Tea Guy?

[Zanaspus]

Don't really buy from domestic suppliers anymore apart from perhaps Hou De Asian Art & Fine Teas. I'm more into the "hard stuff" from China. I find young sheng pu-erh or a good Wuyi oolong goes great with smokes.

[daboose]

Never had pu-erh tea. What vendor do you recommend? I would like to sample a few. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Zanaspus

Don't really buy from domestic suppliers anymore apart from perhaps Hou De Asian Art & Fine Teas. I'm more into the "hard stuff" from China. I find young sheng pu-erh or a good Wuyi oolong goes great with smokes.

[Zanaspus]

Originally Posted by daboose

Never had pu-erh tea. What vendor do you recommend? I would like to sample a few. Thanks.

Well, the easiest place to start would be http://www.puerhshop.com/ . IMHO, he's not a great vendor, and the teas he offers aren't that great either. That being said, it is a great place to sample a few raw and cooked pu-erhs without eating the silly small order SAL shipping costs from China (Basically, shipping from China is like $25 whether it's one gram or 5 kilos. I exaggerate, but that's what it seems like.).

Should you decide you like Sheng (raw, my passion) or Shu (cooked), at that point, you can delve into http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/ . Scott is the premier pu-erh vendor in the world in my and most others' opinions. When you get to this point, you can do as I do and just order 20+ tuos or cakes at a time whence the shipping becomes relatively cheap.

Hope this helps.

[daboose]

Thanks Zana. Another tea adventure for me.

Originally Posted by Zanaspus

Well, the easiest place to start would be http://www.puerhshop.com/ . IMHO, he's not a great vendor, and the teas he offers aren't that great either. That being said, it is a great place to sample a few raw and cooked pu-erhs without eating the silly small order SAL shipping costs from China (Basically, shipping from China is like $25 whether it's one gram or 5 kilos. I exaggerate, but that's what it seems like.).

Should you decide you like Sheng (raw, my passion) or Shu (cooked), at that point, you can delve into http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/ . Scott is the premier pu-erh vendor in the world in my and most others' opinions. When you get to this point, you can do as I do and just order 20+ tuos or cakes at a time whence the shipping becomes relatively cheap.

Hope this helps.

[DocLogic77]

Originally Posted by Zanaspus

Don't really buy from domestic suppliers anymore apart from perhaps Hou De Asian Art & Fine Teas. I'm more into the "hard stuff" from China. I find young sheng pu-erh or a good Wuyi oolong goes great with smokes.

I have to agree with the Pu-erh and the oolong pairing with cigars. I have a preference for a nicely aged sheng (raw) Pu-erh...3-10 years. The young beengs are a bit wild for my palate.