If you can’t sample it, don’t buy it... unless you are positive.
This is very important when first starting out and even once you’ve become more experienced. If a store does not offer a sample size of a puerh cake, then do not buy it, unless you are at least 95% positive you will like it. This kind of assurance does come from much time of tasting and research but until then, only buy what you can sample, otherwise you might be stuck with a 250g+ cake you hate. A sample size of 25g-50g is a perfect amount to start with to get a feel of a tea. The price of a sample size is usually a reflection of the price of a full cake, which directly relates to the first tip mentioned in Beginners Puerh #1.
Some reputable puerh sites may even offer educational puerh sample sets such as White2Tea. They offer 4 amazing sampler sets for starters. Two for ripe puerh and two for raw puerh. One sampler set is directed towards learning about how teas grown in different regions can differ as well as blends of teas from different regions. While the other sampler for each differs. For raw the second sampler revolves around harvest time and grade, while the ripe sampler revolves mainly around grade of leaf and blends of grades.
All of these samplers come with 4-5 mini cakes for a very reasonable price and are a big recommendation for anyone just starting out to gain a good understanding of harvest area, grading and development of the palate.
Find them here: https://white2tea.com/collections/tea-sample-sets
Don’t Be Sad said the package. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Boxes topped with boxes my whole life inside these boxes. Goodbye Town. Goodbye State. Oh. Goodbye Pacific Ocean. Our family tree was westward bound but westward we’re no more. Heading East. Heading North. Driving further than I’ve ever. Seeking Peace. Shelter, Sleep. Following dreams, taking pleasures. Spokane, Bozeman, Glendive, Fargo. Twin Cities, Windy City. Oberlin, Ohio. Utica, near Syracuse, Where my mother was born and ran. I’ll pass through it for the first time. She’ll never go back again. Don’t Be Sad. New Horizons Brand new beaches Different places There’s a house called Ceremony Where I’ll sit and be served tea Touching down In my mind Is not the same as when it happens It’s like In trying to prepare myself I delude my self No end Don’t Be Sad. Larger leaf is coming with me All the way plus the kettle and the teaware and the stash And you, my friends 2019 “Don’t Be Sad” Huangpian from @bitterleafteas (by way of @grateful.tea.d ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #bitterleafteas #huangpian #puerh #puerhtea #puerhaddict #puer #rawpuerh #rawpuer #shengpuerh #shengpuer #gaiwan #gaiwans #gongfucha #gongfu #gongfutea #gongfuteaware #teaware #teawares #teawareaddict #justinotherteablog #tea #teastagram #chinesetea #instatea #teareview #teablog #teajourney #teaspiration #teapoem (at Moving On) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgKWom8JR3A/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Jingmai Ancient Tree Raw Pu-erh Cake is selected from the ancient tea trees on the 1500 meters high mountain in Jingmai as material, and processed by the traditional methods. The tea was harvested in spring which coincides with the dry season in Yunnan. Less precipitation and plenty of sunshine are contribute to the formation of aromatic substances in tea trees.
Open up the cotton package, we can smell the orchid fragrance of the dry leaves. Compared with the Jingmai Single Bush Ancient Tree Raw Pu-erh Cake Tea 2018, this tea has more prominent orchid aroma, which can last to the sixth steep. The first steep is soft with fresh aroma; after the forth steep, the liquid becomes rich and mellow. Swallowing the smooth liquid, the slight bitterness will immediately disappear, followed by a sweet aftertaste in mouth and throat. Even when we finished a cup of tea, the orchid fragrance still remains in the tea cup for a long time.
A column of huangpian #Puer that are aged and that I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to drink #white2tea #huangpiantea #Puerh #rawPuerh #rawPuerh #dayi #agedtea
Tasting: 2022 “Snoozefest” Raw Puerh - First Tasting Of The Year!
After several years of missing out I finally got my hands on a cake of White2Tea’s yearly limited Raw Puerh release called “Snoozefest”. This cake comes out once a year at limited quantities. According their website, the cake is made from material that would usually sell for a much higher price tag, but is sold at a steal as a kind of “thank you” or “customer appreciation”. Basically a really good tea, that normally has a very high price, for a limited time low price. There is no samples offered of this cake and at a price of $15 for a 200g cake, it doesn’t stay available for long.
Every single year I have somehow managed to miss it. But in 2022 I was at the right place at the right time. I was one of the first people to order a cake of Snoozefest. How do I know? Because the first 30 orders also would get a free White2Tea winter beanie, which I now wear every time I got out. LOL.
From the moment you unwrap this cake it’s crystal clear this cake is not joking around. It is no doubt high quality. The sweet aroma of the tea before it even hits the gaiwan is outstanding.
In the warm gaiwan the aroma this cake is incredibly sweet like honey and sugar cane. A plethora of sweet stone fruits hits you right up front. The dry leave aroma is very clean and fresh, much like a spring morning breeze. Welcoming, comforting and energizing yet calm. The wet leaf is a fruit explosion of poached peaches in sugary syrup, juicy plums and nectarines. In the background there is a noticeable sweet musk acting as a wonderful accent to the fresh fruity breeze in the gaiwan.
The soup is syrupy thick and smooth as hell. No bitterness or astringency! The mouthfeel is lubricating, clean and soft. Imagine if you will - a piece of fresh cut teak wood. Atop this teak wooden is a gathering of ripe and juicy stone fruits, plump and sweet. And around these fruits are little accents of delicate flowers. That is the only way I can describe the taste of this amazing beauty. As the infusions go the musk of the teak wood becomes more forthcoming, acting in harmony with the sweet syrupy juicy fruit notes.
And you best believe this teas can go the distance. I easily get at least 12 infusions out of this tea and it doesn’t miss a step. After so many years of waiting for this tea, this was no doubt the best possible way I could have asked to start of the tea journey of 2023.
Now because I am a nice guy and have decided that this is the year of giving, I am willing to part with 2 – 25g samples of this cake. Normally I would give more but I’ve already drank quite a bit and it’s gotta last me till at least November or longer if I miss out again this year. LOL. But if I do get lucky again this year, I’m buying my first ever Tong of teas.
If your interested in trying this precious beauty to see if you too need to line up to grab your own this year, send me a private message with you address and I’ll send it out to you!
I promise you, trying this tea may very well be one of the best things you do this year!
