Is cooked tuocha supposed to be graded? Usually there is a grading
slip. I still have a 20 year old box. Interesting it has the Zhong
emblem like this one. My recent purchase doesn't. I have a commercial
Liuan basket from HongKong I bought in Chinatown for $6. I have a
basket from a dealer in China which was more expensive. If there is a
difference it isn't worth it. The commercial basket came with the
Zhong emblem. The mainland basket came asis in a box so probably was
lost. The leaf in the commercial box is sort of sticky but not
compressed and the mainland completely loose.

Jim

Alex Chaihorsky wrote:
> Yours was also better (look closer and yu will see that this one
lacks the
> two characrters on the side that indicate grade).
> How is that Liu An? For $16 its a real bargain.
>
> Alex.
>
>
> "Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Let me guess, this is it:
> >
http://www.treasuregreen.com/teas/pu...ver20years.htm
> > If so, my Chinatown is cheaper than yours.
> >
> > The next time you might search for the bamboo baskets of
> > Liuan(Mandarin) or Lukon(Cantonese). They're wrapped by different
> > brands but look boat shaped and large at 500g. Liuan is called a
puerh
> > but single fermentation not two like puerh. It is also from Anhui
> > province and not Yunnan. It is loose in the basket and not
compressed.
> > In my Chinatown they're $6. Is it black or is it puerh?
> > http://www.treasuregreen.com/teas/lukon-bamboolukon.htm
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > Falky foo wrote:
> >> At my local little Saigon store the other day and picked up a
> > fist-size
> >> chunk of pu from the "China National Native Produce & Animal
> > By-Products
> >> Import & Export Corporation, Yunnan Tea Branch" for $1.50.
$1.50!!!