"Space Cowboy" wrote:

Is that the post when you insert flame here

Actually this is the post where I go back to talking about tea.

In the past 2 weeks I have received over 58kg worth of puerh from
several of our fine brethren in the East. Amongst them are 82
different kinds of puerh including 7 different types of Bamboo puerh,
15 different bingchas, 3 different types of brick puerh, some
mushroom, fangcha, 5 types of tuocha, 5 types of loose, some golden
melon, some pomelo, and an assortment of regular Chinese reds, blacks,
and greens.

I am now quite busy photographing, cataloging, brewing, and tasting
all of these fine specimens. Many of them will need some aging before
they are ready for prime time, however, there are also many that are
quite tasty right now and I have not even made it half way through
them yet.

Much of this is destined for friends and/or gifts, the rest is for my
collection. My personal style is to buy at least 2 of every cake I
intend to age. One is kept pristine and allowed to age for 20 years or
so, the other is sampled every year so that I can experience the cakes
as they mature. IMHO this is the best way to learn about puerh, you
can read all the books, read the newsgroups, talk to a bunch of Tea
Masters (which is sure to confuse you even further since no 2 of them
agree on anything), talk to all of the vendors, and even tour China,
but there is no better way to learn puerh than to develop your own
collection of "taste memories". Hehe, good notes help too.

BTW, I use about 6 different yixing pots that are each dedicated to a
different genre of puerh. Every one of them came from an online vendor
residing in China. (Just to get back on topic somewhat)


Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net
"In this work, when it shall be found that much is omitted, let it not be forgotten that much likewise is performed."
Samuel Johnson, 1775, upon finishing his dictionary.

Yeah Michael, if Sasha were ever (as I know he wouldn't, this is teasing) to
show up at my door with a gung fu pot and some Bai Hao...I'd know ALL about
what he was up to. Yep. Can't fool me now.

Melinda

--
"I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows,
and Henry knows we know it."

We're a knowledgeable family." ::smiles:: -Geoffrey, Lion in Winter
"Michael Plant" wrote in message
...
Alex .com6/20/05


"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
Renny writes:

[...]

Most people don't even realize that GongFuCha is the only way to
actually

I'm having trouble thinking of a way to complete this sentence to make
it true. Any suggestions?

/Lew

My suggestion :
"Most people don't even realize that GongFuCha is the only way to
actually"
reliably seduce women for less than $5.00 with unparalleled success
statistics.

Well, Sasha, now that you let the cat out of the bag -- so to speak --
I'll
just pack up my marbles and go home.

Michael

Well, well, well... Some naive souls would not see a hidden invitation here
but an old Don Juan like myself... Hmmm... Bai Hao, you are saying...
And Melinda - I promise, Henry would never know anything. You know that
and I know you know...

Sasha.


"Melinda" wrote in message
...
Yeah Michael, if Sasha were ever (as I know he wouldn't, this is teasing)
to show up at my door with a gung fu pot and some Bai Hao...I'd know ALL
about what he was up to. Yep. Can't fool me now.

Melinda

--
"I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows,
and Henry knows we know it."

We're a knowledgeable family." ::smiles:: -Geoffrey, Lion in Winter
"Michael Plant" wrote in message
...
Alex .com6/20/05


"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news Renny writes:

[...]

Most people don't even realize that GongFuCha is the only way to
actually

I'm having trouble thinking of a way to complete this sentence to make
it true. Any suggestions?

/Lew

My suggestion :
"Most people don't even realize that GongFuCha is the only way to
actually"
reliably seduce women for less than $5.00 with unparalleled success
statistics.

Well, Sasha, now that you let the cat out of the bag -- so to speak --
I'll
just pack up my marbles and go home.

Michael

Space 6/22/05


When a guy pops in the group selling stuff and says trust me, yeah
right. Commercial advertising in this group is prohibited. If you
can't find pu'rh in Chinatown it ain't no Chinatown. It'll go for
about penny/gram. I'll leave it up to your taste buds if cheap is
good. Or you can pay $10 for the Xiaguan Millennium 100g tuocha from
the website in Houston which has been previously recommended by the
Barnum of Puer which cost less than a buck in my Chinatown. If you
have any scarce pu'rh me or others will be willing to sample it for
you. It won't remain scarce too long. The term refers to stupid
foreigners which includes Occidentals and Asians. You've already
picked the wrong side.

Jim



Jim,

Of course I agree with you on the Chinatown thing, but as for the better and
best Pu'erhs, think of it this way: Could you walk into to any car dealer
and pick up a Bentley? No. You'd have to go pretty far out of your way. So
it is with Pu'erh. You can get reasonably good Pu'erh in any Chinatown, but
for the truly good stuff, you need to range further out. After all, the
average Chinese living in your area is no more likely to appreciate or buy
excellent Pu'erh than the average Gringo is likely to.....well, don't get me
started.

If you find the point to my comments above, please share them with me.

Thanks.

Michael

[Mike Petro]
BTW, I use about 6 different yixing pots that are each dedicated to a
different genre of puerh. Every one of them came from an online vendor
residing in China. (Just to get back on topic somewhat)

[Michael]
I'm really interested in this as I have two teapots dedicated to Pu'erh, one
to cooked, and one to young uncooked. The old uncooked Pu'erhs I drink from
gaiwans only. Please tell us your breakdown and how you arrived at it. I
have YiXings for different types of tea, but it hadn't occurred to me to
have multiples for Pu'erh.

Almost by definition there were no expensive teas in Chinatown for the
consumer. Chinatown did have a selection but if money is burning a
hole in your pocket you'd shop elsewhere. If I've learned any thing
about tea there is no correlation between price and taste. From the
seventies till the mid nineties tea turnover was flat ie something new
you hadn't seen before. In the past five years selection has increased
many fold along with the price. The nicest surprise are Taiwan teas.
I was so impressed by a commercial A-Li-Shan and DongDing I cleared the
shelves which wasn't cheap at $10/100g. This is the first tea I
decided I couldn't live without. If I ever know when I drink my last
cup of tea this will be it. I'm starting to ponder those type of
questions now. I understand the tremendous variety of tea and the
search for another cup. When people present the case tea is greener on
the other side of the fence I remind them of what is on this side.
Chinatown is behind the eight ball on puerh. However if I understand
the argument correctly the middle class on this side of the Pacific
will want their share. Any part of the tea culture(s) stands on it's
own and I think the comparison to other activities just doesn't mean
much. My Chinatown has a cheap LiuAn which will cost you more from
anywhere else. If I'm looking for a Bentley I'll find someone who took
it in trade for a MiniCooper.

Jim

Michael Plant wrote:
Space 6/22/05

....I delete me...
Jim,

Of course I agree with you on the Chinatown thing, but as for the better and
best Pu'erhs, think of it this way: Could you walk into to any car dealer
and pick up a Bentley? No. You'd have to go pretty far out of your way. So
it is with Pu'erh. You can get reasonably good Pu'erh in any Chinatown, but
for the truly good stuff, you need to range further out. After all, the
average Chinese living in your area is no more likely to appreciate or buy
excellent Pu'erh than the average Gringo is likely to.....well, don't get me
started.

If you find the point to my comments above, please share them with me.

Thanks.

Michael

So your approach to tea is one upmanship. When you have a fire sale
let me know.

Jim

In article .com,
"Mike Petro" wrote:

You are right on both accounts. My bad.... Sorry. After a while one
becomes tired of being publicy slammed all the time and I have become
somewhat sensitive to his malarky over the years.

I agree with the killfile idea - I've had him in
mine for some time now, although his bile
still oozes in from time to time in other
posts. Why is this guy so obsessed with
you, anyway? It's sociopathic. And weird.

Michael Plant wrote:
[Mike Petro]
BTW, I use about 6 different yixing pots that are each dedicated to a
different genre of puerh. Every one of them came from an online vendor
residing in China. (Just to get back on topic somewhat)

[Michael]
I'm really interested in this as I have two teapots dedicated to Pu'erh, one
to cooked, and one to young uncooked. The old uncooked Pu'erhs I drink from
gaiwans only. Please tell us your breakdown and how you arrived at it. I
have YiXings for different types of tea, but it hadn't occurred to me to
have multiples for Pu'erh.

Well here is the spread and my reasoning.

1) A cool artistic wood-like pot for everyday Shu Puerh. Obtained from
Michael Ryan. It is my second favorite pot so I use it on my second
most consumed tea.
2) A pot-bellied version of that same pot for well aged Shu Puerh.
Obtained from Michael Ryan. Not sure that it matters or not but 20 year
old Shu puerhs get their own pot.
3) A traditional styled wide bellied pot for everyday Sheng Puerh, I
got this one from a friend in Kunming, it is the best pot I own hence I
dedicated it to the puerh I drink the most. It has the fastest, most
perfect, pour of any pot I own. The clay is allegedly zhuni grade B and
it is the work of a known Pottery Master's shop although not made by
the Master himself.
4) A pot that looks very similar to #3 but does not function nearly as
well, it doesn't pour as well and it clogs easily. I use it for
adolescent Sheng Puerh, that is puerh in the 10-18 year range. It is
sufficiently different enough from young sheng but is still nowhere
near as smooth as well aged.
5) A small pot not much bigger than a walnut, about 40ml, that I used
for aged puer 20 years+. I got this one from Jing Teashop, while it is
not a Master potters work by any means it is perfect for those very
expensive aged puerhs. Just the right size to get good steeps out of
2-3g of leaf.
6) I have another pot that I got from James Bana at Pu-erhtea.com that
I use for Bamboo Puerhs. They are different enough to warrant their own
pot.

Mike

I'm glad Henry will never know anything becasue I really really really HATE
being locked in towers...

I thought that Bai Hao would get your attention, lolol......

Melinda


"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
news
Well, well, well... Some naive souls would not see a hidden invitation
here but an old Don Juan like myself... Hmmm... Bai Hao, you are saying...
And Melinda - I promise, Henry would never know anything. You know that
and I know you know...

Sasha.


"Melinda" wrote in message
...
Yeah Michael, if Sasha were ever (as I know he wouldn't, this is teasing)
to show up at my door with a gung fu pot and some Bai Hao...I'd know ALL
about what he was up to. Yep. Can't fool me now.

Melinda

Melinda,
It did
Next time I am in NY and hopefully see Michael, DogMa and Lew, we shall all
get together and do a seduction GongFu orgy and you will be the judge.
Wouldn't that be G-orgeous?

Sasha.


"Melinda" wrote in message
...
I'm glad Henry will never know anything becasue I really really really
HATE being locked in towers...

I thought that Bai Hao would get your attention, lolol......

Melinda


"Alex Chaihorsky" wrote in message
news
Well, well, well... Some naive souls would not see a hidden invitation
here but an old Don Juan like myself... Hmmm... Bai Hao, you are
saying...
And Melinda - I promise, Henry would never know anything. You know
that and I know you know...

Sasha.


"Melinda" wrote in message
...
Yeah Michael, if Sasha were ever (as I know he wouldn't, this is
teasing) to show up at my door with a gung fu pot and some Bai Hao...I'd
know ALL about what he was up to. Yep. Can't fool me now.

Melinda

[Jim, discussing his Chinatown tea buying experience in general]

snip

If I've learned any thing
about tea there is no correlation between price and taste.

snip

On that we can all -- or most of us -- agree. I'm drinking a *very* pleasant
Bian Cha at the moment, and although I don't know its precise price, I know
it was in the lower rather than the higher realms. The tea has complexity,
it has subtlety, it has taste and aroma, it has style, and it's nicely made.
My groping through samples of this year's much discussed Long Jings seem to
support your contention as well.

Nonetheless, There are teas out there that are truly rare, truly wonderful,
and truly expensive. Ultimately, it's all a matter of taste and style, eh?
Besides, in Chinatown you get to pour over hundreds of pretty tea boxes with
pastoral scenes and pretty ladies pointing at tea leaves with that come
hither look. But, from our main purpose I digress. Let me stop while I'm
ahead.

Michael

Space 6/23/05


So your approach to tea is one upmanship. When you have a fire sale
let me know.

Jim


Jim,
Ya gotta contextualize your posts; otherwise, even though you shot at us, we
can't know who is to fall down.

Michael

Mike 6/23/05



Michael Plant wrote:
[Mike Petro]
BTW, I use about 6 different yixing pots that are each dedicated to a
different genre of puerh. Every one of them came from an online vendor
residing in China. (Just to get back on topic somewhat)

[Michael]
I'm really interested in this as I have two teapots dedicated to Pu'erh, one
to cooked, and one to young uncooked. The old uncooked Pu'erhs I drink from
gaiwans only. Please tell us your breakdown and how you arrived at it. I
have YiXings for different types of tea, but it hadn't occurred to me to
have multiples for Pu'erh.

Well here is the spread and my reasoning.

1) A cool artistic wood-like pot for everyday Shu Puerh. Obtained from
Michael Ryan. It is my second favorite pot so I use it on my second
most consumed tea.

And a mighty fine pot it is too. You will recall that I saw it last year.
The pictures on Ryan's site made it look stupid -- to me, folks; a personal
opinion here -- but in the flesh, -- or should I say in the clay -- it
looked just right, and I like it.

2) A pot-bellied version of that same pot for well aged Shu Puerh.
Obtained from Michael Ryan. Not sure that it matters or not but 20 year
old Shu puerhs get their own pot.

Hmmmmmmm. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I no longer bother with 20 year old shu poos
unless I get a sample.

3) A traditional styled wide bellied pot for everyday Sheng Puerh, I
got this one from a friend in Kunming, it is the best pot I own hence I
dedicated it to the puerh I drink the most. It has the fastest, most
perfect, pour of any pot I own. The clay is allegedly zhuni grade B and
it is the work of a known Pottery Master's shop although not made by
the Master himself.

Pictures, please. I'll bet they are alreasdy on your web site. Just point
the way.

4) A pot that looks very similar to #3 but does not function nearly as
well, it doesn't pour as well and it clogs easily. I use it for
adolescent Sheng Puerh, that is puerh in the 10-18 year range. It is
sufficiently different enough from young sheng but is still nowhere
near as smooth as well aged.

Ah, so you actually have an adolescent Sheng pot. That's the one I probably
miss, although, up to now, I've been using a gaiwan for these.

5) A small pot not much bigger than a walnut, about 40ml, that I used
for aged puer 20 years+. I got this one from Jing Teashop, while it is
not a Master potters work by any means it is perfect for those very
expensive aged puerhs. Just the right size to get good steeps out of
2-3g of leaf.

That's what I'm looking for, and unfortunately haven't found as yet. Could
we see pictures, and/or could you describe it further? I think, of all the
vendors, Jing Tea Shop has what are for me the best gaiwans, far and away.
Seb if you're listening, save me two of those new ones with the fisher
fellow in cobalt blue, as well as a couple cups of the same size I had
ordered from you previously. [Buried message here to see if Seb and Jing
read my brilliant interspersions on rfdt.]

6) I have another pot that I got from James Bana at Pu-erhtea.com that
I use for Bamboo Puerhs. They are different enough to warrant their own
pot.

On that topic, regarding the latest canes we've been talking about and
exploring elsewhere, could you talk more about the "bamboo" quality, which,
it struck me soundly a couple days ago, was a *very* powerful element. If
that was in fact the case, I'm not sure I'm all that fond of a "bamboo"
taste component other than the quieter, less intrusive, and more integrated
and balanced versions. What say you?

Michael

[Michael]
Seb if you're listening, save me two of those new ones with the fisher
fellow in cobalt blue, as well as a couple cups of the same size I had
ordered from you previously. [Buried message here to see if Seb and
Jing
read my brilliant interspersions on rfdt.]

[Seb & Jing]
And we are, we like this forum very much, it is one place full of life!
Small Yixing...saw one today, clay is good (tiao sha zi ni) and
craftmanship is ok. One thing though, it is a traditional yixing
teapot, which means no screen. Probably 60 to 70cc. Will have to check
later if you are interested.

About the Gaiwan...done. Could you remind me about the cups, are those
the one that are "very flat and with the mouth very opened"?

SEb