tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post2146447187225174846..comments2023-07-05T09:38:23.624+01:00Comments on The Half-Dipper: 2012 Essence of Tea "Bangwei 33"Hobbeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719619695211038389noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-89016933476234734752012-08-08T09:24:01.596+01:002012-08-08T09:24:01.596+01:00Thanks for the comments, one and all.
Louis - the...Thanks for the comments, one and all.<br /><br />Louis - the other cakes to which I referred are the Baotang, Bulang, Qishenggu, and Guafengzhai. There is also another (sixth!) tea from EoT that I've tried, but which I don't believe was up for sale, the name of which eludes me as I write this. I'm resolved to try all of the remaining cakes again this week-end, having not tried them Hobbeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10719619695211038389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-1156401672870701012012-08-07T22:57:53.112+01:002012-08-07T22:57:53.112+01:00I feel like the price of 2012 puerh is still not o...I feel like the price of 2012 puerh is still not outrageous if you compare it in terms of price per gram to, say, higher grades of long jing or various high end yan chas. It is certainly high in comparison to the same product in previous years, but demand has increased greatly while supply of quality material doesn't seem to be able to increase very quickly to meet that demand. I've Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-20389460267343644832012-08-07T10:57:50.111+01:002012-08-07T10:57:50.111+01:00I find it difficult to say with any real confidenc...I find it difficult to say with any real confidence Shah8, the Asian market is so huge and varied. I feel that even with just spending a few months a year traveling and working within it, I'm just scratching the surface of understanding the scale of what is actually going on. There's huge amounts of money being moved around and huge amounts of tea. I may be underestimating it, but evenThe Essence of Teahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16116743085857210956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-19417291596713730422012-08-06T20:27:05.021+01:002012-08-06T20:27:05.021+01:00Hmmm, that is an interesting thought. I'm not...Hmmm, that is an interesting thought. I'm not sure I buy that, though. When I read those eastern sites through the lens of Google Translate, discussion boards dominated by younger, poorer people, like the teabbs.zjol forum, tend to be the ones most fascinated by old tree. Places with more advanced drinkers, like MIT,jft4u, and hkteaforum have a stronger focus on pre-2004 tea as an active shah8https://www.blogger.com/profile/04537529816304128000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-61457176775561831922012-08-06T19:42:59.657+01:002012-08-06T19:42:59.657+01:00Sorry I think you misunderstood me - I wasn't ...Sorry I think you misunderstood me - I wasn't making the distinction between Eastern/Western tea drinkers, more that I think it's demand from maturing tea drinkers that are seeking more refinement from their teas. We in the West are pretty much an inconsequential part of the wider market for higher end puerh tea.<br /><br />As for the future, it's all speculation. I don't see a The Essence of Teahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16116743085857210956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-24481179613182826312012-08-06T19:23:15.845+01:002012-08-06T19:23:15.845+01:00Well, I did mean all n00bs. If it were just us we...Well, I did mean all n00bs. If it were just us western folks, it'd be obvious that EoT is using its position to extract MAXIMUM RENT!!11!<br /><br />As such, given that Easterners are the main consumers of puerh, I expect that the slowdown of economic growth in the Far East will ripple down to prices of top tea, like what happened in summer '07- summer '09. In general, looking at shah8https://www.blogger.com/profile/04537529816304128000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-92129818336200284302012-08-06T19:03:27.732+01:002012-08-06T19:03:27.732+01:00I don't think it's as much to do with newb...I don't think it's as much to do with newbies entering the puerh world as much as it is to do with the escalating Asian demand for old/ancient tree puerh in particular. As the masses of factory tea drinkers mature in their tastes and search for something better, the demand for the limited amount of old tree tea increases. <br />Accompany this with the wealthy Chinese middle class and The Essence of Teahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16116743085857210956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-90737530570288060212012-08-06T18:19:29.836+01:002012-08-06T18:19:29.836+01:00I believe the price rises will go on for exactly a...I believe the price rises will go on for exactly as long as newbies with money enter the puerh world. Hence the fever will break over the next year or so, for a couple of years rest while overall inflation is given a chance to catch up to puerh and other collectibles.shah8https://www.blogger.com/profile/04537529816304128000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-37464593049207741722012-08-06T12:44:03.562+01:002012-08-06T12:44:03.562+01:00Dear Hobbes,
Glad you enjoyed the tea. The price ...Dear Hobbes,<br /><br />Glad you enjoyed the tea. The price is difficult, not just for the consumer, but also for us as producers. Each year we're faced with rising prices for the raw materials, and also the decision as to the grade and quality of the leaves we buy. As you may imagine, if you can have access to them, there's different grades of teas available at different prices. With The Essence of Teahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16116743085857210956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-51653190607862605492012-08-06T10:37:56.194+01:002012-08-06T10:37:56.194+01:00Hi, chaps,
It's a nice tea, and no mistake. ...Hi, chaps,<br /><br />It's a nice tea, and no mistake. It may, possibly, possibly be worth the price, too. That's an individual's decision, of course.<br /><br />The HK vendor apparently mentioned us by name! Craziness indeed. The Clouds cake was fun - I appreciate Clouds' attempt to have a go at real blending, which is one of the trickiest tea-producing activities to perform.Hobbeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10719619695211038389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-62052744103163045462012-08-06T09:39:11.738+01:002012-08-06T09:39:11.738+01:00Some say that your very good review of last year&#...Some say that your very good review of last year's Mannuo from Essence of Tea was indeed the reason of its becoming out of stock a few days later... But maybe you bought the whole stock ;-) I guess we'll see with this Bangwei 33 which I love by the way, maybe less than this year's Bulang, but still. <br /><br />Lovely drawings by the way.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06365378347454497408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-753589427119541238.post-71522336242427800722012-08-06T07:55:05.114+01:002012-08-06T07:55:05.114+01:00The expense? Could be worse...
The Chinese Tea S...The expense? Could be worse...<br /><br />The Chinese Tea Shop of Vancouver has a new Lao Banzhang up...for $440/320g cake. Fairly buddy too. Long description, the works.<br /><br />On the other hand, who can be anything other than pleased when other people agree with you about going out and buying all of a tea you liked? <br /><br /> However, it does strike me as fanciful to imagine a HK'shah8https://www.blogger.com/profile/04537529816304128000noreply@blogger.com