cha bing
On Mar 29, 10:06 am, cha bing

Is there such a thing as pu-er that is too old?

I don't have experience drinking much pu-er, mostly what I've had is
green and/or cooked pu. What I've tried to imagine is something that
has a flavor somewhere in between those two extremes--if you take all
of the "green" flavor away, will the tea be diminished in some way?
I've looked at pictures of some of those really really old 1930s or
1950s cakes and I can't help but wonder if at some point the tea just
doesn't lose some of its character and complexity. Anyone with better
experience have preferences for a certain age of tea that is something
less than "as old as I can get it"?

Kevo Reply to cha bing

On Mar 29, 9:06 am, cha bing

 

In the 60s when cleaning out the Forbidden City, workers found nearly
2 tons of balled pu-er tea from the size of tennis balls 2 large
pumpkins. These teas are presently kept in the Hangzhou Agricultural
University & Forbidden City museum. Samples of the tea were tested, &
the general opinion was that it has color, but the fragrance & taste
are thin. The complexity of the tea was gone. Some experts considered
this 2 be the ultimate taste of pu-er: ethereal, now-u-taste-it-now-u-
don't flavors - the complexity of the character has submerged but
subtly it is still there; but some think that the leaves had oxidized
beyond drinkable brew.
Zhuang-tse teaches us about the point of diminishing return, & this
probably it; only most of us are not as old as some of the aged pu-er
2 say at which point the tea is no longer drinkable. I have sampled pu-
er that was from 1920s, & they are still very much drinkable, so I
think it is safe to say that pu-er as early as 1920s can still be
drunk.

On the other hand, one cannot ignore the quality & production process
of the pu-er - a low quality maocha & poor production process pu-er
made in the recent years might not even last a decade.

Varat Reply to cha bing:

Yes, all puerh teas will eventually peak at one time or another after
which things will naturally go downhill. But that said an important
factor is storage and whether that aged tea is being cared for in the
correct manner. There is an article that is intended to help clarify a
few points on this matter. If you are interested it is available at

http://www.ihtea.com/Shop/ShowClass.asp?ClassID=4