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Ya-Ya’s Tea-Board

News from the Teahouse, about tea and more

Welcome to pu-erh university

[ IMAGE: a selection of pu-erh teas ] My post on recent pu-erh arrivals has inspired quite a few of my customers to email me about these and pu-erh in general. Especially one person who appreciates a good cup of tea asked me for a recommendation for an introduction to pu-erh.

While I was thinking about which tea to recommend to him, it dawned on me that the field of pu-erh is just too broad for a simplistic introduction. For starters, one has to try a ripe and a raw pu-erh, then one should try different vintages, and so on. The recommendation, which he probably imagined to be one tea, quickly turned into a list that grew longer and longer. But I was in a creative mood that day and quickly turned a seemingly impossible task into a fun little project: Pete’s Pu-erh University.

With all teas, but with pu-erh in particular, one learns most through tasting. So I created my own little curriculum for the first semester. A selection of nine samples of ~10g, with teas covering a lot of ground in terms of age and type. While this was a one-off project, it sparked an idea which all customers will benefit from. While I assembled the teas, I realized that there are probably a whole lot of people out there who would love to try a specific pu-erh, but don’t want to buy a whole beeng or brick. So we will start offering 10g samples of certain pu-erhs. This way, you can “try before you buy (a whole lot of a specific tea)” or just try to see what a tea from a specific vintage tastes like. I’ll list the samples on our pu-erh page soon, but if you want to order any sooner, feel free to drop me an email.

If we’re lucky, we might get a semester review from Pete when he completed his studies…

Update: If you want to know more about Pete’s pu-erh journey, you can read his first thoughts on his wonderful blog.

As an aside, we have a shipment of 3 different fu cha’s coming. The black fu cha brick was very popular and sold out pretty quickly.

By: Jo | 2011/05/30 | Uncategorized | Trackback | Comments [RSS 2.0]

5 Responses to Welcome to pu-erh university »»


Comments

  1. Paul
    Comment by Paul | 2011/05/31 at 22:03:01

    Great site. Do I really need to ‘rinse’ Pu-erh tea at least once before I steep it? As I understand it, you must do this to remove dirt and harmful fungus. What would happen if you didn’t rinse the tea?

    Thanks,

    - Paul

  2. Jo
    Comment by Jo | 2011/05/31 at 22:07:11

    Hi Paul,
    rinsing to remove dirt and harmful fungus is hopefully not necessary for any well stored pu-erh. BUT rinsing usually removes possible dust (from the tea itself and its storage environment) as well as some off-flavours. It also helps to wake up the leaves, meaning that they will release more of their essence in the first infusion. If you don’t want to rinse your pu-erh first, steep the first infusion for a little longer to give it the chance to open up during that steep.
    I hope this helps.

  3. Paul
    Comment by Paul | 2011/06/01 at 19:01:06

    Yes; thank you, Jo.

    - Paul

  4. Pohanginapete
    Comment by Pohanginapete | 2011/06/04 at 10:35:22

    Jo, I’m onto the third of the samples and I’m already struck by the differences. All have been revelations — so rich in their appeal to the senses and each evoking different impressions. Very early days yet, but I think I’m beginning to understand why pu-erh is held in such high regard. Thanks for this wonderful opportunity.

    (The Singbulli you included is also excellent — I don’t know if it’s appropriate to refer to a tea as “creamy”, but something about the smoothness makes that adjective spring to mind. Is it a first flush?)

  5. Jo
    Comment by Jo | 2011/06/04 at 10:53:49

    Hi Pete,
    I knew you’d appreciate the differences between these pu-erhs. That’s part of why I put some effort into your selection - I was sure it wouldn’t be wasted. One of the things that tea inspires is a sense of sharing. And that’s a big driver for Ya-Ya. More often than not, it brings a deep satisfaction…

    The Singbulli is indeed a first flush Darjeeling and I’ll update our black tea page soon to include it. Some teas are indeed described as ‘creamy’, but it often is associated with more full-bodied teas like Assams. But I think I know what you mean, it is the incredible smoothness of that tea.


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