White Tea

Strictly speaking, there's no such thing as white Pu'er. I say this not to pick nits but to try to clarify things so you can find what you want. I think you're referring to a subcategory of green (or raw or sheng) Pu'er made from buds only. These Pu'ers generally have names with the word Silver in them, but there's no standard name.

As for brewing technique, I don't find these teas require cool water as long as steep times are short. With a lot of leaf in the brewing vessel, you might start brewing for 15 seconds or less and gradually increase the steep time.

/Lew

Thanks Nigel and Lew!

Lew, you're right: I was talking about buds only sheng. I had seen it referred to as white, so I followed suit. No need to apologize at all, I always appreciate getting things right.

Do you have any recommendations?

The cake The Tea Gallery lists as Silver Tip Puerh at

is my favorite. (Disclosure: Over the years, the owners of The Tea Gallery have become friends of mine; no business relationship, though.)

I should mention that, if you're thinking of bud-only sheng as a candidate for aging, you're in uncharted waters. This kind of Pu'er has been manufactured for so short a time that nobody knows if it will improve with age.

/Lew

Thanks! It is probably a little out of my price range, but I'll keep it in mind.

Lew, their prices seem really high. Is the quality worth it? Are the Chinese teas certified organic or checked for pesticide/heavy metal residues?

Thanks, Dean

I can't answer that question for you. Living within walking distance of their shop, I generally buy teas from them that I've been able to taste there. I don't buy everything I taste.

Not many of them, I think.

/Lew

From what I've seen and heard The Tea Gallery is certainly worth patronizing. Had it not been for technical difficulties on my last trip to NYC it was as much of a destination for me as the Statue of Liberty. I don't even think Lew needed the full disclosure for such a loved vendor. In fact it would be nice to have names dropped of these most trusted and favorite vendors more often.

I hate to say it (and it's been hashed and rehashed) but terms and seals claiming organic tea aren't really worth much more than they weigh. Pesticides and heavy metals are always a potential worry, in any tea from Lipton to imperial grades. The only way to be sure is to have it analyzed personally and even that is overkill.

I have sampled a few teas from TTG and it will be my first stop next time I'm in NYC for what it's worth.

- Dominic

Well, I respect both of your "Although nothing is 100%, we do our very best to ensure that our tea is safe. We work very closely only with vendors who we trust and with whom we've had longstanding business relations. They provide us with detailed pesticide reports and organic certificates. We also buy from several brokers in Europe who have very stringent requirements for importing tea. Additionally, we do test our teas at random to ensure that they are safe for consumption and so far, all the teas we've analyzed have not had any detectable pesticide residues."

Considering the state of the world we live in, I don't think I can expect much more than that.

Dean

I can respect the efforts of vendors like Upton, but the reality still is that most likely very little is actually tested. Good faith and good business relationships take you so far, but not much further. I support Upton and patronize them when they fit the bill... it's just that tea is such an ever changing thing with hundreds of variables in play at every stage of it's life. The bottom line for me is to be aware of the potential hazards, buy high quality tea from respected sources, and enjoy my time with it worry free because there are never any guarantees. I'm certain I've ingested numerous pesticides, radioactive bits, metals, and who knows what other kinds of toxins from the Earth we do our best to pillage and defile in my love for tea, but it is what it is and no sticker or seal really changes that. I'm sure the "fresh" air in Pittsburgh doesn't do me much in the way of favors either, but I keep breathing.

- Dominic

Dean, I've only tried about 15-20 "silver tips" Pu-erhs, and only have about a dozen in "inventory" for re-tasting. These include bingcha, tuocha and loose-leaf. The little TTG cake is significantly superior to all the others at every tasting so far.

I even picked up another recently, just in case they never produce another like that. Like Lew, I have no idea how the stuff will age. In fact, I might foil-wrap the spare, since it's plenty good right now and has none of the off-notes or harshness that one usually hopes to lose on storage.

-DM