mikepetro

OK, but dont laugh. I am actually a pu-erh guy myself as well, if you doubt me go to my website at www.pu-erh.net But... today I am drinking a Jasmine Dragon Pearl, also from Yunnan Sourcing. I put a pinch, about 6g, in a 120ml gaiwan, water at about 180F or a little less, first steep 1.5 - 2 minutes, 2nd steep 30 seconds, 3rd steep 2-3 minutes, 4th steep 4 minutes. I am getting a solid 4 steeps out of this tea, the 2nd and 3rd being the best. While not the best Jasmine I have ever had, it is certainly quite acceptable. The Jasmine notes are not as pronounced as some others I have had, but still the sweetness is there with a very slight astringency coming from the green tea base. Any bitter notes are confined to the first steep, the 2nd and 3rd have a medium Jasmine aroma and a nice sweetness, while the 4th is more subtle with the green tea notes prevailing. I do like Jasmine scented tea as an afternoon or desert tea, I find the fragrance and flavor rather soothing. My favorite style of Jasmine is using a Yin Zhen Silver Needle white tea base. Makes fantastic iced tea. ← Thanks, Mike. I usually avoid flavored teas, but may have to try a sample of that. Would you time the steeps the same next time, or alter them a bit? ← I might shorten the first steep or try a little cooler water. I understand many do not like flavored teas, thats why I said "dont laugh", but I actually do like Jasmine and a good quality Earl Grey ("Eastern Shore" brand for example). Of course I also like Lapsang Souchong, and puerhs that have been stuffed into bamboo canes, dont care for the Pomelo stuffed puerhs though. Most puerhs with flower petals are mediocre as well, even the ones with puerh flowers. I do love the bamboo sheng puerhs as long as the cane was not over-roasted. I have some nice pictures of the tribes making the stuff, and the time that the canes are left over the fire is very inconsistent.

OK, but dont laugh. I am actually a pu-erh guy myself as well, if you doubt me go to my website at www.pu-erh.net But... today I am drinking a Jasmine Dragon Pearl, also from Yunnan Sourcing. I put a pinch, about 6g, in a 120ml gaiwan, water at about 180F or a little less, first steep 1.5 - 2 minutes, 2nd steep 30 seconds, 3rd steep 2-3 minutes, 4th steep 4 minutes. I am getting a solid 4 steeps out of this tea, the 2nd and 3rd being the best. While not the best Jasmine I have ever had, it is certainly quite acceptable. The Jasmine notes are not as pronounced as some others I have had, but still the sweetness is there with a very slight astringency coming from the green tea base. Any bitter notes are confined to the first steep, the 2nd and 3rd have a medium Jasmine aroma and a nice sweetness, while the 4th is more subtle with the green tea notes prevailing. I do like Jasmine scented tea as an afternoon or desert tea, I find the fragrance and flavor rather soothing. My favorite style of Jasmine is using a Yin Zhen Silver Needle white tea base. Makes fantastic iced tea.

Having tsarted quite a collection of the little buggers I have tried variations of all three. I usually now boil the pot in water with NEW leaves of the variety to which the pot will be dedicated, and then let it sit overnight. No method yields instant results though, only time and use do. Thats my 2 leaves worth, Mike

The citrus in an earl grey may have been what didnt compliment, try a straight unflavored tea, you might get different results. I like several tea and chocolate combinations. In particular I like black/cooked/shu pu-erh with a good 70%+ Grand Cu chocolate.

Here is a review I posted in another forum.

Yellow tea is a style of tea unto itself, to call it a white tea is rather misleading, but then GenerationTea is not the most knowledgable of sources. It is a non-fermented tea that is oxidized more than a white tea but less than a green tea. It has long been "lightly" compressed into sticks and other shapes, this is really more a "forming" than a tight compression like puerh, although it is also processed as a loose tea as well. This is an ethnic minority style tea, however it is NOT puerh. It comes from a different type of tea leaf and is also processed differently than puerh. Yellow tea actually undergoes an extra step called "Men Huang" that green tea and white tea are not subjected to. You can generally get more steeps out of yellow tea than you can out of green or white varieties. See another style of compressed yellow tea from my collection HERE

Yes, I have ordered antique Puerh from all three. Sunsing probably has the best selection of vintage puerhs and they sell by gram.

Beware of anyone who is selling a brick for $200 and claiming it to be 20 years old or older, the odds are very great that your are being ripped off. Truly old and well stored pu-erhs will sell for $3 per gram and up. Truly great puerhs that are 30 years plus can sell for thousands per bingcha (~357g) at auction. There are a few places to buy aged puerh in small amounts. Be careful though as there are many who sell forgeries. While the Imperial Tea Court tends to have very good teas overall, ITC is not the best place to buy vintage puerh, they seldom list the vintage, factory, and other important info on their listings. If you want true vintage puerhs try one of the links below. I personally recommend the following sites as being trustworthy, but remember that truly aged pu-erh is not cheap! http://www.houdeasianart.com http://www.sunsingtea.com/english/1024/welcome.htm http://www.teahub.com/puerhtea.htm http://www.grandtea.com

Thanks for the recognition but I do not "sell" tea. I am just an enthusiast who put up a webpage. I buy a lot, give away a lot, trade some, and stash away a lot as a future investment, but I dont sell it (at least not yet, maybe when I retire though).

Thanks for the kudos. The cruet is a good balsamic vinegar, not for tea but for snacks. Yes there is a Beta (Siamese Fighting Fish) in the vase. The plant and the fish form a sort of symbiotic relatonship. The waste from the fish is food for the plant, feed the fish regularly and the plant thrives too. Cheers,

My vote would have to be for Pu-erh

I own several Yixing pots (a few of them can be seen here My Tea Service) and I find that it more of a cultural attraction than anything else. The heat properties are supposed to be supperior however it more art in my mind. Will it make you tea taste better today, probably not, but it is said that if you brew ONLY the same type of tea in the pot it will develop a seasoning and character of it's own. ________ Mike Petro Pu-erh, A Westerner's Quest