Need some help with Pu-erh

First, I suggest you don't use the same pot for raw and cooked as a Yixing pot will absorb the flavor of the tea. It is traditional to use two separate pots for raw and cooked when using Yixing.

Next I would use cooler temps and shorter steep times for the raw puerh. Black puerh is almost impossible to ruin where green puerh can be destroyed quite easily.

Another observation is that a teaspoon of loose leaf black puerh to 12 oz of water is a bit lighter than most people would prepare it. Try more leaf and shorter but multiple steeps.

I would suggest you obtain a glazed gaiwan as it wont absorb flavors thus allowing you to use it for any tea. Use the same proportions of leaf to water as you used with the black puer but only steep it a minute. Then adjust the second and third steeps according to your taste. If you steep raw puerh for 6 minutes (1st steep) you may wind up with something akin to battery acid. If the tea is too weak for your taste add more leaf but don't increase the steep time much.

Start there and report back to us how you did.

-- Mike Petro

i know i need to invest in another yixing im really not a big fan of guiwans and would rather just buy another large size yixing but i need to find one of better quality in the $30-40 but ive yet to find one and i guess i need to do a little more experimenting before my other tea arrives

i really dont care for guiwans i might look in to buying a small yixing just for raw puerh but first i want to see if i even like it and then i will look into purchasing a small yixing. Could you tell me a place to get a 5 or 6 ounce yixing for under $30?

I don't think you will find ANY real yixings in that price range, just the copies made from earthenware.

--scott

well ive did a little searching last night and found a few for around $40 but im still going to wait until i see if i like green puerh before i buy one

You actually might be able to... in Pittsburgh there is a coffee roaster who just began selling Yixing and he has pots that start around $25-$40 that are in fact real and pretty good quality. I asked him about them (because I was a bit skeptical, but could tell they were legit) and he was able to provide me with all the paperwork and full information on them including the invoices even. It indeed showed that he was only marking up the lower priced ones by $3-4 and when I asked him he stated how he really loved them and was hoping that some of the lower priced ones would get people interested and into them too. Sometimes you get lucky and find a truly noble merchant.

- Dominic

Does this Roaster have an online presence?

Mike

I have never looked, I had doubted it... but a quick search turned up:

I refrained from giving the name of the company the first time so no one would think I was advertising for them. I'm just a very happy customer of theirs. It is truly a small old-worl style shop right smack-dab in the middle of Pittsburgh's "Market Square." They have great coffee, tea, cigars, teaware, and imported foods from all over the world Germany/Italy/etc. Last time I was there I bought this little box of "Canadian Ice Wine Tea" teabags and it is amazingly tasty and different. It's a cool little shop and one of the best kept secrets of Pittsburgh.

- Dominic

Thanks, but now I think the secret is out..... ;-)

Mike

I and looking at these teapots:

and

which one of these would be better or are they even any good to start with?

Also ive been looking at guiwans and thinking that i maybe i should get one, does anybody know were i might get a 5-6 oz white one for under $20?

One more thing are these any good for pu erh?

Yeah, I was just thinking that before posting... I get some really great stuff from them and watch it always be sold out now :)

I don't mind sharing with this ng, it's the least I could do. And if it helps out an old school company who is dedicated to quality and service, then even better. I wish there were more shops like Nicholas coffee.

And as far as the choices froggy, The zisha Gawain seems kind of cool... but again you would still need two one for cooked and one uncooked. Out of the two options for Yixing teapots, I'd go with the first one from the site I linked above... but if I had to choose I'd go with the second link of yours with the "pear skin" teapot. The others look like regular ceramic teapots that happen to somewhat resemble Yixing.

I already have a Yixing that i use for cooked i think that i have made up my mind to go ahead and order the teapot and gaiwan from generation tea.

Sounds good. Not pushing it, but had you seen this one:

opinion) it looks nicer. The coral color kind of turns me off of that pear skin one, but by no means should my tatses influence your decision. I tend to go for the darker "purple" clay color in my pots.

The zisha guywan has me intrigued, but I like either white or clear glass so that I can see exactly the color of the brew... that yellow zisha is a bit of a deal breaker for me. Again, just my unasked for 2 cents... so please feel free to disregard 'em.

- Dominic

i really like more plain shapes9not much on that lion) or i would seriously consider buying that one and thanks for your 2 cents

It's all good. I generally go for the clean lines and basic shapes myself. I saw one the other day though that has had me sold on it:

If I had the money, it would be mine right now. They have guywan's as well but their pricing is a bit on the steep side for most of their wares. My biggest thing with Yixing teapots is finding ones that speak to you personally. Not just because it is made by a particular person, or is highly prized. I have personal connections with each of my pots and that includes the lesser expensive ones.

- Dominic

i like that one to its just alittle more than i want to spend on something that has a really good chance of getting broken

ive been thinking would the zisha gaiwan be just as good as useing a yixing because if it will serve the same purpose the gaiwan is only $7 and sounds to me to be the best way to go as i not really sure i will like the green puerh?

If you are this unsure, I would suggest buying nothing and just brewing it in an infuser or something such as that. You can make a guywan with any ceramic mug and a lid or a strainer of some sort to pour out the liquid.

Then worry about buying a new teapot if you like it. Makes the purchase easier.

- Dominic

well i decided what to do i just ordered a 6 oz yixing and a 8 0z glass gaiwan from Imperial Tea Court i think they will both suit my purposes well if i dont like the raw puerh i will just turn it into my cooked puerh pot and the gaiwan can be used for anything (why i decided on the larger 8oz glass one) anyway so even if my experience with raw puerh doesnt trun out i still get a few new pieces of teaware