[netsurfr]

Scott over at Yunnan Sourcing is willing to support a group buy from us so I thought I would check to see what the interest might be. He carries over 500 varieties of tea including quite a wide selection of Pu-erh.

You can see the approximate prices over on his e-bay listings. He has indicated that he can provide variable discounting depending on the item.

I would be willing to consolidate an order if there is enough interest. The shipping costs from China on a large order would be significantly less than a small order.

Let me know what you all think...

[holli4pirating]

I might be interested. Can you provide a like to his website and/or ebay listings?

[nun2sharp]

I was hoping for a group buy of chinese stones..... sorry.

[jockeys]

I might be interested, depending on the terms and such.

[netsurfr]

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I might be interested. Can you provide a like to his website and/or ebay listings?

Here ya go: eBay Store - Yunnan Sourcing LLC: RAW PU-ERH: 2006 Mengku Mu Shu Cha Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake 25g

[netsurfr]

So here are the teas that I am thinking about:

1998 Lincang "CNNP Green Wrapper" Raw Pu-erh tea * 250g - Scott's Ebay pricing is $32.00 plus $7.00 shipping to USA

1999 Gu Pu-er * Simao Raw Pu-erh "Fang Cha" brick tea - Scott's Ebay pricing is $19.00 plus $4.50 shipping to USA

2002 Jingmai Mountain Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Bricks 250g - Scott's Ebay pricing is $24.00 plus $4.50 shipping to USA

Early Spring Mao Feng Yunnan Green tea - Scott's Ebay pricing is $12.50 plus $6.00 shipping to USA for 250 gram quantity

Early Spring Yunnan Silver Needles White Tea - Scott's Ebay pricing is $19.00 plus $6.00 shipping to USA for 250 gram quantity

I believe that I can break up the shipment and redistribute them within the USA for approximately the cost that Scott is charging without his international shipping. So, there would be a savings of about $7.00 on a 250 gram cake of Pu-erh. Shipping to international members would involve extra cost.

For the green teas and white teas, I should be able to do a bit better.

So, if you all could give me some indication of what you would be interested in, I can do some better calculations. Some of the raw Pu-erh that I have chosen is only available in limited quantities, so the sooner I hear from you, the sooner I can secure the tea from Scott.

If there is a large response, I will pass on any savings to the members.

[jockeys]

I am more interested in the green and white teas.

[netsurfr]

If we get an order for one kilogram or more, I should easily be able to pass on an additional 20% savings on green or white teas even after my shipping costs. So, prices would lood something like this:

Early Spring Mao Feng Yunnan Green tea - Scott's Ebay pricing is $12.50 plus $6.00 shipping to USA for 250 gram quantity
Your cost: $10.00 per 250 grams including shipping in the USA.

Early Spring Yunnan Silver Needles White Tea - Scott's Ebay pricing is $19.00 plus $6.00 shipping to USA for 250 gram quantity
Your cost: $15.80 for 250 grams including shipping in the USA.

[jockeys]

put me down for a kilo of green tea, then.

[netsurfr]

Running order list:
jockeys: 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) of Early Spring Mao Feng Yunnan Green tea @ 40.00 including shipping

[netsurfr]

Wow, this group buy is getting very little interest...

[netsurfr]

I purchased a number of teas and will pass them along to members for my cost plus shipping while they last. Teas include:

4 items, 1998 Lincang "CNNP Green Wrapper" Raw Pu-erh tea, 250 g (one sold)

4 items, 2000 Long Yuan Hao Yi Wu Mountain Raw - 400 g (one sold)

2 items, 1999 Gu Pu-er Simao Raw Pu-erh "Fang Cha" - 357g (one sold)

2 items, 2002 Bu Lang Mountain Raw Pu-erh tea brick 250 grams

2 items, 2002 Hai Lang Hao * Mengku Wild Arbor cake 400 grams

2 items, 2003 Jing Mai Round Cake * Tai Lian Tea Factory * 357g

2 items, 2002 Jingmai Mountain Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Bricks 250g (one sold)

1 kg Early Spring Mao Feng Yunnan Green tea - SOLD

1 kg Early Spring Yunnan Silver Needles White Tea (will sell in quantity desired) (100g sold)

As another member pointed out, the shipping costs outside of the USA may not make sense.

It will be a while before the teas arrive.

[netsurfr]

Quick update:

4 items, 1998 Lincang "CNNP Green Wrapper" Raw Pu-erh tea, 250 g (two sold)

4 items, 2000 Long Yuan Hao Yi Wu Mountain Raw - 400 g (two sold)

2 items, 1999 Gu Pu-er Simao Raw Pu-erh "Fang Cha" - 357g (two sold)

2 items, 2002 Bu Lang Mountain Raw Pu-erh tea brick 250 grams (one sold)

2 items, 2002 Hai Lang Hao * Mengku Wild Arbor cake 400 grams (one sold)

2 items, 2003 Jing Mai Round Cake * Tai Lian Tea Factory * 357g (one sold)

2 items, 2002 Jingmai Mountain Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Bricks 250g (one sold)

1 kg Early Spring Mao Feng Yunnan Green tea - SOLD

1 kg Early Spring Yunnan Silver Needles White Tea (will sell in quantity desired) (200 g sold)

As a member on another forum pointed out, the shipping costs for redistributing this tea outside the USA may not make sense.

It will be a while before it arrives.

[netsurfr]

A member on one of the forums has suggested that it would be good to have some of these teas available in smaller sample sizes. So, here you are. These prices do not include postage/handling but do include a slight markup to cover paypal costs. Let me know if you are interested.

1998 Lincang "CNNP Green Wrapper" Raw Pu-erh tea - $3.20/25g

2000 Long Yuan Hao Yi Wu Mountain Raw - $3.50/25g

1999 Gu Pu-er Simao Raw Pu-erh "Fang Cha" - $1.30/25g

2002 Bu Lang Mountain Raw Pu-erh tea brick - $2.30/25g

2002 Hai Lang Hao * Mengku Wild Arbor cake - $2.15/25g

2003 Jing Mai Round Cake * Tai Lian Tea Factory - $2.90/25g

2002 Jingmai Mountain Wild Arbor Raw Pu-erh Bricks - $2.30/25g

Early Spring Yunnan Silver Needles White Tea (will sell in quantity desired) (350g sold) - $1.50/25g

As noted above, shipping/handling would be additional and depend on your location. Naturally, this is a better buy for USA members due to the shipping costs.

[netsurfr]

I am only advertising this on the three shaving fora that I belong to and the response is very encouraging. I'm glad that I could provide this service for the forum members.

[netsurfr]

Here is a link to some background information on Pu-erh tea: Puerh - wikiCHA

[netsurfr]

For those that have not tried raw puerh tea before, the infusion process is somewhat different than other teas. Here is a method that I have borrowed from Yunnan Sourcing site that works well for me:

"Pu-erh tea brewing is not so different from oolong teas. You want the water as hot as possible when you pour it into the pot. If you are going to use yixing, I would dedicate one pot for ripe pu-erh and another for raw. Up to you.

With pu-erhs I typically wash the leaves twice for period of about 20 seconds each time. The third infusion is to be drank. The first two infusions wash the leaves and prime them, use the tea water to wash the cups. The third and fourth infusions don't require long infusions times at all (20 seconds or less).

Pay attention to the taste and the infused liquor of the tea through succesive infusions, as the leaves "give it up" you will want to extend infusion times to get more out of the leaves. Most Pu-erhs can be infused anywhere between 10 and 20 times.

When prying leaves from a cake or brick, try to remove layer by layer and avoid breaking the tea leaves too much, broken up leaves when brewed will become bitter.

Another factor worth mentioning that will affect the outcome of your brew is how much tea you decide to use. Although many people measure weight (tea) versus volume (water), I prefer an intuitive approach, filling the the tea pot to about a quarter of its volume with leaves. Notice how tightly compressed Pu-erhs will expand more when infused than those that are less tightly compressed. Pay attention to the gradual expansion of the leaves and the flavor that comes out of them.

Try “tweaking” the different variables I’ve mentioned and pay attention to the result, this is part of the enjoyment of discovering Pu-erh!"

Enjoy,
Steve

[netsurfr]

Here is a link to a video for those that may be new to Pu-erh tea.
07/07/10 What is Puer Tea