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mikepetro

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    http://www.pu-erh.net

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  1. Today I am drinking a 1992 Bamboo puerh. It is smooth, has a nice hay like finish, and has lasted about 12 steeps.
  2. With me I go both ways. I own a timer, thermometer, and scale. Generally I wing it on teas or genres I know well, for example puerhs. I have enough experience with these teas that even if I miss the mark the first time I quickly zero in on it in subsequent steeps. Given the four variables (the 4 Ts) of time, temp, technique, and tea(amount), I can usually adjust one or more variables and get something to my liking. The danger with this approach is that when I get it just right I seldom paid enough attention to what I did to duplicate it consistently. On the other hand, without exception the absolute very best cups of tea I have ever made were brewed by intuition rather than instruments. Now for genres with which I am less familiar, or the first time with a "new to me" delicate tea, I will use a timer (or count my breaths as was taught to me by a friend in China), I will get precise with water temps, and I will use a scale. During the learning curve I found it handy to maintain a log of the variables used and the results obtained. This data proved valuable in determining which variable to adjust based on what I was tasting. Another thing that was valuable in keeping my log was to research tasting terminology. To know what is meant by terms like astringent, bitter, earthy, peach, flower, cream, muscatel, malty, mouth feel, finish, etc as this helps when you compare tea with others. Group tastings where everyone is drinking the same tea and then describing it helped to associate those terms in the context of taste memory. Thats my two steeps worth......
  3. Today I am drinking a Red Robe oolong. It is a lightly compressed tea, compressed into fingers or sticks that you break off. Apparently this is an inexpensive tea commonly sold in Taiwan. A friend of mine got it at a convenience store there. It is a heavy roasted and aged oolong. I brewed it at a full boil using a yixing pot dedicated to oolongs. About 7g in a 140ml pot. Timings were 30,30, 30, 60,120,120. I probably could have gone a little shorter on the first 2 steeps. The liquor was bright redish orange, there was mild and pleasant astringency, notes of cream and apricot, with a very nice sweet finish in the later steeps. I like this tea, it ages well, comes in a convenient form, and is forgiving of my clumsy oolong technique.
  4. I am drinking a 1980s Tebetian Musroom puerh http://www.pu-erh.net/stashfull.php?Tea=194 While I originally thought it was a mixed puerh, ie shu and sheng, I now believe it appears to be a sheng puerh that has been exposed to wet storage at some point in its life. Wet storage is not always a bad thing when done skillfully, and without the intent to defraud. This particular tea is such a case. I paid $100 per mushroom about 3 years ago, but only after tasting the tea first. I obtained it from "The Tea Gallery" in NYC, an outfit known to be provide exceptional teas, but only if they think you are experienced enough to truly appreciate them. I learned when I first got it that it tasted great if brewed fast and light, but could be very bitter if oversteeped. I brewed up 6.2g in a 110ml yixing pot reserved for aged puerhs. I used full boiling water and timings of 30-2-2-2-2-5-10-30-60-120 The liquor was very clear and a nice orangish brown. The aroma was reminiscent of a damp fall leaves after the trees had completely shed. The flavor was woodsy, sweet, with notes of nuttieness. All in all a very satisfying puerh.... BTW, Richard, you had asked about my small traveling tea tray, Scott at Yunnan Sourcing has one on his site now very similar to mine.
  5. mikepetro

    Tea 101

    Good enough for the short time you are steeping, it is fairly thick. But if temp is a major issue then I would go with a clay pot. This is simply one of the better compromises I have found between convenience and still getting a proper brew.
  6. mikepetro

    Tea 101

    The Chinese method of brewing tea is a series of steeps until the tea is depleted. They typically use a much higher leaf to water ratio than western methods, as well as much smaller pots and cups. The typical Chinese tea cup is not much larger than a shot glass. When brewer in this style you can often get as many 10 steeps out of a single pot of tea, albeit much smaller amounts of liquid. With most teas there will be a progression of flavor profiles throughout the steeps, that is the flavor will change with each steeping, often the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th being the best one. With each tea the timings of these steeps is a little different, and they tend to be much shorter than western steeping times. All of this usually occurs within a single sitting rather than throughout the day. pu-erh, and other aged teas, can sit around for years in storage. Dust, insect excrement, etc can accumulate, but more importantly there will be a variety of molds that will (and should) develop, seldom visible to the naked eye unless poorly stored but there nonetheless. The rinse is to flush away all of this nondesirable gunk. It is only usually used for aged teas.
  7. mikepetro

    Tea 101

    While not exactly elegant in any sort of Asian way, the "Ingenuitea" is extremely functional. I use the an older model of these quite a bit for brewing Earl greys and such. It allows plenty of room for the leaves to breath, it is clear so you can observe "the agony of the leaf", and when the steeping time is up you simply set it over the top of your mug and the tea automaticly drains into the mug. Perfect for the office... Check out http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html
  8. mikepetro

    Tea 101

    These devices are great! Is it a Zori? The ones I have seen come in 3, 4 and 5 qt. and you can set them to hold the temp at 175, 195 or 205 F - for green tea, Oolong and black tea respectively. I have had tea many times made from these and I have not found any problem with the tea tasting stale. One of these is on my wish list. You do need to purge a small amount of water when you draw from it, because the water between the tank and the spout will not, of course be held at temp. Anyone else have experience with these water heaters? ← I own a Zojirushi water pot and it is the best thing since slice bread. Water does not go stale or flat in it, have no fears.
  9. mikepetro

    Tea 101

    Gan taste is minty undertone, more of a feeling on the the tongue than an actual flavor. You will often hear it referred to as a "camphor" taste as well. See http://chineseteas101.com/jargon.htm
  10. Yes, puerh, again much like wine, can be very inexpensive or obscenely expensive. A good cake of young puerh can be had for $15 or less, on the other hand I have some rare 1950s Red Label that I got for $50 per gram and that was actually a VERY good price for this particular vintage/factory/blend, I even got to see the cake get unwrapped and sampled it it with a lucky group up in NYC. One of the things about good puerh, if properly brewed, is that it will yield several excellent steepings, thereby reducing the actual cost per cup. Well aged puerhs in particular have yielded me as many as 20 steepings per pot and even more. YES, sampling is the way to go as you zero in on the genre of puerh that appeals to you. Many more vendors are starting to get hip to this need and the selections are getting better. Guang at Houde is one of the few who will offer sample sizes of aged puerhs. Scott at Yunnan Sourcing is an old friend and quite trustworthy. Another source for samples is http://www.jingteashop.com/cat_raw_puerh_tea.cfm Seb and Jing are very knowledgeable about puerh in particular and they have access to one of the biggest Tea Markets in China. Another site that has impressed me lately, though I have never dealt with them, is http://www.royalpuer.com and they offer 25g samples of most of their cakes, quite a nice selection too. Cheers,
  11. I think the price will drop gradually, I think we are on the downside of the bubble. I believe the market will equalize and right itself over the next few years. Keep in mind though that prior to 2003 puerh was probably undervalued when you compare the amount of labor to produce it versus the amount of labor to produce other teas which sell for considerably more. In other words I think the old price of puerh was lower than it should have been. So while the prices will drop as the puerh fad fades, they will not drop to 2002 levels. Old puerh will probably never drop. While the prices for 20 year+ puerhs got outrageous I think it will remain so as there are enough wealthy Chinese (and Taiwanese) who will continue to create the demand for it as old Puerh is very much seen as a status symbol. It is very much a matter of supply and demand. The demand for aged puerh will always exceed the supply. The value is so assured that many wealthy Asians invest in aged puerh in lieu of the stock market. BTW, the "Art of Tea" magazine was mentioned by Joanne. It is a very good resource but be aware that it is owned by a Taiwanese Puerh Mogul, and many of the articles are very opinionated. These differences of opinions are actually very interesting and will give you some insight into the often contradictory wide world of puerh. It is very akin to the opinions of wine and all of the discussions thereof. This magazine is very notable as being the first publication written in English coming from knowledgeable (even if opinionated) Asian sources.
  12. BTW, a real nice video on the subject can be found at: http://www.cctv.com/program/e_documentary/...31/100672.shtml
  13. Puerh is a world unto itself. As is common with Chinese culture it is enveloped in mythology and mysticism. I fell in love with the tea many years ago and got quite frustrated when I tried to find reliable information about it. The US Market at the time was quite ignorant, with most vendors simply reselling it while knowing nothing about it. I embarked on a quest to learn about this fascinating tea and out of of my journey a website was born. I have done little to maintain the website in the last year or so, due to personal issues I have been dealing with, but nonetheless my site is still arguably one of the most complete references on Puerh that exists in English. In the last few years years the Purh market in China has been extremely unstable. With the enormous new middle class emerging in China they sought out status symbols and ways to indulge their newly found wealth. Puerh became quite the status symbol in China and the prices shot through the roof to ludicrous highs, consequently many new smaller less experienced companies started making puerh to cash in on its new popularity. This is one of the reasons that good Yunnan Golds have been so hard to come by recently, it comes from one of the same large leaf varietals that puerh comes from and the raw leaves were all being diverted to puerh production. Fortunately this overzealous hording of puerh in China has leveled off and started to diminish, however be wary of purhs from lessor know companies after about 2003. The real delicacy in the puerh realm is in a well aged raw (sheng) cake. One about 20-30 years old. Much like a fine wine it develops with age. The pleasure in these old puerhs is immense. Do beware though, with the price of some aged cakes going for as much as $30,000 each at auction , there are many counterfeits being passed off. Anyway, check out my site for the basics about this tea. I also list many of the vendors and my own personal review of them. I cover the various types, the shapes, and much of the lore. The link is in my signature.
  14. So much depends on the tea being stored. Blacks/Puerhs like a little breathing so yixing, etc works well. Reds are more forgiving so relatively air tight is good enough (for me). Greens and whites can be quite delicate and more care needs to be taken. For reds and high consumption greens I use the good ole Chinese double lidded tins with tin inner lid as these do a good enough job. For blacks and purehs most any breathable container that wont impart a taste. I like yixing and other clays, or original paper wrappers in a wooden container. Greens and whites are much more delicate and require more care. I tend to use "high barrier" bags and then vacuum seal them. A good source for "barrier bags" and sealing equipment is www.sorbentsystems.com Barrier bags are often a mylar composition that forms a very good barrier against light, moisture, and air, UNLIKE typical ziplock bags which air molecules will easily leach through. Again, typical baggies are very poor protection against air, moisture, and light. For really delicate long term storage I also use nitrogen purging and refrigeration which I detailed in another post. Just my two leaves worth.....
  15. The vendors I have used, in no particular order, are: http://www.hibiki-an.com (very decent tea and fair pricing) https://shop.ippodo-tea.co.jp/shop/en/ (very highly recommended) http://www.kaburagien.co.jp/english/index_go.php (high end, national competition winning teas) http://www.tsuentea.com/engindex.htm (great quality, supposedly will have a shopping cart soon) There are a few more that I like but I will have to wait until I get home to find them. ← OK, the other two I find very noteworthy is: http://www.maiko.ne.jp/english/ (great tea and Dr Faerber will go the extra mile to educate you) http://teashop.jp/ (site is Japanese only but you can run it through a translator, great tea, great service, and they can communicate via email in English, although tricky to pay with a CC)
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