/6/04

>
> Actually, as an Asian who love tea, and who have been corresponding to many
> non-Asian tea lovers, I find the ones most quick to voice criticism on tea
> and its culture are non-Asians. Whether the criticism is borne out of
> ignorance, misguided knowledge, or half-knowledge, I'm not certain, but I
> often find their arguments leaning on personal preferences and partial
> knowledge.
>
> If I were to drink a lousy Starbuck latte in one place, I don't think I have
> the right to dismiss that all Starbuck lattes are terrible.

Actually, you probably do; because Starbucks prides itself on consistency
from time to time and store to store.

>Likewise with
> Pu'er, some of us may have a bad experience with Pu'er, and readily dismiss
> the tea whenever it is mentioned. I believe we should give the tea more
> opportunity to unravel itself to us before we judge it.

Absolutely right, in my opinion. But, there is a "Pu-erh taste" that might
just not be to everybody's liking. There are qualities that tie green
Pu-erh, for example, together.
>
> I think the biggest misconception here is that people believe Pu'er must
> come with mold. The truth is, classes of aspergillus niger, penicillium,
> rhizopus, aspergillus gloucus, saccharomyces, and bacterium are active only
> during the Wo Dui process. Through a system of delicate balance, these
> active 'agents' break down the phytochemical structure of the tea while
> fighting to cross out each other. The tea leaves need to be baked again at
> high heat to kill the bacteria and Fungi. These loose leaves are then
> either steamed once more before compressing or left as loose leaf.
> Whichever the 'fate', Pu'er from this stage onwards does not neccesary need
> a host of fungi or bacteria, the oxidation and fermentation should wholly
> take place within the leaves' phytochemical structure, hence the golden rule
> of storing Pu'er is to keep it in a area where it is airy and dry - to
> prevent mold.

OK so far.
>
> Reading over the records and books on Pu'er, I believe that this praise over
> 'moldy' Pu'er is stemmed from an earlier misconception, where the old Pu'er
> hunted down by early Taiwanese Pu'er fanatic fans were found in old Hongkong
> eateries, where the teas were not stored properly.

Well, if it's in really bad condition, send it on to America and tell us its
rare. That usually does it.
>
> Pu'er liquor should be amber and clear, and the steeping not too long till
> it yields a mucky black sludge. Dried cooked Pu'er should smell of clean
> old libraries, not a fishery or warehouse.

I love clean old libraries, but what about that clean earth/loam/peat/
wet-leaves-beneath-my-feet smell that I find often in nice cooked Pu-erhs?
I like that. As for old books, I am happily reading one, but steeping it
would be another matter entirely. I'm trying to get a handle on your
association here.

>If you find mold on the Pu'er
> cake, take a soft brush to brush it off. And when you brew, use very hot
> water and discard the 1st round. A good cup of Pu'er is one where you can
> see the bottom of the cup through the amber liquor, if you see your own
> reflection staring back on the dark surface, then your tea is probably too
> strong.

I started out with Pu-erhs thinking that an opaque black liquor was proper.
Now, I know better. Here's my question, though: Would a "good" Pu-erh,
cooked or uncooked, ever become opaque? Would that opacity indicate
something else, such as wet stored Pu-erh?

Another Pu-erh question: There seems to be a common idea that adolescent
Pu-erhs taste harsher than those that are either younger and older. That is
to say, a 7 year old will be harsh, while a two year old or 20 year old will
not. Trouble is, I've not found this to be so for the most part. Any ideas?
Perhaps it's because "harsh" is too harsh a word, and these are relative
qualities. Whatever.

Michael