wambli said

Someone please start a Pu-erh Podcast

I have started drinking loose leaf teas now for 7 years. Just a pup. I would like to learn more about puerh teas without buying into the wrong products I am 59 years old. Wish I started collecting and drinking puerh long ago. There are so many vendors, who do I trust eg…

8 Replies

There are some very knowledgeable puerh aficionados over at the TeaChat forums (www.teachat.com); that might be a good place to start.

I don’t drink a lot of puerh, but what I’ve learned is:

1) Sheng is (almost always) better than shu.
2) Aged sheng is (almost always) better than young sheng.

Cofftea said

While my tastebuds absolutely agree w/ your 1st point spittingoutteeth- I think it’s more of a personal preference. I think I would enjoy shu a lot more if I were a black tea person.

Login or sign up to post a message.

I would definitely subscribe to that.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Oh here is one that I love very very much!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV3oCBrttVI&feature=player_embedded

Login or sign up to post a message.

Stephanie said

Login or sign up to post a message.

poikkeus said

I second the request for a pu-erh podcast. An excellent idea. It would also be ideal as a video podcast, which has all sorts of possibilities.

Login or sign up to post a message.

I have a handful of videos ready for a podcast, but the process is very tiring and difficult as I am not too computer literate. If anyone knows HOW to turn videos into Podcasts, let me know. I have researched it a bit, and it requires the mind of a programmer.

Here is a recent post I wrote on Pu’er to discuss a beginners questions:

Firstly, lets discuss Shou Chaa.

This tea is far more interesting and romantic than that of its counterpart, Sheng Chaa(Green/Raw Pu’er Tea). Shou Chaa is the Pu’er that gets most first interested in Pu’er, or perhaps even tea. The wonderful story of the aging and cellar storage and horseback rides across Tibet; the odd taste and smell and interesting benefits that so many claim.

The sad truth of this tea is that it is much more often of poor quality than of any kind of quality that could benefit anyone. Many of the vendors in the West understand the curiosity of their customers and buy a product that is as entry-level Pu’er. This Shou Chaa is one that we can love, or hate, and very often we drink it in order to acquire the taste for it and to reap in the benefits of this “aged” tea. The dark “soy sauce” look is sign #1 of a poorly processed Shou Chaa. In China they have a saying, “Do not drink Shou Chaa until after the fifth steep”, we couldn’t agree more! There are hundreds of other indicators of poor quality, some I list on my website www.mistypeakteas.com. But understand that poor quality green tea or poor quality white tea is just not to your standards of taste; but poor quality Shou Chaa is dangerous and often contains mold and harmful bacteria.

This is NEVER aged Tea, Shou is a Chinese word meaning COOKED. If you have a green Pu’er Tea(Sheng Chaa) and a Black Pu’er Tea(Shou Chaa) side by side, they could be extremely, vastly, different in taste/looks/smell, but be picked from the tree the same day. Its an artificial process that Menghai, and demand, in the 70’s created to replicate the TRUE Aged Pu’er.

Aged Raw Tea, truly called "Lao Da Sheng Chaa(aged raw Pu’er-Not Shou Chaa), is often hundreds or thousands of dollars per Bing(cake/disc). It is of the finest craftsmenship and, MOST importantly, the finest raw materials. The composting method of the Shou Chaa creates the flavor much more than the quality of the leaves at times. There can be “good” Shou Chaa, but, if you can, invest in good Sheng Chaa and age it, or buy AGED Sheng Chaa(at least 10 years or so).

We could go on and on and about this, but lets answer the question. The best Pu’er, and the best tea, to drink daily is that of Sheng Chaa, preferably from Yiwu. The big leaves of the ancient trees allow for the most humble and exquisite teas on the market. Tea originated in this region and the oldest tea trees in the world still remain here. You are diving into a new world of tea when you sit with Sheng Chaa. Anyone living in the large Province of Yunnan ONLY drinks Sheng Chaa, and few drink Shou Chaa, as they “save that tea for their later years.”

Allow Sheng Chaa to lift you, calm you, humble you, delight you, interest you, and bring meaning to the ordinary. The beauty of this tea is its ability to be greatly enjoyed today, and to be a priceless pleasure in 10+ years. Shou Chaa does NOT get better with age, it may even do the opposite. If you are interested in the aged teas, buy aged teas.

Sheng Chaa Pu’er is said to be the first tea ever enjoyed, let us be interested enough to keep doing so.

There is loads more info on our site, but feel free to message me if you have more questions to.

I have a youtube channel I am uploading the rest of the videos to this weekend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSvTbp_TlcI
yssah said

the easy way of turning a video into a podcast (im not techie but i just imagined it) is to copy the audio and upload it. tho it will be missing out on the visuals.

that youtube channel should be good. im not sure how a podcast would be better :)

Login or sign up to post a message.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.