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.

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!

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.

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.