I tried Pu-Erh a couple times over the past few years but never enjoyed
it. I keep seeing so many references to it here, and have started to
research into it but it is a world of its own and quite complex. I
would like to sample some Pu-Erh again and focus more on it this time,
but I'd like to find a place that sells it with free or low shipping on
samples. I keep finding small cakes of it for a decent price but
shipping is 4 times the cost.

I'm assuming I would like the "young" pu-erh and I'm not into smoky
flavors. I like mellow or smooth teas, not acidic or highly flavored. I
absolutely hate genmaicha, so anything even close to that is out of the
question for me.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Hou De offers 20-28g samplessamples with free shipping, and for young
cakes this floats around $5-6/sample. Most cakes have a little smoke
for the first brew but this usually fades by the second or third brew.
www.houdeasianart.com

Jing Tea Shop offers very cheap 25g samples (30 cents to $4 or so) on
young cakes and bricks, and for about three samples it costs $5.10
airmail shipping. www.jingteashop.com

Those are the most reasonable sampling prices I've seen (and I've just
recently ordered about 15 samples from both!), and they both have great
selection, so they'd be my recommendation. They're also both very
responsive about questions, so you could ask them what teas they
recommend you sample given your tastes.

Two young cakes in particular that I really enjoyed (but sadly aren't
available as samples) were the Yi Wu Zhengshan cake from teaspring.com
and the six famous tea mountain organic green label yi wu cake from
ebay stores yun-cha or yunnan-sourcing-llc or elizabethanddarcy.
They're both buttery and mellow, which I understand is a characteristic
of young puerhs from Yi Wu mountain. More of my opinion on these
particular cakes, http://community.livejournal.com/puerh_tea/6194.html
and http://community.livejournal.com/puerh_tea/5468.html . Mike
recommends some young puerhs on pu-erh.net, and I'm sure he could tell
you more about why he likes them:
http://www.pu-erh.net/static.php?StaticID=5

happy sampling!
~j

Make sure to read pu-erh.net
It is full or brewing advice (very important with sheng puerh) and has
some nice recommendations. Also, check out his trading post.
I second the recommnedations of HouDe and Jing.
Enjoy,
David

snip

[Jason]
> Jing Tea Shop offers very cheap 25g samples (30 cents to $4 or so) on
> young cakes and bricks, and for about three samples it costs $5.10
> airmail shipping. www.jingteashop.com

Hi Dominic,

Without a trace of science, it has been my observation that young green
Pu'erhs -- the ones you are talking about -- come in various profiles, among
them "smokey/cigary/tarry," "fruity/floral," and "musty/floral." These, of
course overlap, but my tastebuds want to characterize them so. Some of those
in the first category there is little hope for, and they will hardly become
less smokey steep after steep. My favorites are those in the second
category, although they also have a "sour" or "bitter" note that some people
find off putting, but that I'm fond of. The third category to my taste
includes especially those "silver bud" bud only offerings. And again there
is much overlap. A certain musty quality is part and parcel of Pu'erh, and
if you don't care for it, young Pu'erh might not be your thing.

Having pontificated thus far, I hightly agree with Jason in his
recommendation of Jing Tea Shop. <http://www.jingteashop.com/> I have
received many interesting samples from Jing and Seb. Further, they can guide
you among the types I've mentioned -- which "types" have no official
sanction whatsoever.

I also want to recommend In Pursuit of Tea. <http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/>
IPOT has a number of nice Pu'erhs, although not an overwhelming number. As
Jason mentioned <www.pu-erh.net.> is a must see.

Have fun. Continue on. Never give up. When you reach 100 year old Pu'erh,
I'll send you my address.

Michael

Jason F in Los Angeles wrote:
> Hou De offers 20-28g samplessamples with free shipping, and for young
> cakes this floats around $5-6/sample. Most cakes have a little smoke
> for the first brew but this usually fades by the second or third brew.
> www.houdeasianart.com
>
> Jing Tea Shop offers very cheap 25g samples (30 cents to $4 or so) on
> young cakes and bricks, and for about three samples it costs $5.10
> airmail shipping. www.jingteashop.com
>
> Those are the most reasonable sampling prices I've seen (and I've just
> recently ordered about 15 samples from both!), and they both have great
> selection, so they'd be my recommendation. They're also both very
> responsive about questions, so you could ask them what teas they
> recommend you sample given your tastes.
>
> Two young cakes in particular that I really enjoyed (but sadly aren't
> available as samples) were the Yi Wu Zhengshan cake from teaspring.com
> and the six famous tea mountain organic green label yi wu cake from
> ebay stores yun-cha or yunnan-sourcing-llc or elizabethanddarcy.
> They're both buttery and mellow, which I understand is a characteristic
> of young puerhs from Yi Wu mountain. More of my opinion on these
> particular cakes, http://community.livejournal.com/puerh_tea/6194.html
> and http://community.livejournal.com/puerh_tea/5468.html . Mike
> recommends some young puerhs on pu-erh.net, and I'm sure he could tell
> you more about why he likes them:
> http://www.pu-erh.net/static.php?StaticID=5
>
> happy sampling!
> ~j

Those are two wonderful links I'm still reading. Thanks.

Maria

Michael Plant wrote:
> snip
>
> [Jason]
> > Jing Tea Shop offers very cheap 25g samples (30 cents to $4 or so) on
> > young cakes and bricks, and for about three samples it costs $5.10
> > airmail shipping. www.jingteashop.com
>
> Hi Dominic,
>
> Without a trace of science, it has been my observation that young green
> Pu'erhs -- the ones you are talking about -- come in various profiles, among
> them "smokey/cigary/tarry," "fruity/floral," and "musty/floral." These, of
> course overlap, but my tastebuds want to characterize them so. Some of those
> in the first category there is little hope for, and they will hardly become
> less smokey steep after steep. My favorites are those in the second
> category, although they also have a "sour" or "bitter" note that some people
> find off putting, but that I'm fond of. The third category to my taste
> includes especially those "silver bud" bud only offerings. And again there
> is much overlap. A certain musty quality is part and parcel of Pu'erh, and
> if you don't care for it, young Pu'erh might not be your thing.
>
> Having pontificated thus far, I hightly agree with Jason in his
> recommendation of Jing Tea Shop. <http://www.jingteashop.com/> I have
> received many interesting samples from Jing and Seb. Further, they can guide
> you among the types I've mentioned -- which "types" have no official
> sanction whatsoever.
>
> I also want to recommend In Pursuit of Tea. <http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/>
> IPOT has a number of nice Pu'erhs, although not an overwhelming number. As
> Jason mentioned <www.pu-erh.net.> is a must see.
>
> Have fun. Continue on. Never give up. When you reach 100 year old Pu'erh,
> I'll send you my address.
>
> Michael

Yes, pu-erh.net is a must. I'm still working my way through it, or down
the list of links, or whatever, to get all the information there.

Maria