Introducing someone to pu erh for the first time
Any suggestions on introducing someone to pu erh for the first time? I’m considering holding small classes in my area to introduce people to pu erh and share my love of this wonderful tea… I’m just not sure how to go about it.
There is so much variety in pu erh, sheng vs shou, earthy vs smooth, bitter vs sweet. Any suggestions on any particular qualities in a pu erh to give someone who has never had it? My current though involves taking the people in my class through 4 pu erh’s 2 sheng and 2 shou. The shou I’d use one that is kind of earthy and one that is smooth and sweet. The sheng I’d use one that is young and mildly bitter and one that is aged and complex. Sound like a good idea?
Any suggestions, including specific tea recommendations, would be greatly appreciated! I’d love to share this tea with others, but don’t want to ruin pu erh for people by choosing the wrong pu erh’s… I want the experience to be a good one. Thanks for your help!
Dayi , Haiwan and Boyou make good shou. Mandala, Verdant , Yunnan Sourcing, White2Tea and TeaUrchin have some good shengs.
Sounds fun! The 2 shou, 2 sheng approach sounds good.
Just be sure to err on the side of less information rather than more… I’ve made the mistake of giving too much information during a first lesson – from my POV it was basic information, but the sheer amount ended up just being intimidating to a newbie. Better to oversimplify at the beginning and keep people interested, than to lose them in confusion. :D
I’ve also tried to scale back the number of teaware I bring when doing these kinds of tastings. While I am very fond of my accessories, I’ve started leaving them at home, and it looks cleaner and more approachable for people who would want to start brewing tea at home.
Good luck, and tell us how it goes! :D Which 4 puerhs are you using exactly, if you’ve decided already?
I love the advice to keep things simple. There is so much that can be said about pu erh, but I didn’t learn everything I know in one sitting so it makes sense to keep things simple and let the experience of the tea do most of the teaching. Thank you for that.
As for the teas I’m leaning towards a 2008 Menghai 7452 shou for a smooth and sweet not too earthy tea, and a loose leaf 2010 yongde golden buds which is mellow but enough earthiness to stand out. As for the sheng’s I have a 2012 mandala wild monk I’m thinking of using as per mrmopar’s suggestion for the young sheng. For the aged sheng, my favorite tea in my collection a late 90’s ding xing hao which is quite complex and has some strong cha qi which is hard to miss even for a novice.
I’m definitely going to have to resist the temptation to say too much, but when it really comes down to it the tea is the real teacher. I just want more people to have the same experience I have had with these teas, and I’m looking forward to providing that for some people!
Sure thing. Maybe we can compare notes about how these lessons go, it’s always so hard to communicate tea in just one sitting, isn’t it? c: I have so much to improve on myself, but at least now I’m not constantly scaring people off haha.
Seems like a nice selection to get tea drunk off of, too! I’m envious of the people in your class, I haven’t dabbled much in sheng and that late 90’s sheng would be exciting to try. That’s awesome you are sharing such great teas and being so thoughtful about it, I’m sure they’ll have a great experience with you!
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