Hi all,
let me send you greetings from Menghai/Yunnan, the capital of Pu-Erh
tea.
I spent the last three weeks in this wonderful province, mostly
hunting for tea (and drinking truckloads), Yixing pots, ...
Even for a tealover it can easily get too much here with a couple 100s
(estimated 500+) of teashops alone in Kunming - the capital.
As I've been hunting for weeks I've been invited to at least 50
full-blown gongfu sessions with ALL kinds of tea (mostly excellent
Pu-Erhs and Oolongs -one guy even gongfued the Shincha-Sencha he
discovered in my backpack, he'll never do this again, hehe).
There are a lot of stories to be told, as well as some myths to be
shattered (Yixing teapots). In the next couple of weeks I'll try to
set up a tiny webpage (address posted to this group) with some
information on tea-shopping in Yunnan, Yixing-Pots, Pu-Erh teas, where
to look, how not to be ripped off (impossible!), you name it.

PS: Pu-Erh cha really got me hooked. After sampling unnumerable cups
of all kinds of Pu-Erh including some stone-age stuff (telling from
the taste) I can't live without it any longer :-)

Cheers,
Karsten

(Karsten) writes:

> Hi all,
> let me send you greetings from Menghai/Yunnan, the capital of Pu-Erh
> tea.
> I spent the last three weeks in this wonderful province, mostly
> hunting for tea (and drinking truckloads), Yixing pots, ...
> Even for a tealover it can easily get too much here with a couple 100s
> (estimated 500+) of teashops alone in Kunming - the capital.
> As I've been hunting for weeks I've been invited to at least 50
> full-blown gongfu sessions with ALL kinds of tea (mostly excellent
> Pu-Erhs and Oolongs -one guy even gongfued the Shincha-Sencha he
> discovered in my backpack, he'll never do this again, hehe).

I actually tried this recently. I found the first two steeps (pouring
off the liquor as soon as the leaf-crammed pot was filled) wonderful,
but after that the brew was far too bitter because it was impossible
to keep the leaves from steeping in the hot water they'd already
absorbed. If I were rich enough to discard good sencha after two
gongfu steeps I might make a habit of it.

> There are a lot of stories to be told, as well as some myths to be
> shattered (Yixing teapots). In the next couple of weeks I'll try to
> set up a tiny webpage (address posted to this group) with some
> information on tea-shopping in Yunnan, Yixing-Pots, Pu-Erh teas, where
> to look, how not to be ripped off (impossible!), you name it.
>
> PS: Pu-Erh cha really got me hooked. After sampling unnumerable cups
> of all kinds of Pu-Erh including some stone-age stuff (telling from
> the taste) I can't live without it any longer :-)

Me too. I'm eager to see what you post later.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Karsten" > wrote in message
om...
> Hi all,
> let me send you greetings from Menghai/Yunnan, the capital of Pu-Erh
> tea.
> I spent the last three weeks in this wonderful province, mostly
> hunting for tea (and drinking truckloads), Yixing pots, ...
> Even for a tealover it can easily get too much here with a couple 100s
> (estimated 500+) of teashops alone in Kunming - the capital.
> As I've been hunting for weeks I've been invited to at least 50
> full-blown gongfu sessions with ALL kinds of tea (mostly excellent
> Pu-Erhs and Oolongs

I am soooo jealous! Can't wait to hear the stories!

Agalena

(Karsten) wrote in message . com>...
> Hi all,
> let me send you greetings from Menghai/Yunnan, the capital of Pu-Erh
> tea.
> I spent the last three weeks in this wonderful province, mostly
> hunting for tea (and drinking truckloads), Yixing pots, ...
> Even for a tealover it can easily get too much here with a couple 100s
> (estimated 500+) of teashops alone in Kunming - the capital.
> As I've been hunting for weeks I've been invited to at least 50
> full-blown gongfu sessions with ALL kinds of tea (mostly excellent
> Pu-Erhs and Oolongs -one guy even gongfued the Shincha-Sencha he
> discovered in my backpack, he'll never do this again, hehe).
> There are a lot of stories to be told, as well as some myths to be
> shattered (Yixing teapots). In the next couple of weeks I'll try to
> set up a tiny webpage (address posted to this group) with some
> information on tea-shopping in Yunnan, Yixing-Pots, Pu-Erh teas, where
> to look, how not to be ripped off (impossible!), you name it.
>
> PS: Pu-Erh cha really got me hooked. After sampling unnumerable cups
> of all kinds of Pu-Erh including some stone-age stuff (telling from
> the taste) I can't live without it any longer :-)
>
> Cheers,
> Karsten

I am really looking forward to any posts you might write about your
yunnan experience. I too am a puer junky. I'm thinking of making a
trip to buy wholesale lots of newish green puer wheels one of these
years soon. I hope your trip continues to go well.

Regards,

Cameron

"Karsten" > ha scritto nel messaggio
om...
> Hi all,
> let me send you greetings from Menghai/Yunnan, the capital of Pu-Erh
> tea.
> I spent the last three weeks in this wonderful province, mostly
> hunting for tea (and drinking truckloads), Yixing pots, ...
> Even for a tealover it can easily get too much here with a couple 100s
> (estimated 500+) of teashops alone in Kunming - the capital.
> As I've been hunting for weeks I've been invited to at least 50
> full-blown gongfu sessions with ALL kinds of tea (mostly excellent
> Pu-Erhs and Oolongs -one guy even gongfued the Shincha-Sencha he
> discovered in my backpack, he'll never do this again, hehe).
> There are a lot of stories to be told, as well as some myths to be
> shattered (Yixing teapots). In the next couple of weeks I'll try to
> set up a tiny webpage (address posted to this group) with some
> information on tea-shopping in Yunnan, Yixing-Pots, Pu-Erh teas, where
> to look, how not to be ripped off (impossible!), you name it.
>
> PS: Pu-Erh cha really got me hooked. After sampling unnumerable cups
> of all kinds of Pu-Erh including some stone-age stuff (telling from
> the taste) I can't live without it any longer :-)
>
> Cheers,
> Karsten

Wow, I wish I was there. I am looking forward to your posts.
Enjoy your trip and your Pu'ers
Livio