Getting started with Pu'reh
I recently started getting interested in Pu’reh after watching Tea Db. I ordered the basics and basics ripe from White2tea and the tuocha sampler from teavivre as well a handful of other samples(I like sales). I also picked up a cake from Verdant teas, zun sheng 2016.
Any advice for other places to sample, hopefully something decent and not too crazy. Just something simple to learn and get started on.
The rabbit hole is open…..You looking for factory or private producer samples. Yunnan Sourcing has loads of samples on their site. Just use the dropdown in the description for what size. If you are looking for a broader factory range try Berylleb King Tea on eBay. They sell a lot of factory sample sizes.
I can’t currently afford ripe + raw puer basics from White2Tea. I have some Puer from my friend who lived in China for while, but I have no idea what it is. I know it is raw.
I want to taste ripe too, but I want to focus mainly on raw for now. Should I order White2Tea basics raw set and then get smaller samples of ripe, or is there somewhere set that has little bit of both?
White2tea prices are EXTREMELY reasonable. 40$ for 400 grams of cakes is incredibly reasonable. Considering you steep Pu’erh’s for 6-10 times. Even someone who drinks alot of tea will take forever to go through this.
I am in Finland, so EU. I ordered Basics Puer set from White2tea and 2x 25 gram samples for ripe Puer.
Now I just need small teapot. I have searched local stores and domestic webstores, smallest one I have found has been 320ml which is too big. I usually drink alone or with my SO so 100ml-200ml would be prefed I think. I think I would prefer glass one for now, I don’t think I am ready yet to commit to Yixing pot, also my SO is not yet sure if she likes puer so it would be hard to pick size for now. Maybe even chaiwan, I don’t have tea tray yet so I think pot would be the most practical
Does Amazon ship to finland? They have a small glass teapot that is 200 ml and gaiwan that is about 110 ml for about 15$ US each.
Thats where I got mine, there is also a small set for 20 which is my next purchase.
Chinese EBay sellers like Shanghai Story(Rebecca Li), Berylleb King Tea, and Streetshop88 are all good places to buy a small gaiwan and you should be able to find something shipped to you for less than $20. Most Chinese EBay stores ship to a variety of international countries. Another place to get a small gaiwan cheap is the website teaware.house which is run by the people who own White2Tea. Alternatively you can find something cheap by just doing a search for “gaiwan” on EBay and most of the sellers should I think ship to Finland but I cannot be sure.
A quick EBay search turned up this cheap gaiwan from one of my favorite EBay sellers, Streetshop88. Send them an email and ask if they ship to Finland.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-100ml-Chinese-JingDe-GongFu-Tea-Porcelain-White-Jade-Gaiwan-teacup-Cup-/330838526915?hash=item4d07834bc3:g:n3wAAOSwEeFU3wnd
Another good option is a style of pot called a Kamjove. They come in various sizes but the listed size is the size of the larger vessel. There is a smaller vessel within that you brew the tea in. When you are done brewing you press the button and the tea drops into the larger vessel. This one from Dragon Tea House is a 200ml model and a very good size for Gongfu Tea sessions. The brewing vessel is about 80ml or so.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TP-120-Kamjove-Art-Tea-Cup-Mug-Tea-Pot-200ml-/220660135166?hash=item33605e74fe:m:mnyb40DbN05Z4nQiWN0YsEg
I’d check http://pu-erh.sk/ for teaware. They are in Slovakia and sell a number of lovely (and tiny) hand made pots. For example:
http://pu-erh.sk/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=3_78&product_id=1367
http://pu-erh.sk/shop/index.php?route=product/product&path=3_78&product_id=1191
As the original poster indicated he was on a budget I provided cheap examples, pu-erh.sk is great for teaware but they are generally somewhat expensive. A simple gaiwan is a good first pot as it is good for all types of tea.
A cheap simple gaiwan and an electric kettle are the two things I would recommend more than anything else. Especially the electric kettle, I make more tea and make it better with an electric kettle because its so much more convenient.
Yes I agree that an electric kettle is very useful. I use two different types of kettles, a Cuisinart Variable Temperature Model that is great and the opposite spectrum an Anta Pottery Clay Boiler from Taiwan Sourcing. Believe it or not there is a difference in how the water tastes coming from the clay boiler over an open burner. I only bother with the clay boiler when I do gongfu tea. When I am brewing western style or am just in a hurry in the morning I use the electric kettle. Also, if I need a lower temperature than boiling I use the electric kettle. It is in theory possible to estimate the temperature by looking at the bubbles in the clay boiler but I don’t really know how it is done so I don’t try. If I need 175 degrees for green tea it is always the electric kettle.
SSg had you been statesied I could have filled a box of samples for you. I will echo the W2T 400 grams for 40.00 is about as good a deal as you can get. It will help you find what niche/age of tea that fits your taste. The YS monthly is also good from what I have heard. I have a lot of their products so I don’t do the club. I have tasted a bunch of their puerhs though.
Oh wow! Thank you everyone! That is a lot of options. Like AllanK said I am on a budget for now. I am also just starting my journey to better tea, so I am still quite unsure what I actually want. I will stick to something cheap for now, buy I already have my sights on nicer teaware too, so it is nice to have options ready when I am actually getting one.
Luckily I already own electric kettle with variable temperature as I am a bit of a coffee snob.
Kamjove, gaiwan and small teapot are all good choices. Does 200ml size on Kamjove mean that I can make two infusion(as the infusion basket is 80ml) before serving or is the size of the bottom: infuser 80ml minus the pot 200ml, making the bottom part 120ml in size before it touches the infuser?
Kamjove seems like the most convinient option for me now, as I am mainly looking teaware to gongfu brew puer, which my SO will probably not drink, but sometimes I will brew oolong, or some other tea for both of us in gongfu style.
If I like puer, I will get clay pot for it.
Crimson Lotus. On their own brand items they have a sale and free shipping at the moment. I’ve been going through their tea this weekend and have been impressed
The rabbit hole is indeed open. Most people tend to recommended sample, sample, sample and then buy a decent quantity of what you like. The tea will tend to go up in price and then sell out. Make sure you read up on storage, as that is very important. There are some basic dos and donts and then more detailed parameters.
Im leaning towards the yunan sourcing puerh or raw puerhs club. I figure the smartest thing I can do is sample and leave the picking of the samples to someone who actually knows what they are doing… lol.
I just got my order from Verdant teas with a couple of raws and ripe pu’reh’s. I just put up my tasting notes from them, at this point I think I like the raw a little bit better.
Also got an order in to Crimson lotus, Teavivre and White2tea. Just waiting on delivery… I spent too much money this month.. lol.
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