This is one of my favourite videos you've made, and it's why I think learning about tea is such an engaging hobby. There's so much variety in the history, science, and culture surrounding puerh even from just the last 20 years. Between those 27 variables in producing a tea, there's a lot more grey areas between the main types than I ever guessed. I'm particularly interested in the ways that puerh has changed over the last 20 years. How the market has changed, how consumer expectations have changed, and how the way we produce it has changed. I think a lot about internet preservation, and one of the most fascinating deep dives you can do is reading old forum history between genuine tea enthusiasts talking about puerh tea and learning about it before it was as well known. I love reading blogs and discussions from 2000 to 2015, getting to see the timeline of puerh enthusiasts developing, and you using the phrase 'nuclear tie guan yin' really reminded me of that. One of the most interesting developments (and one I would love to hear you talk about sometime!) is the shift from thinking about sheng as an investment product that must be aged (more factory style), into producing puerh teas that taste great when they are young (more boutique style), but maybe don't hold up as well to ageing. It seems the market has changed to focus on quality single estate teas over mass blended cakes. People value variety and short term appeal over the traditional approach of storing puerh long before selling it. I remember reading about producers trying to produce puerh tea almost like oolong, with the idea that what tea enthusiasts wanted was novelty and variety in aromatic young sheng, rather than balanced recognisable blends that would age into a smooth familiar taste over time. I suppose that gets into the changing popularity of factory tea (the recipe based approach) which has decreased in quality, versus small independent producers. People who drink DaYi 7542 want it to taste the same every year, and they usually want it to hold up well to ageing. I think you're right that DaYi would have a difficult time selling an experimental or innovative tea to the same market and in the same way. Whereas just for example, I imagine most of the people who buy from Farmerleaf are more interested in drinking fresh teas with distinct character, be that from production or terroir, learning about different villages and methods, and in drinking their tea young. I wonder how many Farmerleaf teas are being aged at home, and if we will get to try some old favourites in ten years time to see how they've changed with age! I admire the approach of selling tea that you like and creating a more personal taste focused selection. That's one of the reasons why trying different vendors is fun, and why you can find real favourites that you buy tea from every year, because you trust their taste. Good tea should definitely have an impact on you and be worth thinking about. Excellent video, and despite all that rambling, the most important thing is what an incredibly attractive teacup that is!
I'm glad you're making these types of videos again, William. I missed them, but I'm also happy you were able to take some time off from TH-cam. I enjoyed FL's 2020 Meng Noy while watching. It has aged quite nicely, but it retains the sharpness and strength you want. Cheers!
I spent many years trying to experience “a classic taste” of any given tea or terroir. I still value some of this thought, but more and more I want to experience a “producers touch” or how does a tea maker affect the outcome of a given style and region. But I’m always excited to see tea that is a departure from norms. Recently seeing blends of Shou/Sheng or Sheng/Fu in the same bricks. So many things can effect this type of innovation, . what do they taste like now? How will they age? Will this create a “new tea”? It’s also interesting who the consumer of these might be, they need to have less ego in their choices and unconcerned what other tea drinkers will think of their choice or they are thinking they are trend setters, this tea is compelling because I have something special. I am happy to try new things and then hope I can find more if I like it, so innovation in tea is simple for me.
Really the solution is to have enough disposable income to stock classic teas and more carefully produced teas both. Interesting point about the consumer of particularly new or innovative teas, where there isn't yet any information or cultural cache. It's hard to divorce tea culture from a lot of well established tastes and opinions, so it will be interesting to see where brand new ideas fit into that world with both old and new enthusiasts.
This reminds me of a producer friend innovating Darjeeling style, incorporating different processing techniques to make better and better versions. I don't think it's resistance to new themes or aspects that's a problem related to demand and sales, it's that so many people in India drink really basic style teas, nothing like specialty tea in the West. In a limited sense that's probably also true in China, but not to the same extent, so higher quality and more novel versions there could still sell. It's a little more problematic to shift that whole general level of expectations, versus just offering slightly different styles. Of course this general theme maps directly to the US and elsewhere, that it's hard to expand awareness beyond tea bags, then beyond flavored blends after that. Off-style variations of main types are something else, which could only become an issue later on.
As a tea connoisseur all I care about these days is was it exposed to pollution and pesticides… hence I mostly drink teas from the Azores. I wish they would make proper oolongs and puers there.
My dietary vegetables are already so industrial, I don't care about tea. I end up with Shengtai or ancient tea garden though just from a taste perspective.
Always a pleasure to hear your thoughts.Thank you!
This is one of my favourite videos you've made, and it's why I think learning about tea is such an engaging hobby. There's so much variety in the history, science, and culture surrounding puerh even from just the last 20 years. Between those 27 variables in producing a tea, there's a lot more grey areas between the main types than I ever guessed.
I'm particularly interested in the ways that puerh has changed over the last 20 years. How the market has changed, how consumer expectations have changed, and how the way we produce it has changed. I think a lot about internet preservation, and one of the most fascinating deep dives you can do is reading old forum history between genuine tea enthusiasts talking about puerh tea and learning about it before it was as well known. I love reading blogs and discussions from 2000 to 2015, getting to see the timeline of puerh enthusiasts developing, and you using the phrase 'nuclear tie guan yin' really reminded me of that. One of the most interesting developments (and one I would love to hear you talk about sometime!) is the shift from thinking about sheng as an investment product that must be aged (more factory style), into producing puerh teas that taste great when they are young (more boutique style), but maybe don't hold up as well to ageing. It seems the market has changed to focus on quality single estate teas over mass blended cakes. People value variety and short term appeal over the traditional approach of storing puerh long before selling it. I remember reading about producers trying to produce puerh tea almost like oolong, with the idea that what tea enthusiasts wanted was novelty and variety in aromatic young sheng, rather than balanced recognisable blends that would age into a smooth familiar taste over time.
I suppose that gets into the changing popularity of factory tea (the recipe based approach) which has decreased in quality, versus small independent producers. People who drink DaYi 7542 want it to taste the same every year, and they usually want it to hold up well to ageing. I think you're right that DaYi would have a difficult time selling an experimental or innovative tea to the same market and in the same way. Whereas just for example, I imagine most of the people who buy from Farmerleaf are more interested in drinking fresh teas with distinct character, be that from production or terroir, learning about different villages and methods, and in drinking their tea young. I wonder how many Farmerleaf teas are being aged at home, and if we will get to try some old favourites in ten years time to see how they've changed with age!
I admire the approach of selling tea that you like and creating a more personal taste focused selection. That's one of the reasons why trying different vendors is fun, and why you can find real favourites that you buy tea from every year, because you trust their taste. Good tea should definitely have an impact on you and be worth thinking about. Excellent video, and despite all that rambling, the most important thing is what an incredibly attractive teacup that is!
Great video, thank you for sharing your knowledge and thoughts, I'm learning a lot!
I'm glad you're making these types of videos again, William. I missed them, but I'm also happy you were able to take some time off from TH-cam. I enjoyed FL's 2020 Meng Noy while watching. It has aged quite nicely, but it retains the sharpness and strength you want. Cheers!
i still have some #4 black from 2021, it's dark, unctuous and fruity; i love it
LOVED the Yi Shai 😊
Thank you for this interesting video!
I spent many years trying to experience “a classic taste” of any given tea or terroir. I still value some of this thought, but more and more I want to experience a “producers touch” or how does a tea maker affect the outcome of a given style and region. But I’m always excited to see tea that is a departure from norms. Recently seeing blends of Shou/Sheng or Sheng/Fu in the same bricks. So many things can effect this type of innovation,
. what do they taste like now? How will they age? Will this create a “new tea”? It’s also interesting who the consumer of these might be, they need to have less ego in their choices and unconcerned what other tea drinkers will think of their choice or they are thinking they are trend setters, this tea is compelling because I have something special. I am happy to try new things and then hope I can find more if I like it, so innovation in tea is simple for me.
Really the solution is to have enough disposable income to stock classic teas and more carefully produced teas both. Interesting point about the consumer of particularly new or innovative teas, where there isn't yet any information or cultural cache. It's hard to divorce tea culture from a lot of well established tastes and opinions, so it will be interesting to see where brand new ideas fit into that world with both old and new enthusiasts.
This reminds me of a producer friend innovating Darjeeling style, incorporating different processing techniques to make better and better versions. I don't think it's resistance to new themes or aspects that's a problem related to demand and sales, it's that so many people in India drink really basic style teas, nothing like specialty tea in the West. In a limited sense that's probably also true in China, but not to the same extent, so higher quality and more novel versions there could still sell. It's a little more problematic to shift that whole general level of expectations, versus just offering slightly different styles. Of course this general theme maps directly to the US and elsewhere, that it's hard to expand awareness beyond tea bags, then beyond flavored blends after that. Off-style variations of main types are something else, which could only become an issue later on.
thank you for giving me that naka 2013 sample
Nice! He only has like 20 cakes of it
Oh, nice. Mine arrived today (and the LME). The Naka smells quite tobacco-ey to me, but will find out in the morning.
Hello master. I'm from Iran.
Is it possible for you to send me sample of your green and black tea? Please let me know. I would love to buy from you.
As a tea connoisseur all I care about these days is was it exposed to pollution and pesticides… hence I mostly drink teas from the Azores. I wish they would make proper oolongs and puers there.
My dietary vegetables are already so industrial, I don't care about tea. I end up with Shengtai or ancient tea garden though just from a taste perspective.
It would be nice to have sample sets for learning those variables... 🫖
maybe even doing some kind of poll from it! 🥇🥈🥉