-
er that was from 1920s, & they are still very much drinkable, so I
think it is safe to say that pu-er as early as 1920s can still be
drunk.

On the other hand, one cannot ignore the quality & production process
of the pu-er - a low quality maocha & poor production process pu-er
made in the recent years might not even last a decade.

Kevo