Monday, November 1, 2010

Pu'erh Journey

I never really quite understood the pu'erh hype, especially shengpu.

Now, don't get me wrong; I had enjoyed my fair share of shu and sheng pu'erh tea, but I had never seen the reason people are so fascinated by it.

Sure there is a sense of secrecy, mystery, and variety behind pu'erh, but in my mind it really did not amount to that much. There are hundreds and thousands of aficionados of pu'erh that employ a vast knowledge of everything under the umbrella of pu'erh. Some connoisseurs seem to have the entire list of factories and recipes memorized and could detect any of their flavor profiles in one sip. It fascinated me how little I really knew (and still don't know).
I was content enjoying my traditional oolongs and greens, as well as the occasional white and black teas. I concentrated my knowledge and flavors around those types, and kept a small bit of pu'erh on hand when I felt like indulging in a different dimension.

I decided to splurge and order a few cakes from Puershop...
That was money well spent.


The appreciation that I now have for pu'erh has risen to a whole new level.

I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with the fine Readers of this humble blog.



~billy

8 comments:

  1. I think a little mystery never hurt anyone. :P

    I love pu'erh myself. But you already knew that.

    -Fox

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  2. Fox,

    If you want some samples of some of the teas I bought I would gladly send some. I feel like you would really enjoy these! Email me if you want to =]

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  3. Congrats on getting all this going, let me know when you're around so I can get my tea fix! It's been too long, Sir William of the Leaf.

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  4. TaDavis,

    I will be back in NM Christmas time! You'll have to drop by so I can make you some! Definitely looking forward to it! =]

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  5. "Sure there is a sense of secrecy, mystery, and variety behind pu'erh, but in my mind it really did not amount to that much."

    There is a sense of secrecy, mystery and variety with all teas, no?

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  6. Ice,

    True, but pu'erh is something of its own. I don't know how to describe it, but it is in a separate realm.
    Although I do agree with you about the fact that all teas have an aura of mystery around them, pu'erh is a notch above the rest.

    I will never get over oolongs though =] I love me some oolong tea!

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  7. By the way, the pu'erh cake in the picture looks outstanding. Which one is it? I bet it is delicious. :D

    -Fox

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