Comments on: Close-Up on Brick Tea (Tuo Cha) http://www.skrewtips.com/2009/08/18/brick-tea-tuo-cha-tea/ Heal Yourself Naturally Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:37:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: The Horse and Tea Trade Route » Skrewtips - Food is Medicine http://www.skrewtips.com/2009/08/18/brick-tea-tuo-cha-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-4148 The Horse and Tea Trade Route » Skrewtips - Food is Medicine Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:44 +0000 http://www.skrewtips.com/?p=1400#comment-4148 [...] the farmers of the lowlands and low lying hills. So tea coolies humped bricks of tea (the origin of tuocha is logistics) across rivers, over mountains and through cold blowing valleys to Kangding and [...] [...] the farmers of the lowlands and low lying hills. So tea coolies humped bricks of tea (the origin of tuocha is logistics) across rivers, over mountains and through cold blowing valleys to Kangding and [...]

]]> By: sascha http://www.skrewtips.com/2009/08/18/brick-tea-tuo-cha-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-3890 sascha Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:19:18 +0000 http://www.skrewtips.com/?p=1400#comment-3890 fraudulent tuocha or pu'er cha came about due to demand. what also came about was the devastating drop in prices and almost collapse of the whole industry in Yunnan. Mainland China has seen every industry bubble and collapse -- especially the teas -- and then out of the ruins come the few companies (out of hundreds of thousands) that DO THE RIGHT THING. If you want to protect yourself against fraudulent tea, you have to get to know your distributor; he/she has to get to know their supplier and all of you have to study the pu'er you drink. A well aged Pu'er will have a uniform color -- usually deep red to brown. It will smell incredibly earthy and strong. When poured, the brew will have a wet earth aroma (among others) and will display a complex range of tastes over several seeps. It will not be a hard, crumbly brick. It will not be bitter or weak or light. It will not have streaks of light colors. Another thing you should know is that pu'er is not just popular with Westerners. It is also extremely popular in China. So if you want dibs on the good stuff, you might want to take a trip to China and get your own supply lines hooked up. Otherwise you'll have to make do with expedited puer. My advice is to travel more and drink every pu'er you get your hands on. Over time you will find one you like and trust. fraudulent tuocha or pu’er cha came about due to demand. what also came about was the devastating drop in prices and almost collapse of the whole industry in Yunnan. Mainland China has seen every industry bubble and collapse — especially the teas — and then out of the ruins come the few companies (out of hundreds of thousands) that DO THE RIGHT THING.

If you want to protect yourself against fraudulent tea, you have to get to know your distributor; he/she has to get to know their supplier and all of you have to study the pu’er you drink.

A well aged Pu’er will have a uniform color — usually deep red to brown. It will smell incredibly earthy and strong. When poured, the brew will have a wet earth aroma (among others) and will display a complex range of tastes over several seeps. It will not be a hard, crumbly brick. It will not be bitter or weak or light. It will not have streaks of light colors.

Another thing you should know is that pu’er is not just popular with Westerners. It is also extremely popular in China. So if you want dibs on the good stuff, you might want to take a trip to China and get your own supply lines hooked up. Otherwise you’ll have to make do with expedited puer. My advice is to travel more and drink every pu’er you get your hands on. Over time you will find one you like and trust.

]]> By: Ernie http://www.skrewtips.com/2009/08/18/brick-tea-tuo-cha-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-3816 Ernie Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:08:49 +0000 http://www.skrewtips.com/?p=1400#comment-3816 While this article on brick tea (pu'er) is interesting in many ways, it skirts around the issue of much of the pu'er teas being marketed is fraudulent, with claims of being genuine pu'er and charing premium prices for it. The author of this article, glosses over the issue by referring to the fake pu'er as "expedited aging." It is like saying 1 year old wine claiming to be 25 years old as "expedited aging." What a laugh. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/world/asia/17tea.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=china%20tea&st=cse While this article on brick tea (pu’er) is interesting in many ways, it skirts around the issue of much of the pu’er teas being marketed is fraudulent, with claims of being genuine pu’er and charing premium prices for it. The author of this article, glosses over the issue by referring to the fake pu’er as “expedited aging.” It is like saying 1 year old wine claiming to be 25 years old as “expedited aging.” What a laugh.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/17/world/asia/17tea.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=china%20tea&st=cse

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