I had a strange experience with pu-ehr and I would like if someone of
you had a same one.
I tried it first in a tea house, and I drunk up to four cups. It was
late in the night and I had a strange effect. I felt confused.
However, I liked it too much and I bought it.
When I drunk it at home it made me the same effect, from the first
cup. It makes me feel like getting drunk and I have feel something
strange into my palate (not due to hot water).
One afternoon I drunk it with my mother and she felt very sick.
Then I realized that it wasn't a problem concerning only me. It is a
real pity, I like it, it has a nice taste and I like its colour, but
don't like the effects...
I usually drink any kind of tea, without any problem, everyday.
I would like to know if you have tried something similar and how you
would explain that.
Thanks

Dada wrote:
> I had a strange experience with pu-ehr and I would like if someone of
> you had a same one.
> I tried it first in a tea house, and I drunk up to four cups. It was
> late in the night and I had a strange effect. I felt confused.
> However, I liked it too much and I bought it.
> When I drunk it at home it made me the same effect, from the first
> cup. It makes me feel like getting drunk and I have feel something
> strange into my palate (not due to hot water).
> One afternoon I drunk it with my mother and she felt very sick.
> Then I realized that it wasn't a problem concerning only me. It is a
> real pity, I like it, it has a nice taste and I like its colour, but
> don't like the effects...
> I usually drink any kind of tea, without any problem, everyday.
> I would like to know if you have tried something similar and how you
> would explain that.
> Thanks

Hi Dada,

Can you tell us a little more about what type of puerh it was? Black,
green, young, old etc?

One concept that applies to puerh, particularly older puerh, is called
Qi. Qi means energy, and when used in reference to tea (Cha Qi) it
often takes on spiritual overtones. i.e. The lifeforce that flows
through everything etc etc. I am *not* kidding, perhaps someone
familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) could explain it
further. Anyway some puerhs are known to have a very strong Qi which
could explain some of the sensations you are experiencing, particularly
if it is an aged green puerh.

Another possibility that would apply only to cooked or black puerh is
the quality of the cooking process. This process closely resembles
composting. Many bacteria strains are created during the process.
Factories under pressure to pump out more puerh quickly may not monitor
this process as carefully as they should and undesirable bacteria
strains could be allowed to multiply. There have been batches of poorly
made black puerh that have been know to make people sick.

So please tell us more about what you have and where you got it?

Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net

Funny. One of the purported benefits of puer is helping drunks sober
up. Your symtoms sound like somebody drinking too much tea for the
first time. You said you drink tea. I wouldn't drink cooked puer on
an empty stomach. Nervous system absorption of tea is different from
pot to pot. I experience mild euphoria light headedness first thing in
the morning on an empty stomach with most any tea. A little puer goes
a long way. I eased myself into it and now drink the cooked almost
like molasses with an evening meal. I feel it is the most medicinal of
the teas I drink in the sense I can feel immediate and long term
effects. One time I ate too much kimchee and thought I needed the
emergency room. I survived by drinking puer which put out the fire
immediately. I should be more proactive and know my vitals but I would
describe myself as hypertensive and feel drinking puer helps somewhat.
I don't drink uncooked puer on a regular basis.

Jim

Dada wrote:
> I had a strange experience with pu-ehr and I would like if someone of
> you had a same one.
> I tried it first in a tea house, and I drunk up to four cups. It was
> late in the night and I had a strange effect. I felt confused.
> However, I liked it too much and I bought it.
> When I drunk it at home it made me the same effect, from the first
> cup. It makes me feel like getting drunk and I have feel something
> strange into my palate (not due to hot water).
> One afternoon I drunk it with my mother and she felt very sick.
> Then I realized that it wasn't a problem concerning only me. It is a
> real pity, I like it, it has a nice taste and I like its colour, but
> don't like the effects...
> I usually drink any kind of tea, without any problem, everyday.
> I would like to know if you have tried something similar and how you
> would explain that.
> Thanks

On 31 Jan 2006 08:44:16 -0800, "Mike Petro" > wrote:

It is a China Pu Erh Yunnan: that's what the label says. Well, I have
a green pu-ehr, the kind they sell to supermarket...it has a form
similar to a nest. It doesn't give me any problem. Cheap but not bad.
I bought the loose China Pu Erh to Peter's Tea House
(http://www.peters-teahouse.com/) an italian tea chane store. It has
usually good tea qualities, and it have a great choice.
What kind of bacterias do you mean?
I know that pu ehr has, usually, the opposite effect: it heps to
assimilate alcool, sugar, etc.
I mean, it is not a matter of energy. I don't fell "overcharged", it
is another matter: I feel like I had drunk some bear, or alcool. I
makes me feel a little sleepy. And, in addicition, I feel a strange
feeling to my palate. It seems to intesify my feeling of water
temperature. Never felt something similar.
I have never drunk it with empty stomach, always after lunch or
dinner.
It is really strange. I mean it would be, in my opinion, more probable
to feel sick drinking a strong black russian tea (like Tajga) then to
feel like this drink a beneficial, healty, "medicinal" pu ehr.



>Hi Dada,
>
>Can you tell us a little more about what type of puerh it was? Black,
>green, young, old etc?
>
>One concept that applies to puerh, particularly older puerh, is called
>Qi. Qi means energy, and when used in reference to tea (Cha Qi) it
>often takes on spiritual overtones. i.e. The lifeforce that flows
>through everything etc etc. I am *not* kidding, perhaps someone
>familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) could explain it
>further. Anyway some puerhs are known to have a very strong Qi which
>could explain some of the sensations you are experiencing, particularly
>if it is an aged green puerh.
>
>Another possibility that would apply only to cooked or black puerh is
>the quality of the cooking process. This process closely resembles
>composting. Many bacteria strains are created during the process.
>Factories under pressure to pump out more puerh quickly may not monitor
>this process as carefully as they should and undesirable bacteria
>strains could be allowed to multiply. There have been batches of poorly
>made black puerh that have been know to make people sick.
>
>So please tell us more about what you have and where you got it?
>
>Mike
>http://www.pu-erh.net

Dada wrote:
> On 31 Jan 2006 08:44:16 -0800, "Mike Petro" > wrote:
> What kind of bacterias do you mean?


Hi Dada,

This is from my website:

Microbes
One of the main reasons that Puer is so unique is that Puer tea is a
living thing! Many different microbes are active during the
manufacturing process of the puer cakes. Some of these microbes have
very short lives and are only present during certain phases of the
manufacturing process, while others are predominate throughout the
entire manufacturing process. It is these microbes that are believed to
be responsible for the many health claims associated with Puer.

* Aspergillus Niger - This is the main microbe that has been
identified in Puer. It is a yeast-like fungus that is often used in
Industrial food processing. Think of yogurt, buttermilk, and sour dough
bread and you get the idea. For more information see The Aspergillus
Website (very technical)
* Saccharomyces - This little puppy is where that hauntingly
elusive sweetness comes from. It is the second most prevalent microbe
in Puer. It is a single-celled yeast that has no mycelium, reproduces
asexually, and ferments sugar.
* Penicillium - Penicillium retards the growth of undesirable fungi
and bacterium. It is a bluish green fungus that grows on stale or
ripening food. Some forms of penicillium are used to make cheese and
others are a source of the antibiotic penicillin.
* Rhizopus - Rhizopus is one of the microbes that has a short life.
It is present during the fermentation process and contributes to the
softening of the leaf. It is actually a mold that causes decay very
similar to the common bread mold. To maintain the proper amount of
Rhizopus the Tea Master must tightly control temperature and humidity.
* Aspergillus Glaucus - This one is undesirable and can actually
cause excessive decay and poor quality, it can be minimized by
maintaining proper temperature during the fermentation phase.
Apparently this microbe is sometimes utilized to make lower grades of
Puer but I am not sure what the advantage is. It is a pale blue/green
fungus or mold often found on leather and cheese.
* Others - It is believed that other microbes exist, even if just
for a short period of time, during the fermentation phase.
Unfortunately the constantly changing, often unrepeatable, and
continually evolving microscopic environment has proven extremely
difficult to analyze.

Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net

On 1 Feb 2006 06:53:13 -0800, "Mike Petro" > wrote:

Reading that, it looks like nothing different to yogurt, or other
foods.
Even if this microbes should be not monitored during the processing, I
can't believe that could give strange effects. I bought it in a
quality tea shop and it sounds strangeto me that it could be a cheap
pu ehr.
Today I saw at the supermaket a Twinings Pu erh...maybe I could try
with it to see what happens.

>
>Dada wrote:
>> On 31 Jan 2006 08:44:16 -0800, "Mike Petro" > wrote:
>> What kind of bacterias do you mean?
>
>
>Hi Dada,
>
>This is from my website:
>
>Microbes
>One of the main reasons that Puer is so unique is that Puer tea is a
>living thing! Many different microbes are active during the
>manufacturing process of the puer cakes. Some of these microbes have
>very short lives and are only present during certain phases of the
>manufacturing process, while others are predominate throughout the
>entire manufacturing process. It is these microbes that are believed to
>be responsible for the many health claims associated with Puer.
>
> * Aspergillus Niger - This is the main microbe that has been
>identified in Puer. It is a yeast-like fungus that is often used in
>Industrial food processing. Think of yogurt, buttermilk, and sour dough
>bread and you get the idea. For more information see The Aspergillus
>Website (very technical)
> * Saccharomyces - This little puppy is where that hauntingly
>elusive sweetness comes from. It is the second most prevalent microbe
>in Puer. It is a single-celled yeast that has no mycelium, reproduces
>asexually, and ferments sugar.
> * Penicillium - Penicillium retards the growth of undesirable fungi
>and bacterium. It is a bluish green fungus that grows on stale or
>ripening food. Some forms of penicillium are used to make cheese and
>others are a source of the antibiotic penicillin.
> * Rhizopus - Rhizopus is one of the microbes that has a short life.
>It is present during the fermentation process and contributes to the
>softening of the leaf. It is actually a mold that causes decay very
>similar to the common bread mold. To maintain the proper amount of
>Rhizopus the Tea Master must tightly control temperature and humidity.
> * Aspergillus Glaucus - This one is undesirable and can actually
>cause excessive decay and poor quality, it can be minimized by
>maintaining proper temperature during the fermentation phase.
>Apparently this microbe is sometimes utilized to make lower grades of
>Puer but I am not sure what the advantage is. It is a pale blue/green
>fungus or mold often found on leather and cheese.
> * Others - It is believed that other microbes exist, even if just
>for a short period of time, during the fermentation phase.
>Unfortunately the constantly changing, often unrepeatable, and
>continually evolving microscopic environment has proven extremely
>difficult to analyze.
>
>Mike
>http://www.pu-erh.net

I recently drank about a quart of pu-ehr and didn't have this
experience. Of course the entire quart was two one pint infusions from
6 gr. of the tea so there might not have been enough there.

Maria