hi all

since i'm in a pu-erh mood like others on this list, i decided to share some
of my experiences as i learn about pu-erh also.

my favorite so far - black mushroom shaped pu-erh from holy mountain (can be
found elsewhere as well)
earthy, little woody but not musty

second favorite - the $1 tuo-cha from ten ren. similar to mushroom but a
little less smooth, still excellent

mini tuo-cha from special teas are ok but they really seem to need a 10
second rinse else they are very musty. looks to be made from broken or
chopped leaves if i remember correctly.

i also have a green pu-erh brick from holy mountain though i made it only
once, and it was very bitter. vintage 1992 - how should this be brewed?
1 tsp, boiling water, 3 minute steep

my least favorite pu-erh is the plastic wrapped tuos from ten ren - i don't
see them online though they are available at ten ren's shop in san
francisco. quite earthy but has a very strong, overwhelming mushroomy scent
and taste. i love mushrooms though this is too strong for my taste.

-ben

OK, so forgive my newby-ness in this regard, please bear with me.

Pu-Erh?

Sounds like http://www.taooftea.com/teashop.php3...Teas&id=&pmid=

Is this the sort of thing you're talking about?

Are Tao Of Tea Pu-Er teas good/awful/better than nothing?

Anyone care to reply with links to where I can purchase (real/good) Pu-Erh teas online?
(FWIW: I'm in Oz-Tray-Lee-Uh)

Thanks Muchly.
Phil P

In article t>,
says...
> hi all
>
> since i'm in a pu-erh mood like others on this list, i decided to share some
> of my experiences as i learn about pu-erh also.
>
> my favorite so far - black mushroom shaped pu-erh from holy mountain (can be
> found elsewhere as well)
> earthy, little woody but not musty
>
> second favorite - the $1 tuo-cha from ten ren. similar to mushroom but a
> little less smooth, still excellent
>
> mini tuo-cha from special teas are ok but they really seem to need a 10
> second rinse else they are very musty. looks to be made from broken or
> chopped leaves if i remember correctly.
>
> i also have a green pu-erh brick from holy mountain though i made it only
> once, and it was very bitter. vintage 1992 - how should this be brewed?
> 1 tsp, boiling water, 3 minute steep
>
> my least favorite pu-erh is the plastic wrapped tuos from ten ren - i don't
> see them online though they are available at ten ren's shop in san
> francisco. quite earthy but has a very strong, overwhelming mushroomy scent
> and taste. i love mushrooms though this is too strong for my taste.
>
> -ben
>
>
>

Phil 12/30/03



> Anyone care to reply with links to where I can purchase (real/good) Pu-Erh
> teas online?
> (FWIW: I'm in Oz-Tray-Lee-Uh)
>
> Thanks Muchly.
> Phil P


Your Newbeeness,

Here are two recommendations, one in your backyard and one in mine. I have
had excellent tea from both, although I've never bought a pu-erh from the
former:

Gray and Seddon in Australia:
<http://www.gray-seddon-tea.com/puer.shtml>

G&S is good enough on Japanese greens to get me to order from halfway around
the world. I recommend them in general. Their Pu-erh inventory is limited,
but that might be a good thing. They definitely care about quality.

In Pursuit of Tea in Brooklyn, New York, God's Own Country
<http://store.yahoo.com/teastores/puerhteas.html>

IPOT has some lovely Pu-erhs, most notably the "Silver Needle Been Cha,"
which is extraordinary, IMHO. They too have a limited inventory, but care
about quality.

I would recommend David Hoffman's company, Silk Road Teas, but alas, he has
no lane on the great information highway. He's in California, and would
probably be my first recommendation to you otherwise.

WBMWAF? **OUCH**
FWIW, we forgive you.

Michael

"Phil Pierotti" > wrote in
message t...
> OK, so forgive my newby-ness in this regard, please bear with me.
>
> Pu-Erh?
>
> Sounds like
http://www.taooftea.com/teashop.php3...Teas&id=&pmid=
>
> Is this the sort of thing you're talking about?

Yup.

> Are Tao Of Tea Pu-Er teas good/awful/better than nothing?

Never had them, quality seems to differ widely depending on age and other
factors.

> Anyone care to reply with links to where I can purchase (real/good) Pu-Erh
teas online?
> (FWIW: I'm in Oz-Tray-Lee-Uh)

Well, you can get pu-erh in lots of places, and it all depends on what you
want to spend. tenren.com has these 100 gram pu-erh tuocha (bowl-shaped
compressed pu-erh) for $1 each which are decent. Here's the link:
http://tenren.com/yuntuopuerte.html

This is a black pu-erh which makes a very smooth, earthy, dark brew. Never
ever bitter no matter how long you steep, in fact it can be steeped
overnight and it's excellent.

If you want to spend a bit more for better stuff, you can try holymtn.com -
http://holymtn.com/tea/pu-erhtea.htm
I just received one of the Tibetan mushroom pu-erh which is great alone or
for Tibetan butter tea. Excellent stuff.

Also I got the aged green pu-erh tea brick (the $26 one) It's very good as
long as you don't follow their brew directions. And the green type gets
better with age.

There's a ton of other places which I hear are good but never ordered from,
one of which is Imperial Tea Court http://www.imperialtea.com/

enjoy!
-ben

> There's a ton of other places which I hear are good but never ordered from,
> one of which is Imperial Tea Court http://www.imperialtea.com/

hmms. i think tea from imperial tea court is a little. pricey.
i could get some of those tea cakes over here at half the price up there.

"ws" > wrote in message
m...
> > There's a ton of other places which I hear are good but never ordered
from,
> > one of which is Imperial Tea Court http://www.imperialtea.com/
>
> hmms. i think tea from imperial tea court is a little. pricey.
> i could get some of those tea cakes over here at half the price up there.

where?

-ben

My personal sources:

http://www.pu-erhtea.com/Pu-erhTea.htm
Few grades or vintages mentioned. This site is in Kunming, Yunan, and
has been very good to deal with. James has been very reliable and
trustworthy. The teas have been good, but young, and the prices better
than here in the US. There is something almost spiritual about opening
up a box covered with Chinese stamps and postmarks to find several
golden melons and a Yixing teapot.

http://www.mandjs.com/ProductsList.a...h%20Teas&ID=82
This is another Chinese site. They have a very good selection and are
good about disclosing the true nature of there offerings. Very good
about quoting both grade and vintage. Do not pay too much attention to
the shipping costs listed on the website, email them for a shipping
table instead. Michael also does a lot of business on ebay as well.



Some standard US sources (in no particular order):

http://www.generationtea.com/store/default.php?cPath=4
Nice selection, no mention of grades, some vintages quoted.

http://store.yahoo.com/teastores/puerhteas.html
AKA IPOT- Nice selection, no mention of grade or vintage.

http://www.holymtn.com/tea/pu-erhtea.htm
Nice selection, most grades and vintages are quoted.

http://natureproducts.net/Medicine/bamboo_tea.html
Unusual offerings like Pu Erh flowers etc.

http://www.tributetea.com/puerh_tea.asp
Nice slection, no real grades mentioned, some ages quoted but no
vintages.

http://www.imperialtea.com/AB1002000...Category_ID=21
AKA ITC - Very nice selection, some grades and ages quoted, very few
vintages quoted.


>> since i'm in a pu-erh mood like others on this list, i decided to share some
>> of my experiences as i learn about pu-erh also.
>>
>> my favorite so far - black mushroom shaped pu-erh from holy mountain (can be
>> found elsewhere as well)
>> earthy, little woody but not musty
>>
>> second favorite - the $1 tuo-cha from ten ren. similar to mushroom but a
>> little less smooth, still excellent
>>
>> mini tuo-cha from special teas are ok but they really seem to need a 10
>> second rinse else they are very musty. looks to be made from broken or
>> chopped leaves if i remember correctly.
>>
>> i also have a green pu-erh brick from holy mountain though i made it only
>> once, and it was very bitter. vintage 1992 - how should this be brewed?
>> 1 tsp, boiling water, 3 minute steep
>>
>> my least favorite pu-erh is the plastic wrapped tuos from ten ren - i don't
>> see them online though they are available at ten ren's shop in san
>> francisco. quite earthy but has a very strong, overwhelming mushroomy scent
>> and taste. i love mushrooms though this is too strong for my taste.
>>
>> -ben
>>
>>
>>

Mike Petro

remove the "filter" in my email address to reply

You'll find great Pu-Erh at
http://www.betjemanandbarton.com/en/shop/prd.php?id=128

This tea comes from South Central Yunnan.
Once picked, the leaves are twisted then naturally dried in the shade.
Fermentation develops this absolutely unique earthy taste, slightly sweet,
with a deep red infusion.
Pu-Er teas are aged teas that are sometimes quite old.



"Phil Pierotti" > a écrit dans le
message de t...
> OK, so forgive my newby-ness in this regard, please bear with me.
>
> Pu-Erh?
>
> Sounds like
http://www.taooftea.com/teashop.php3...Teas&id=&pmid=
>
> Is this the sort of thing you're talking about?
>
> Are Tao Of Tea Pu-Er teas good/awful/better than nothing?
>
> Anyone care to reply with links to where I can purchase (real/good) Pu-Erh
teas online?
> (FWIW: I'm in Oz-Tray-Lee-Uh)
>
> Thanks Muchly.
> Phil P
>
> In article t>,

> says...
> > hi all
> >
> > since i'm in a pu-erh mood like others on this list, i decided to share
some
> > of my experiences as i learn about pu-erh also.
> >
> > my favorite so far - black mushroom shaped pu-erh from holy mountain
(can be
> > found elsewhere as well)
> > earthy, little woody but not musty
> >
> > second favorite - the $1 tuo-cha from ten ren. similar to mushroom but
a
> > little less smooth, still excellent
> >
> > mini tuo-cha from special teas are ok but they really seem to need a 10
> > second rinse else they are very musty. looks to be made from broken or
> > chopped leaves if i remember correctly.
> >
> > i also have a green pu-erh brick from holy mountain though i made it
only
> > once, and it was very bitter. vintage 1992 - how should this be brewed?
> > 1 tsp, boiling water, 3 minute steep
> >
> > my least favorite pu-erh is the plastic wrapped tuos from ten ren - i
don't
> > see them online though they are available at ten ren's shop in san
> > francisco. quite earthy but has a very strong, overwhelming mushroomy
scent
> > and taste. i love mushrooms though this is too strong for my taste.
> >
> > -ben
> >
> >
> >