> Most importantly, while having such information does not necessarily
> mean that much, for people buying it it does mean that they can say
> "oh, I've had that before... and compared to that, this particular
> sample is......". Right now, though, such comparisons cannot be
> made. You could be drinking, say, the same batch of Xiaguan Iron
> Cakes stored differently, but you won't know because such vendors did
> not tell you what they were. It's a lot of lost information, and I
> thought you, Mike, of all people, would care for such information.

You are spot on there my friend. I have been singing that exact same
song for years now. I would never, and I do mean *NEVER*, buy tea
based on that description. Even if I knew the seller well and trusted
them I would still want to know more if only for my taste memory
associations.

I have seen several Merchants who will tell you not to care about such
things. To only care about whether or not you like the taste. If you
like the taste then the pedigree doesnt matter. I do not trust such
Merchants. To me part of the allure of ancient puerhs is the history
that goes with them. it is this very same history that often justifies
the price. Any merchant trying to sell me unknown pedigrees for
hundreds of dollars per cake will automatically raise every red flag
in my psyche.

Anyway, I fully agree with your entire post, wholeheartedly as a
matter of fact.....


Mike
http://www.pu-erh.net