On Mar 22, 11:03 am, "Mike Petro" wrote:
If sheng has been aged long enough, it can be as dark as shu.

/Lew

Quite true Lew. I have many sheng puerhs where the spent leaf is
indeed quite dark, and at a casual glance could be mistaken for shu.
Actually this color is often seen in the most coveted of aged sheng
pu.

Cooked puerh goes through a process (as Phyll mentions) that is very
similar to composting. Each factory closely guards the specifics of
their method as if it were a state secret. But, as Phyll mentions, it
is all essentially variations of composting.

I too have heard the term "ripe" used to describe black puerh. I first
heard the term used by a Chinese puerh wholesaler in Kunming. This guy
moved literally tons of puerh each month. So it is evident, at least
to me, that the term is indeed used in this manner in China to some
degree. I first heard the term "cooked" from an American dealer who
was living in China at the time. The term "cooked" seems to be the
most prevalently used term in the US. I prefer to use either
"shu" (shou) or "black" as that side steps the whole translation
issue.

If there is any interest I can post my pictorial series of pictures
again that show the cooking process.

Mikehttp://www.pu-erh.net

Yes, please post the pictures! I find it helpful to have a visual
reference to go with all the great discussion on the NG.

Alan