I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says Yunnan
Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow, when I
opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to find
that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed plastic
wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny sack has
sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to
someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do other
puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried didn't
but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last couple of
weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I don't see
any mold.


Melinda

--
"The country has entered an era in which
questions are not asked, for questions are
daughters of disquiet or arrogance, both
fruits of temptation and the food of sacrilege." Djaout

Hi Melinda,

If your puer is cooked/black/shu and young it could easily have a
musty yeasty smell to it. Air it out for a few weeks and it will
diminish. It is normal to age black puers for a year or two to get rid
of this residual of processing. The plastic wrap would have prevented
the airing out of these odors.

Mike

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:07:24 -0800, "Melinda" >
cast caution to the wind and posted:

>I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says Yunnan
>Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow, when I
>opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to find
>that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed plastic
>wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny sack has
>sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to
>someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do other
>puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried didn't
>but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last couple of
>weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I don't see
>any mold.
>
>
>Melinda

Hi Melinda,

If your puer is cooked/black/shu and young it could easily have a
musty yeasty smell to it. Air it out for a few weeks and it will
diminish. It is normal to age black puers for a year or two to get rid
of this residual of processing. The plastic wrap would have prevented
the airing out of these odors.

Mike

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:07:24 -0800, "Melinda" >
cast caution to the wind and posted:

>I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says Yunnan
>Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow, when I
>opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to find
>that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed plastic
>wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny sack has
>sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to
>someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do other
>puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried didn't
>but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last couple of
>weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I don't see
>any mold.
>
>
>Melinda

Cool, I'm glad to hear that Mike, thanks.

Melinda

--
"The country has entered an era in which
questions are not asked, for questions are
daughters of disquiet or arrogance, both
fruits of temptation and the food of sacrilege." Djaout
"Mike Petro" > wrote in message
...
> Hi Melinda,
>
> If your puer is cooked/black/shu and young it could easily have a
> musty yeasty smell to it. Air it out for a few weeks and it will
> diminish. It is normal to age black puers for a year or two to get rid
> of this residual of processing. The plastic wrap would have prevented
> the airing out of these odors.
>
> Mike
>
> On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:07:24 -0800, "Melinda" >
> cast caution to the wind and posted:
>
>>I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says Yunnan
>>Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow, when I
>>opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to find
>>that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed plastic
>>wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny sack has
>>sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to
>>someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do
>>other
>>puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried didn't
>>but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last couple
>>of
>>weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I don't see
>>any mold.
>>
>>
>>Melinda
>

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 14:07:24 -0800, "Melinda" >
wrote:

>I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says Yunnan
>Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow, when I
>opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to find
>that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed plastic
>wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny sack has
>sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to
>someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do other
>puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried didn't
>but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last couple of
>weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I don't see
>any mold.
>
>
>Melinda


Old pu'er does have a 'musty' scent to it, but a 'moldy' smell is
something altogether different. My oldest cake has a really strong
dirty smell...it's lovely! Mike is the pu'er master, go with his
advice, but if the smell doesn't go away after a while consider
contacting the vendor and finding out exactly what you can about the
tea that you purchased from them.

If it was stored in a place that was too damp, stored in a
refrigerator unit (I've seen some horrible storage of pu'er...some
wulong or tie guan yin can be refrigerated to keep it fresh), or a
place that it was open the outside elements for an extended period,
there is a possibility that mold could have began to develop. When it
was shrink wrapped the mold's growth would have been halted or slowed.
I say, give it a week or two more before you should get on the horn
with the vendor.

I hope it goes well with your tea.


Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

I would add than if a cooked pu erh smells moldy, then most of the
time it is very young and it was not very properly treated during the
drying process after the first fermentation. Normally, after the first
fermentation, the leaves need to be dried before they are shaped (the
water content would be less than 40%). If the leaves are not dried
enough before being shaped (and haven't dried enough after being
shaped), then the tea develops a moldy smell (called "water taste" in
China). As Mike suggested, you could let the tea dry on the side for a
couple of weeks (avoid sunlight though, otherwise, the tea will
develope a stinky smell), the moldy smell will go away.

Jing

In my Chinatown the same black cakes in the tissue wrapper are stacked
next to the Foojoy boxes. The only difference, price. The loose cakes
are $3.99. I remember the decorative Foojoy boxes about $16? All
puerh coming from HongKong are packed in the 'plastic'. Usually it is
labeled BoNay which is Cantonese for Puerh. The plus side the aroma is
sealed in, the minus side the aroma is sealed in. If this is your
first adventure in puerh don't worry about the aroma or taste. I like
the cooked puerh with a heavy meal or sweet desert. The green I can
drink alone. What I've discovered both brew up nicely in a single cup
without the stewing problem you find with loose leaves and having to
use your lips and incisors as a filter.

Jim

Melinda wrote:
> I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says
Yunnan
> Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow,
when I
> opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to
find
> that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed
plastic
> wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny
sack has
> sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to

> someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do
other
> puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried
didn't
> but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last
couple of
> weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I
don't see
> any mold.
>
>
> Melinda

On 28 Jan 2005 07:05:12 -0800, "Space Cowboy" >
wrote:

>In my Chinatown the same black cakes in the tissue wrapper are stacked
>next to the Foojoy boxes. The only difference, price. The loose cakes
>are $3.99. I remember the decorative Foojoy boxes about $16?

I can see this to be totally true. I've often seen brand new Pu'er go
for as much as 20 bucks depending on how pretty the package it's been
wrapped in is. heh.


Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

Yah, this wasn't in what I would call a "decorative " box, it's just a
cardboard box (sort of a light yellow color) but it was about $6.00. Not my
first puer, but since I am wowed by Foojoy's Tippy Yunnan I wanted to give
their puer a shot. I haven't seen puer in plastic before...the tuochas that
are sold at my local Korean grocer are just in a round cardboard box and
wrapped in paper. They seem fine to me.

The flavor of this Foojoy puer doesn't seem bad or anything. I'm no
expert...but it seems fine to me.

Melinda

--
"The country has entered an era in which
questions are not asked, for questions are
daughters of disquiet or arrogance, both
fruits of temptation and the food of sacrilege." Djaout


"Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> In my Chinatown the same black cakes in the tissue wrapper are stacked
> next to the Foojoy boxes. The only difference, price. The loose cakes
> are $3.99. I remember the decorative Foojoy boxes about $16? All
> puerh coming from HongKong are packed in the 'plastic'. Usually it is
> labeled BoNay which is Cantonese for Puerh. The plus side the aroma is
> sealed in, the minus side the aroma is sealed in. If this is your
> first adventure in puerh don't worry about the aroma or taste. I like
> the cooked puerh with a heavy meal or sweet desert. The green I can
> drink alone. What I've discovered both brew up nicely in a single cup
> without the stewing problem you find with loose leaves and having to
> use your lips and incisors as a filter.
>
> Jim
>
> Melinda wrote:
>> I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says
> Yunnan
>> Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha. Anyhow,
> when I
>> opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised to
> find
>> that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed
> plastic
>> wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny
> sack has
>> sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something to
>
>> someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink? Do
> other
>> puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have tried
> didn't
>> but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last
> couple of
>> weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I
> don't see
>> any mold.
>>
>>
>> Melinda
>

Thanks for that info Jing...and thanks for the tip about sunlight, didn't
know that it made tea bitter but I koew that sunlight and light in general
isn't good for tea. Or herbs for that matter...

Melinda

--
"The country has entered an era in which
questions are not asked, for questions are
daughters of disquiet or arrogance, both
fruits of temptation and the food of sacrilege." Djaout
"SEb" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I would add than if a cooked pu erh smells moldy, then most of the
> time it is very young and it was not very properly treated during the
> drying process after the first fermentation. Normally, after the first
> fermentation, the leaves need to be dried before they are shaped (the
> water content would be less than 40%). If the leaves are not dried
> enough before being shaped (and haven't dried enough after being
> shaped), then the tea develops a moldy smell (called "water taste" in
> China). As Mike suggested, you could let the tea dry on the side for a
> couple of weeks (avoid sunlight though, otherwise, the tea will
> develope a stinky smell), the moldy smell will go away.
>
> Jing
>

>The flavor of this Foojoy puer doesn't seem bad or anything. I'm no
>expert...but it seems fine to me.


It really just comes down to what you like. Some of the 6th or 7th
grade stuff that I got for pretty cheap (like 5 years old, i think)
tastes great in my opinion.


Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

I like the FooJoy product line. You can't go wrong with their teabags
for the price, taste and selection. It's only recently they came out
with their upscale expensive loose tea "Authentic Pure Tea Classics"
like one you mentioned. I've got several which I haven't tried
including their 2oz/57g/$13 1st flush "Huang Mtn Mao Feng". It's the
first commercial tin of Mao Feng I've ever seen. Hopefully this line
will be representative of quality mainland China teas like Good Young
of Taiwan teas I recently mentioned. The Foojoy boxes I've seen has a
picture of the wrapper on the outside of the box. I'd give you two
dollars for a box to store the cake. They don't stack well by
themselves. I haven't been to the Korean stores in a while. Have you
seen the cute little integrated saucer, cup, infuser, lid which looks
like a pumpkin. The lid holds the infuser.

Jim

Melinda wrote:
> Yah, this wasn't in what I would call a "decorative " box, it's just
a
> cardboard box (sort of a light yellow color) but it was about $6.00.
Not my
> first puer, but since I am wowed by Foojoy's Tippy Yunnan I wanted to
give
> their puer a shot. I haven't seen puer in plastic before...the
tuochas that
> are sold at my local Korean grocer are just in a round cardboard box
and
> wrapped in paper. They seem fine to me.
>
> The flavor of this Foojoy puer doesn't seem bad or anything. I'm no
> expert...but it seems fine to me.
>
> Melinda
>
> "Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> > In my Chinatown the same black cakes in the tissue wrapper are
stacked
> > next to the Foojoy boxes. The only difference, price. The loose
cakes
> > are $3.99. I remember the decorative Foojoy boxes about $16? All
> > puerh coming from HongKong are packed in the 'plastic'. Usually it
is
> > labeled BoNay which is Cantonese for Puerh. The plus side the
aroma is
> > sealed in, the minus side the aroma is sealed in. If this is your
> > first adventure in puerh don't worry about the aroma or taste. I
like
> > the cooked puerh with a heavy meal or sweet desert. The green I
can
> > drink alone. What I've discovered both brew up nicely in a single
cup
> > without the stewing problem you find with loose leaves and having
to
> > use your lips and incisors as a filter.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > Melinda wrote:
> >> I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says
> > Yunnan
> >> Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha.
Anyhow,
> > when I
> >> opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised
to
> > find
> >> that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed
> > plastic
> >> wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny
> > sack has
> >> sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something
to
> >
> >> someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink?
Do
> > other
> >> puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have
tried
> > didn't
> >> but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last
> > couple of
> >> weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I
> > don't see
> >> any mold.
> >>
> >>
> >> Melinda

I like the FooJoy product line. You can't go wrong with their teabags
for the price, taste and selection. It's only recently they came out
with their upscale expensive loose tea "Authentic Pure Tea Classics"
like one you mentioned. I've got several which I haven't tried
including their 2oz/57g/$13 1st flush "Huang Mtn Mao Feng". It's the
first commercial tin of Mao Feng I've ever seen. Hopefully this line
will be representative of quality mainland China teas like Good Young
of Taiwan teas I recently mentioned. The Foojoy boxes I've seen has a
picture of the wrapper on the outside of the box. I'd give you two
dollars for a box to store the cake. They don't stack well by
themselves. I haven't been to the Korean stores in a while. Have you
seen the cute little integrated saucer, cup, infuser, lid which looks
like a pumpkin. The lid holds the infuser.

Jim

Melinda wrote:
> Yah, this wasn't in what I would call a "decorative " box, it's just
a
> cardboard box (sort of a light yellow color) but it was about $6.00.
Not my
> first puer, but since I am wowed by Foojoy's Tippy Yunnan I wanted to
give
> their puer a shot. I haven't seen puer in plastic before...the
tuochas that
> are sold at my local Korean grocer are just in a round cardboard box
and
> wrapped in paper. They seem fine to me.
>
> The flavor of this Foojoy puer doesn't seem bad or anything. I'm no
> expert...but it seems fine to me.
>
> Melinda
>
> "Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> > In my Chinatown the same black cakes in the tissue wrapper are
stacked
> > next to the Foojoy boxes. The only difference, price. The loose
cakes
> > are $3.99. I remember the decorative Foojoy boxes about $16? All
> > puerh coming from HongKong are packed in the 'plastic'. Usually it
is
> > labeled BoNay which is Cantonese for Puerh. The plus side the
aroma is
> > sealed in, the minus side the aroma is sealed in. If this is your
> > first adventure in puerh don't worry about the aroma or taste. I
like
> > the cooked puerh with a heavy meal or sweet desert. The green I
can
> > drink alone. What I've discovered both brew up nicely in a single
cup
> > without the stewing problem you find with loose leaves and having
to
> > use your lips and incisors as a filter.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > Melinda wrote:
> >> I purchased a FooJoy puer cake a couple of weeks ago. The box says
> > Yunnan
> >> Pu-Erh tea cake, the wrapper says Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha.
Anyhow,
> > when I
> >> opened the outside cardboard box that it was in, I was surprised
to
> > find
> >> that the cake inside (with paper wrapper) was enclosed in a sealed
> > plastic
> >> wrapper. The cake smells a little moldy...musty like when a gunny
> > sack has
> >> sat in your garage too long (I hope that referance means something
to
> >
> >> someone) but does anyone have a comment about that? Safe to drink?
Do
> > other
> >> puer cakes people have bought have that smell? The one I have
tried
> > didn't
> >> but it wasn't sealed in plactic...I've been airing it out the last
> > couple of
> >> weeks. I can still smell what smells like moldy to me though...I
> > don't see
> >> any mold.
> >>
> >>
> >> Melinda

>If a person can't tell the difference between the $5 for 100 grams tea
>and the $30 for 100 grams tea, don't worry about it. Taste buds vary,
>and older people who are new to tea are not going to develop late in
>life the palatte to distinguish among grades that someone much younger
>can. Older folks are more likely to like the unsubtle teas because the
>taste buds and sense of smell aren't what they used to be (I like really
>obvious oolongs at 56).
>
>Drink what you like most of the time but try new things often enough.

I can tell the difference between the higher grade stuff, but
sometimes the cheaper stuff can taste just as good. That's what I
meant to say.



Mydnight

--------------------
thus then i turn me from my countries light, to dwell in the solemn shades of an endless night.

"Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I like the FooJoy product line. You can't go wrong with their teabags
> for the price, taste and selection. It's only recently they came out
> with their upscale expensive loose tea "Authentic Pure Tea Classics"
> like one you mentioned.

The Yunnan I got isn't the one in the metal cans...I don't know why, but
they have two loose leaf packaging varieties (and the teas are probably
different in them) one of which is the sealed bag in a box and one of which
is the higher end loose leaf in the metal tins. Plus their bags which I
haven't tried and really don't plan to.

I haven't been to the Korean stores in a while. Have you
> seen the cute little integrated saucer, cup, infuser, lid which looks
> like a pumpkin. The lid holds the infuser.
>
> Jim


I have not seen that, no...I don't see a whole lot of tea equipage at the
store other than the usual ceramic tea pot with bamboo handle or the ceramic
teapot with the side handle, can't remember what they're called. But not too
much of a selection, and the sets they do have are more special gifts, they
run quite a bit for the teapot and 6 small cups.

I have been sticking to mesh and metal infusers when I use one because the
ceramic ones I have right now (for mugs) don't seem to let the water flow
enough...I can tell the difference in steeping.

Melinda

"Rebecca Ore" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Mydnight > wrote:
>
>> >The flavor of this Foojoy puer doesn't seem bad or anything. I'm no
>> >expert...but it seems fine to me.
>>
>>
>> It really just comes down to what you like. Some of the 6th or 7th
>> grade stuff that I got for pretty cheap (like 5 years old, i think)
>> tastes great in my opinion.
>
> If a person can't tell the difference between the $5 for 100 grams tea
> and the $30 for 100 grams tea, don't worry about it. Taste buds vary,
> and older people who are new to tea are not going to develop late in
> life the palatte to distinguish among grades that someone much younger
> can. Older folks are more likely to like the unsubtle teas because the
> taste buds and sense of smell aren't what they used to be (I like really
> obvious oolongs at 56).
>
> Drink what you like most of the time but try new things often enough.


Oh lordy Rebecca, please don't say that, I'm having enough
getting-towards-middle-age (well, in another ten years) angst without having
to hear that, lol! Although I will say that my years of smoking didn't do my
tastebuds or smell any favors...I am still getting some of that back but
will probably never get it all. But the more pertinent thing to the cheap
puer tasting fine right now to me is that I don't have a lot of experience
with puers to go off of. Plus, the thing with me is that there is hardly any
tea that I just absolutely can't stand. And the ones I can't stand change
from time to time. For instance, at the moment I am really not liking smoky
teas like Russian Caravan or Lapsang. I liked Lapsang the first time I tried
it, I really did but something happened.....a little must've gone a long way
for me. I can get overexposed to a flavored tea too, and then not like it
for awhile. I still am ambivalent about trying Earl Grey again...I OD'd on
that stuff when I bought a tin of the Twinings in college. Someday I'll try
it and it'll seem brand new....

That's one good thing about pure tea taste though...it doesn't seem to get
old like that for me. Yet.

Melinda