On Mar 28, 8:43*pm, Kevo > wrote:
> On Mar 29, 10:06*am, cha bing > wrote:> Is there such a thing as pu-er that is too old?
>
> http://www.cnpuerh.com/wh/read-3431.html
> In the 60s when cleaning out the Forbidden City, workers found nearly
> 2 tons of balled pu-er tea from the size of tennis balls 2 large
> pumpkins. These teas are presently kept in the Hangzhou Agricultural
> University & Forbidden City museum. Samples of the tea were tested, &
> the general opinion was that it has color, but the fragrance & taste
> are thin. The complexity of the tea was gone. Some experts considered
> this 2 be the ultimate taste of pu-er: ethereal, now-u-taste-it-now-u-
> don't flavors - the complexity of the character has submerged but
> subtly it is still there; but some think that the leaves had oxidized
> beyond drinkable brew.
> Zhuang-tse teaches us about the point of diminishing return, & this
> probably it; only most of us are not as old as some of the aged pu-er
> 2 say at which point the tea is no longer drinkable. I have sampled pu-
> er that was from 1920s, & they are still very much drinkable, so I
> think it is safe to say that pu-er as early as 1920s can still be
> drunk.
>
> On the other hand, one cannot ignore the quality & production process
> of the pu-er - a low quality maocha & poor production process pu-er
> made in the recent years might not even last a decade.
>
> Kevo

So sorry, I meant to send this reply to cha-bing....
Shen