teakkurim

21 adar 1 5782 a discussion that has been happening on discord lately (and im sure many times before i joined the server) is about judging a tea based on how well it will age and how well it will be 10+ years from now. classically, puer was only considered puer when it was at least 20-30 years old. and although i am not into strict fixed definitions, i recognize the reason for this distinction/delineation. 90%-99% of the 'puer' i drink (and same for many others in the west) is 'semi aged puer.' why do i only drink semi aged puer and not the 'real stuff'? well dear reader, i would if i could. trust and believe. although the semi aged tea i drink is very good, they do not yet have that markedly aged taste or feel yet. there is a certain something that truly old/aged cakes have that is distinct. i will happily write more on this subject once i have more of those teas (wistful sigh) most of this 'real puer' is very expensive these days. all the more so in ...

28 sivan 5781 i finally had some very good tea. this cake, the 2013 xiaguan love forever (commissioned for Taiwan, the same thing you might recognize from other xiaguan productions like FT 8653, etc etc. the FT means Fei Tai/For Taiwan) is well known and well written about in the western puer scene. my opinions on it do not offer any new insight or hot takes. wah wah. although it was pressed in 2013, it is made from aged maocha from 2003 (and rumor has it there may be some gushu in there... ooh ahh). i bought this from someone on reddit for $127, as mentioned in an earlier post , which is a very good price for this tea (it is listed on TWL for $147). this is a very good tea. it is very drinkable. i like it so much it is the only puer i have been drinking for the last few days. it has some good mouth cooling, good huigan, and great qi, the kind i really like where it feels heart centered, is calming, and helps me take good breaths. it also goes 12+ steeps which is pretty darn good. plus...