OK, so I've been reading here, there and everywhere about pu erh (rhyme was not intentional, but what the heck.....:-))

Could someone steer me to a place that has quality samples at a reasonable price so I can decide what I like etc...?

I drink a gunpowder green daily, and have some quality Oolong stashed away for special days, but want to check this pu erh out and see if I want raw to age myself, or go for the matured "cooked".

I have a co-worker who's brothers live in Nepal, and have property in Darjeeling who sends me teas periodically, very nice teas....though labels/descriptions are mostly in Sanskrit, so I have no idea what I am drinking...her brothers send it to her, she sends them to me and says "you'll like this", and she's usually right!
She's headed for India and Nepal this month, and has promised to bring back some Nilgiri tea for me, I told her I needed enough to share with the CA tea gurus.

Anyhow, enough of my rambling....too much caffeine I guess :-)
Thanks in advance...
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Yeah, I know nothing about it, but my family keeps getting beengs from people who visit China, so I keep them stashed away in a cooler that I set up for pu erh. I haven't actually tried it though...
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http://www.puerhshop.com/
Image

Seller yunnansourcing on e-gay is also quite reputable and reasonabley price, although the shipping from China can be a little steep.

I've bought from all three with no issues. yunnansourcing is sometimes better priced for bulk purchases, but the stateside stores are better for shipping costs.
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Thanks for the heads up, will give them a look!
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Ordered this, hopefully it will be a good first impression.

2005*Xiaguan Special grade*
Pu-erh Been Cha Puer tea Raw
Weight :330 grams
±10/cake
Production Date 2005
Tea Type :Pu-erh Been Cha Raw
Origin: Yunnan,China
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I use this place, great personal service by Steve!
http://www.jas-etea.com/
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Finally got that tea cake, musta been on the proverbial "slow boat from China".

Nice firm cake, leaves varied in color from green and silver to brown and nearly black, the aroma was heady, with a definite camphor coming from the cake.

I took a vertical section from the edge to center, the leaves look the same throughout the cake, some small twigs.

First infusion session today.
No special techniques, I have a Gong Fu type pot with the infuser in the top, seems to work well for my gunpowder and oolongs.

7 Gm. Rinsed 10 seconds twice, rested 1 minute.
1st infusion, 20 seconds, nice amber color, slight camphor aroma. Smooth and soft taste with a hint of astringency at the top of the mouth, sweet aftertaste with a coolness in the mouth.
2nd infusion, 20 seconds - much the same as the first
3rd infusion, astringency has fallen off, now a coolness in the mouth with a lingering sweet aftertaste.
Subsequent infusions saw little change in color of the tea, the coolness from the camphor tapered off, and the flavor became lighter.
I gave it up after the 15th infusion at 2 minutes, just not much left there.

Wonderful experience though. Now I have to try a "cooked" Pu.
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Scott of eboy fame now has a web store. It is from China, so shipping is annoying, but the way it works is a big lump sum followed by little margins. I usually buy at least 10 cakes when ordering from Scott. ;

http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/

I'm not a big fan of the quality of puerhshop, but YMMV.

P.S. cooked is a lot like drinking dirt IMHO.
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Thanks Tony,
I keep reading reviews about cooked Pu being "earthy" "barnyard" "composted manure" etc.....kinda makes me want to steer clear, I don't mind earthy, but barnyard? And I grew up around the mushroom growing/canning business, so I know how compost is made, and judging by the descriptions of "wet piling" it is the same process....accelerated deterioration.

I will likely still get a small tuo, just for the sake of trying it and tasting for myself.

Anyhow, now I have slid down another slope. I'm hoping to get to Windsor, Ontario, Canada before Christmas and check out some of the shops there, they have a small Chinatown, so maybe I will find some samples there to evaluate.
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I second jas. The owner is great...very helpful.
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Do yourself a favor and stay far far away from cooked Pu-erhs. Pushing the aging process with cooking destroys many of the qualities I enjoy in this tea. There are so many well aged, well cared for Pu-erhs that are very reasonable that it doesn't really make sense to drink an artifically aged tea.

If a Pu-erh tastes "barnyard" "farmy" or "fishy" you either have a very young Pu-erh, or a poorly stored/processed tea. For me, it's unbearable...I just can't drink it. Talk with the owner of Jas...have him set you up a nicely aged selection of Pu-erh samples and get a gist of what formulas you like. Stay away from bricks, and only buy beengs. Most of my Pu-erh collection is being aged as beengs. And you are right this is just one more slippery slope. Pu-erh teas can bring a hefty price with 20-30 years age. It is indeed a consummable commodity and a wonderful hobby.
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Check out some of the nicely aged Pu-erh teas here. You can always buy 3-4 well aged beengs now then load up on the younger teas you will age yourself.

http://www.jas-etea.com/categories/P...29-Pu%252derh/
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Thanks Doc!
I will definitely be making a couple small purchases there in the very near future.

I am going to be having surgery on November 15th, and will be out of commission so to speak until after Thanksgiving, so will have time to sit and sample some Pu's. I love that he sells 25 and 50 gm samples of many of the teas.
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Thanks for all of the recommendations. Let me know if you have any specific questions that I might be of more assistance. Thanks to one of the members, I will try to keep an eye on this forum also.

Best regards,
Steve
www.JAS-eTea.com
sales@JAS-eTea.com
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Steve got me fixed up just dandy with some nice Sheng Pu's. I had ordered 3 full beengs, 2 of which were identical, and Steve made a courtesy call to me to discuss my choices, and offer alternatives. Great guy, and customer service is off the chart!

Thanks Steve!
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Yep...met Steve on a shaving board. I have used him exclusively for my tea purchases and that is because of the superb service.
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No problem, Slickster81. I am always excited to work directly with my customers. My goal is to become the tea source of choice for premium Chinese teas on the Internet. While pu-erh tea is my passion, I also offer a nice selection of white, green, oolong and black teas.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all!

Best regards,
Steve
www.JAS-eTea.com
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Yup, I met Steve on that same shaving board, great personal service and a wealth of tea knowledge!

Billy
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Coming in to say hey. I've been dabbling in the tea world, and I hear Pu-erh is the way to go. I'm looking to try some and have no idea what I'm doing. If anyone would like to hold my hand through the process...
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I got some from a local wine shop owner who carries tea too. At first it was an aquired taste. I dont know what is was but the last cake I had wich had about 10 months age from my end was immaculate. My brewing technique did get better over time but it could of been the age too. I hear this is one of the few teas that gets better with age.
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