On a brick shu I got in SF earlier this year. There was just a smidge
under the neifei. I already mentioned a very fragrant CNNP sheng
bought at the same time drying up in my arid climate. I guess the
moisture does matter. My putrid piles of shu tongs I bought in 2004
are curing very nicely. All of the objectionable taste is nearly
gone. I think in five more years they will be something special. Ive
tasted some shu from the early nineties and thats my benchmark.

Jim

I wander why Pu'erh get so popular in so short time and enthusiast like Jim can get so much knowledges and unique opinions, especially for people is far away from the origin.

1, Pu'erh bubble do help more people know about it;
2, More research shows Pu'erh is healthy.

that's all I know now.

The reason I got started buying puer in 2000 was the price $10/kilo.
That works out to the benchmark price of penny/gram. At that time I
was championing Indian teas at the same price being a great bargain
for the taste and price. I bailed out of puer in 2005 when I paid $50/
kilo. I didnt know about the bubble but I knew something was up.

I still maintain my contention that puer preserves the taste and
doesnt change over time. I can attest that the smell of my puer
diminishes. But I expect that of any tea exposed to the environment.
Plenty of teas have little dry aroma but still alot of taste. What
does change over time are our memories and perceptions. I do allow
for the fact that if puer needs humidity to age then I will never see
it. So the 90s stuff taste good because it is better leaf before
scraping the barrel looking for leaf during the bubble.

Flash back to last weekend's puer tasting. We have somebody show up
who reads all the puer blogs but never tasted. He said afterword he
learned more in two hours than all the nomenclature used to describe
puer. I told him I dont blog because you learn to trust your own
taste in tea. But it doesnt hurt to do a reality check ever once in
awhile. That person will be going back to Japan to continue advanced
education. I told him to be sure to get a PHD in Japanese teas. That
will serve him in good stead as much as any degree.

So what have I learned in the past six months of puer tastings. We've
never had the same puer twice. I wished I had some of everything weve
sampled. I am satisfied with what I have.

AFAIK we were the first to taste a decorative plaque of puer. I
brought one from the last SF trip. I brought a chisel and hammer and
whack off an edge. Lets say it is prettier on the mantle than in a
pot. I was disappointed. Not to give up. I do have a set of 2003
plaques I remember having a good taste which Ill bring next time. If
so, then that means recent plaques have reached bottom.

Jim

On Jul 13, 6:53 pm, hong.tea.dao <hong.tea.dao.
> wrote:
> I wander why Pu'erh get so popular in so short time and enthusiast like
> Jim can get so much knowledges and unique opinions, especially for
> people is far away from the origin.
>
> 1, Pu'erh bubble do help more people know about it;
> 2, More research shows Pu'erh is healthy.
>
> that's all I know now.
>
> --
> hong.tea.dao

Space Cowboy > writes:

> [...]
> I still maintain my contention that puer preserves the taste and
> doesnt change over time.

Have you tasted well-stored raw (sheng) Pu'er that's at least 30 years
old? To me it doesn't taste remotely like any young tea I've ever
had.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

I simply contend that thirty year old leaf taste different than new
leaf because of the nature of the material. You are effectively
tasting puer from thirty years ago. I draw from my experience of
other teas I have that are easily that old. I know what others say
about puer changing magically over time. I simply disagree. I have a
93 old tree sheng loose leaf that is very good. So good I would
suspect adulteration but is comparable to other 90s that have showed
up at the tastings.

Jim

PS If you believe the fine print about puer aging only certains ones
show the promise. As my grandma would say 'how precious'.

On Jul 14, 7:48 am, Lewis Perin > wrote:
> Space Cowboy > writes:
> > [...]
> > I still maintain my contention that puer preserves the taste and
> > doesnt change over time.
>
> Have you tasted well-stored raw (sheng) Pu'er that's at least 30 years
> old? To me it doesn't taste remotely like any young tea I've ever
> had.
>
> /Lew
> ---
> Lew Perin /