Never tried gongfu but this method yields a delicious cup. Is it by chance not advised?

I drink tea grandpa style at work, just getting into puerh and I'm trying to figure out what I need to do with sheng to keep from having a cup full of battery acid.

I use a 16oz. lidded travel mug and the hot-water dispenser at work (slightly lower than boiling). I've tried the generally recommended 1g/mL (about 4) a couple times and swiftly created an effective poison (very bright-bitter and astringent, which is not my preference). I've also tried cracking a 7g mini in half, to similar effect. I don't have this issue with gongfu method, obviously, because I can control the steep time.

I don't have good control of water temp, so my thought is to just keep reducing the dose until I get something I can drink. Is there a known Minimum Dose point after which you just get Expensive Water? Or is it also just common knowledge that you can't drink sheng using this method?

I wanted to see if anyone has already dialled this in before I continue poisoning myself for science🔬

Why leafs of this pretty affordable Shen puer collected in 2008 and it was packed in 2020, but it still consider as young 2020 Shen? How it affects taste and why manufacturers do it?

I am UK based and humidity is all over the place, how should I properly store sheng Pu Erh so it can still age. How much humidity is needed using the boveda packs and Mylar bags.

And next question is about shou and humidity as well

Thank you

New to the tea scene/pu'er, and i have some samples coming in. I've heard people let tea sit before trying, how long should i let them sit before trying? Is there any specific way i should let them sit? I purchased from KTM

I'm sorry to say that I don't know what brand this is. However, the label from the metaphysical store claims that its from Hunan Province China. I should also say that I bought this tea as an alternative to what I've currently been using for iced tea, which is walmart 40 quantity tea bags (I like my iced tea strong and going through one box of 40 tea bags every Two weeks.)

Anyhow, I brewed according to instructions- very hot water for 3-5 minutes, and I am pleasantly surprised! Mostly surprised because the taste that floats above my tongue is very reminiscent of soy sauce. But it isn't bitter, which I appreciate.

I'm curious to know whether the soy sauce taste is a sign of good or bad quality tea. 🤔 Either way, I intend to purchase more from another source and expand my tea journey!

Hi everyone! I have always wanted to try out traditional brewing methods of tea in hopes of connecting more with the other half of my roots and my heritage. I am only a student and does not have any "real" budget for tea but I have found some online platforms that is convenient for my location and budget limit...

I was wondering if you can help me identify these puer teas and tell me if they're suited for someone trying it out for the first time... I can't quite tell any manufacturers or dates on them.

these two photos were submitted in the page of the shop where I am going to be buying them... thanks in advance!

https://preview.redd.it/daye8vfk52ge1.png?width=720&format=png&auto=webp&s=a9859467fca92dca6efcdf14c9d596805387a9af

https://preview.redd.it/px753xlg52ge1.png?width=847&format=png&auto=webp&s=ec4a4a8494e3c8dfc253b5c506ad580eed60c853

Has anyone had an issue with their 69% humity packs causing humidity to rise to like 74% in sealed containers?

My living conditions are like 67-69 degrees in the house and humidity is like under 40%, so even if the containers were open it wouldn't be causing humidity to rise.

But twice now over the last month I've opened containers with 69% humidity packs and the measurinf devices are reading 74-75%.

I've lost 6 cakes to mold growth across two mylar bags in the last 2 months, and I am confused.

Any advice as to how to stop this would be appreciated. I don't really care about aging what I've got, I'm just trying to keep them from drying out. Should I just switch to 62% bags?

Hello pu lovers,

I'm ordering soon from W2T. A big haul with some higher-end shengs. But I'm looking to cake some daily drinkers that punch above their price. Please share your favourites.

Thanks in advance
Much love <3

Very excited to have my first two 200g cakes, 2021 Lesser Evils and 2024 Jamrock Steady. Also, really excited for the 2020 nameless one!

“Narrowed” it down based on first round of samples and reviews! 😋

Hello there.

After letting it sit for a couple extra weeks since arrival, i gave a free sample of 2024 rock spirit a try, and its basically bitterness + a taste that reminds me of the smell that comes after rain. But the aftertase, that comes after 5-10 seconds of drinking the tea, is sweet and has a stronge vanilla taste, might sound silly but it reminds me of vanilla dr.pepper... I brewed it aprx 6 gramm in a 100ml gaiwan with boiling water, 30s first, and it came out pretty much black, but wasnt too bitter, nor it had soo much astringency, it did not have that "funkiness"either. And so far the taste didnt changed.

When i say strong vanilla taste, i mean my not exactly refined palate picks it up as vanilla instantly.

I avoided most younger shu so far, and aimed at things with 10 or so years on them for the most part, so i have pretty little experience with young shu pu erh, but this was more flavourful than any of the older shus i tried.

Is it common to have these kinds of tastes/aftertastes with young shu?

I just got a delivery of 10 of these amazing Mengla Gushu cakes. They are from 2010, so I don’t expect the wrapping to be in perfect condition. But these damages in the paper look like insect bites to me. The tea itself seems perfectly fine, but it’s obviously harder to tell if insects nibbled on it.

What do you think? Should I be worried about it?

I have a friend passing through Guangzhou for a couple of days before coming back to the UK, and I'd like him to pick up some tea. (The selection for me here in the UK isn't great)

I don't know _loads_ about pu-er, but I've really liked higher-quality pu'er (e.g. at a specialty tea shop). I've also tried some cheaper individual cakes that I could source online and they haven't been as flavoursome / rich / complex.

So if I wanted my friend to pick up, say 500g worth of very good pu-er cakes (without getting into the silly money collectable stuff), what's the best approach? Ideally I'd like to get a selection of different styles so I can find more that I like.

And what sort of price to expect? I'd be happy to spend ~$200 US equivalent on 500g, is that way off or a good budget?

Thanks for any advice you can share

Normally I am not a fan of shou Pu Erh but this one has something special and the flavour is incredible, woody, foresty, earthy and the tea has a nice reddish mellow colour on my second brew. I'll keep posting as I go further into this tea. Overall experience is great

I'm finally setting up a pumidor after years of drinking puer quick enough that i didn't need storage. I come from the cigar world so I'm very familiar with Boveda, humidity, temperature etc. I usually store my cigars at 62% because i like em a little dryer but i was wondering if that might be too high for the very hard compression that you often find in White2Tea's bricks. Anyone have experience with this? Could 58% be better for those super compressed bricks? I only drink raw if it matters. Thanks

Hey,

Just curious if any other Canadians are finding the exchange rate coupled with the current cost of shipping a bit.....insane?

That's all, just a moan of a thread. Lol