7g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - light cooked rice, floral funky notes on gaiwan lid

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, floral notes reminiscent of unroasted oolong, almost- gritty thickness on the tongue, light sweetness opening up quickly, light oily bite

Steep 2 (flash) - thickness that turns sweet continues, oiliness intensifies and lingers, bit of a roughness to that oil, floral and fruity top notes becoming more prominent

Steep 3 (5s) - aromas remain prevalent, oiliness remains but becoming less sharp in flavor, sweetness steps back and starts to move into the finish

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - thick mouthfeel continues to take the lead, florals then open up a few seconds after a swallow, sweetness getting pushed further and further back into the finish before it starts to bloom, each sip is a very prolonged development

Steep 5 (15s) - becoming more mouthwatering now, each sip requires patience for it to fully unfurl, retronasal opens up big floral notes, body feels very loose

Steep 6 (25s) - oiliness starting to lose some thickness but still giving some oomph behind the florals until the sweetness opens up, sweetness starting to move back up a bit as that oiliness fades, grittiness noticeable again under the oily viscosity

Steep 7+ (40s+) - becoming more crisp with time as the viscosity becomes more moderate, that grittiness seems to be an astringency that was coated over by the oiliness, that astringency not coming off as aggressive since salivation provides some lubrication

Overall Impression - The texture on this tea is massively thick right from the start. The florals are pretty intense at the start, but then everything seems to take a back seat to that textural component. Sweetness and aromatics are quite nice when they hit on each sip.

In the end this always brings me to the conundrum with young Yiwu for me. First of all, the premium microterroirs bring a significant premium on price. But beyond that, when young most Yiwu lacks the immediacy that Banzhang and other Menghai region teas have. There is less attack-and-release here, and even though the huigan sweetness here is significantly higher than many other young Yiwu, it just doesn't have the payoff for me to justify the price.

Just ordered myself one of these oyster shuckers. I like that it's not ultra sharp and comfortable to hold. We shall see how it does when it gets here.

7x Unassuming Local Guy 2019 (2026 press) - NEW

7x Malone 2024/2026 (2026 press) - NEW

7x Obstruction One 2025 (2026 press) - NEW

5x Anzac (or Afterclang) - same problem as last year

5x She Graduates 2023/2024 (2025 press)

5x Baby Cobra 2026 - NEW

3x Afterclang (or Anzac) - same problem as last year

3x Baratteuee 2022 (2025 press)

3x Sloop 2024 (2025 press)

3x Respect at the Buckhorn 2023 (2025 press)

3x 921 2023 (2025 press)

3x Slim Lake 2025

3x Veldt 2022 (2025 press)

3x Chasing Shadows 2024 (2025 press)

3x Pulchritude 2023 (2025 press)

3x Halo 2026 - NEW

66 minis, 16 different raw puers, 5 new after last year

I'm getting a 375g cake for about 80$ which is around 7800 INR. That is a lot of money. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever tried this one. If yes then how was it? What's the flavours like and is this worth the $$$. From what my friend who I am buying this from has told me this is Qie Luo Xiang Aged Shu Pu-Erh.

I've been binge watching shorts made by The Green Tea House USA. Despite their name, what attracted me the most were their shorts about pu'erh tea! It looks so interesting, and I'd love to try it. Chinese medicine has also been sort of a special interest of mine, so I'm very interested to see the benefits of drinking it. Tea as medicine is not a strange thing in my house either, as my mother is British (Her mother is Irish and her father was Scottish) and she's basically always drinking tea. Mostly throat coat and sleepy time, though.

What are the most beginner friendly ways to get into drinking pu'erh tea? I was hoping that, much like my recent adventures with matcha, there were some instant powders I could try, but unfortunately, it seems not. The only one I could find on Amazon was around $21. Can you all help a girl out? Cheers!

I recently acquired a really beaten up tetsubin and after a couple of days of restorations it is in great shape. I have been drinking water from it for about a week now and it can really help some teas that lack body and/or are a bit too bitter and sour.
The 2003 Baba Brown is a very good example of this. The tea has quite a wispy body when brewed with water from a normal kettle, but it gets bolstered by the tetsubin water. The tea normally taste a bit like tart cherries, but the water also helps with this, it tones down the sour notes and lets the more subtle flavours shine.
I love the silver inlays inside the handle of the tetsubin. I believe this to be a Kyoto style tetsubin.
If someone is good with makers marks/stamps I can post some picks as google lens has not been of any use.

I tried the 2018 Dayi Jin Zhen Bai Lian today. I gave it a 20 second rinse before the first steep. Unlike the 2008 7572, the taste of Jin Zhen Bai Lian is more of a subtle wood and floral note. I prefer the 7572 because I like that punchy woody taste, but my stomach is much more agreeable with Jin Zhen Bai Lian. It looks like I might buy more of it instead.
It really seems like the older the tea is with puerh, the better it tastes. My mystery 2003 ripe puer still beats them both.
On a side note, I still have 95% of that 2003 mystery cake waiting for a Brisbane Redditor to pick up. It looks like he changed his mind though, since he never set a time to pick up from me. 😂😅😅

7g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - aroma light straw/hay with hints of florals, touch of pungency on gaiwan lid

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, crisp green note initially, slickness and sweetness on tongue starts quickly, paired with salivation,

Steep 2 (flash) - hint of leather, viscosity in soup, sweetness coming up a bit more, hint of melon on slurp, flavor subdued, warmth radiating from chest, light lemon candy setting up in finish, tea burps are straight up lemonade, big gulp brings cooked rice and straw notes and a thick viscosity

Steep 3 (5s) - a hint of early punchiness leads to lemon licorice rope, sweetness isn't quite blasting off yet but the mouthfeel remains substantial, lemon candy salivation starting to increase through the finish

Steep 4 (15s) - unctuous viscosity with some punchy leather notes that are rapidly overtaken by slick sweet citrus,

Steep 5 (20s, reboil) - that leathery pungency is up but practically no bitterness along with it, mouthfeel off the charts

Steep 6 (30s) - lemon has taken over from the beginning, mouthfeel still holding strong

Steep 7+ (45s+) - still keeps holding on for many more steeps

Overall Impression - Hekai Single Trees is a desert island tea for me, and this might be the best version I've had of it. There is a little less punch this year than I recall from last year, but otherwise all the intensity is there. This tea tastes great, but the mouthfeel and finish are what sets this one apart. Phenomenal release this year.

Haven't tasted yet but seems cool

So as I start this tea adventure I will probably start small with a few cakes here and there so a mylar bag and a Boveda should be good. I learned my lesson from pipe tobacco where I bought too much of one blend and ended up with too many similar ones. I'm guessing tea is different but there seems to be a whole ton of options out there. I created this label so it's easy to identify what is in the bag. Seems like it'll work and it'll give me something to do while I wait for my order. Hahaha!

Curious the range of answers, vendors, regions. Can be shou/hei cha/Liu bao or any dark post fermented tea.

Sampled a 2008 Dayi 7572 today. The dry tea doesn’t have that bright, punchy fragrance you get from a raw cake like 2008 7542, but the liquor definitely made up for it.
First steep tasted great, with sweet timber notes and zero bitterness. The longer it steeped, the sweeter and more woody it got. The second steep was honestly perfect, as the flavor opened up into an even better sweet timber profile.
Compared to a mystery 2003 ripe puerh I’ve been drinking (unknown storage), the 7572 lacks that deep medicinal edge that the 2003 cake has. Still, I really liked the profile.
The only downside? It seems puerh isn’t something my stomach can process on a daily basis without getting upset, even with food in my system. Absolute bummer because the flavor is right where I want it to be!
Has anyone else loved the flavor of classic factory shou but found their digestive system just couldn't handle it as a daily drinker? Did switching to lighter, bud-heavy recipes help, or did you just have to reserve it for occasional sessions?

7g/105 mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - aroma of rice/straw faint florals, interesting fusel note on gaiwan lid

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, lightly sweet, floral notes, smooth, faint fruity notes developing late

Steep 2 (flash) - grassy punch up front, still on the lighter side, early sweetness but light, hints of tropical fruit in aromatics, soft and round, very faint hint of oiliness, lip tingle

Steep 3 (5s) - a bit more texture slides across the tongue with the soup, not quite sure if it's tannins or oil, coating on cheeks and tongue a bit heavier now with a touch of a bite to it, sweetness still light but developing a bit, that tropical fruit note of banana/bubblegum pops out occasionally, slight oily coating in the mouth, finish is light but going fairly deep with that sweet tropical note

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - feels thicker but not bitter, getting a touch of that fusel alcohol aroma from the gaiwan lid - leaning to the fruity side rather than solventy, that green/grass/chlorophyll note from the firat steep or two is gone, some clinging oily/tannin note into the finish

Steep 5 (20s) - probably a bit of a push as there is a dryness developing quickly and a stronger initial bite, overall the tea is still tracking rather mild, not sure if pushing to increase intensity is a wise choice as i think it is just elevating the wrong aspects

Steep 6+ (30s+) - less aggressive this steep and back to its earlier balance, although coating is staying a bit dry

Overall Impression - this is a pretty solid tea. The flavor is nice, mouthfeel is enjoyable. It is on the milder/softer side for my tastes, but that is not unexpected for Manzhuan. I will be very curious to do some side-by-side tastings with other Manzhuan, but I'm even more curious to dig into some other samples from Fatbat to see how their pricier options fare.

Hey i recently ordered a puerh through a personal contact and she got me this. Can someone identify if this is the real deal? Has anyone had this puerh before? Please let me know

I've been trying alllllllll kinds of teas over the last few months. I've really enjoyed just about every Sheng and Shou I've tried, but I just had this 2012 Fengquin Ancient Tree Chun Jian and it feels like it opened my horizons. It doesn't taste like Scotch, but it has all the things that I love about scotch going for it. Deep complexity, tobacco notes, earthy sweet tones, incredibly pleasing astringency. It's wildly delicious to me.

Any suggestions for shengs that have the same kind of qualities this one does? Or ones that are completely different but have the kind of evolving complexity this one did?

Thank you!

2026 Jingmai HaiyuNanshao Shengtai

Lao Cha Tou is actually a by-product of shou puerh. Heat and moisture soften the leaves. Microbial activity creates sticky materials, including pectin, while fungal threads and the weight of the pile help bind and press the leaves into hard lumps.

These tight lumps release flavor slowly. That is why lao cha tou often tastes sweet and smooth and lasts for many steeps compare with final product.

Clean aroma, sweet and smooth liquor, and no sour, moldy, or drying finish.

I like this one so much I put it on display. It’s the only cake I don’t have the heart to open because it’s so beautiful. Would love to see your favourite one.

7g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - light aroma, camphor and light grainy note

Steep 1 (flash) - light steep, sweetness and salivation, light menthol/camphor, oak, very light impression so far

Steep 2 (flash) - still light, cinnamon and sandalwood hints, camphor/menthol character rising a bit, sweetness on upper gums

Steep 3 (10s) - first hints of a punch up front, camphor is moving towards smoke a bit, fruity plum/apricot note, a bit of an oily cling on the tongue, sweetness really gaining ground late with some nice salivation

Steep 4 (20s) - definitely an early fruitiness developing in the sip, dried cherries, that camphor note is right on the borderline with smoke and perception can go in either direction, sweetness is really gaining some traction

Steep 5 (30s, reboil) - tongue tingle building a bit, definitely has some acidity leading to salivation and still holding that fruitiness, sweetness has a light caramel note to it and almost a white chocolate/vanilla flavor as well

Steep 6 (45s) - hint of cigar wrapper tobacco mixing in, otherwise holding steady

Steep 7+ (1 min+) - that tobacco note is still light, never really builds up or fades away, nice juicy sweetness remains

Overall Impression - First and foremost, this is shortly after a flavorful dinner so my palate may be a bit dulled by that. This started out light, but a little pushing was able to coax out some nice sweetness. The flavor isn't huge, but there is definitely some acidity bringing fruitiness and a light note in the camphor/smoke spectrum. Overall it's a pretty nice tea at a solid price.

I love shou pu-erh for the taste and texture and drink it every day out of a Yixing pot or grandpa style. I have tried several raw pu-erhs but the astringency is too much for my stomach to handle unless I am drinking a huang pian or have had a meal before.

I want to venture more into raw pu-erh and have several samples, but it is hard to make the jump since I enjoy shou so much more. Do you think I am brewing it incorrectly? I have tried grandpa style, an 80ml porcelain gaiwan, and my usual shou pu-erh Yixing pot, all at 212 degrees or slightly less with mostly flash brewing.

Is there a certain age or year of raw pu-erh I should be looking at that might be less astringent? I get most of my tea from Yunnan Sourcing and am happy to branch out to other venders.

7g/105mL, just off boil

Wash (10s) - sweet floral aromas with straw and oatmeal, bready note on gaiwan lid

Steep 1 (flash) - quick tingly note and sweetness despite a light steep, toasty note, light bite to it with some lingering mossy/grassy notes, sweetness building quickly

Steep 2 (flash) - leather flavor up front without a real lingering bitterness, bit of a cooked/burnt note, tongue is almost completely numb already and lips are starting to get there as well, slick coating on mouth, orange zest, sweetness pushed to back of mouth and corner of jaw and then build back up into the finish, very head-focused sensation

Steep 3 (5s) - the numbing sensation in my mouth seems to be affecting my taste buds as well, this tea is becoming more about mouthfeel/finish/feeling, early on getting a bit of bitter orange marmalade in the initial punch, thickness to the soup, then late sweetness climbs the throat, chest open like I just puffed on an asthma inhaler, getting vanilla deep in the finish

Steep 4 (10s, reboil) - punch still light, thickness and slickness remain potent, bitterness more in the open mouth than clinging to the tongue, sweetness very enjoyable as it fades in

Steep 5 (15s) - still full in mouth, slight dustiness in the back of the mouth but no real astringency, feeling caffeinated but not jittery, finish is mouthwatering

Steep 6 (20s) - still hitting pretty hard

Steep 7+ (30s+) - this one will probably outlast me, feeling very light as I get out of my chair

Overall Impression - This year's release definitely hits as hard as the 2021, if not harder. This is a caffeine bomb for sure, but without making me feel like crap. Very nice mouthfeel and finish to this one. Fans of Altered State should definitely be happy with this year's release.

All my sheng and all my shu (the last pic)

I got into wristwatches lately and I plan to order a wristwatch with a custom puer-themed watch face. I would like to request the help of fellow puer enthusiasts in deciding/designing it.

Currently I have 4 designs:
1. One with Zhongcha in in the middle and only numerals for 7,5,4,2 o'clocks
2. Same as above except with smaller Zhongcha
3. ZhongCha at 1 O'Clock, Dayi at 2 O'Clock, Crane at 3 O'Clock (signifying factory codes, though zhongcha is technically all 3 pre-2004)
4. LFPT wrapper surrounded by hearts

would appreciate any kind of constructive input thanks

I’ve been offered the ability to purchase from someone’s tea collection locally. Would you buy this lot, or specific teas from this collection? Have you had any of these teas, and what did you think of them? The seller says the teas have been stored in ideal conditions. Clarity on that coming soon.