Richard's Sheng Puer

I recently met a Bainbridge Island tea lover named Richard. On Saturday, April 9th, we shared an unforgettable puer tea session at Teacup in Seattle. Hopefully it was the first of many.

Richard came across my tea blog while searching for someone who might be able to help him sell some of his puer tea.

In particular, he wishes to sell the following 3 teas:

2005 - 250 gram bricks from Haiwan (海灣) Tea Company
$20 each or $8 for 100 grams

2005 - 500 gram cakes Yi Wu Cha Wang (易武茶王) from Yan-Ching Hao (楊慶號)
$120 each or $25 for 100 grams

2006 - 500 gram cakes Gu Shu Cha Wang (古樹茶王) from Yan-Ching Hao (楊慶號)
$95 each or $20 for 100 grams

I told him that I would probably be interested in helping him... but we both agreed that first we should meet for tea before making any formal plans. After several hours sharing great tea and conversation, I was convinced that Richard was a kindred spirit and a true lover of the leaf. I got the impression that he drinks a ton of strong sheng puer (which he called his "medicine").

After meeting the man, I'm am honored to tell you more about his teas and hope that you'll contact him directly if you're interested in purchasing any. His email address is wuyi06@gmail.com and he is open to discussing different methods of payment and shipping depending on the individual needs of anyone who contacts him.

Richard and I did not have time to cup his 2005 Haiwan Brick. Maybe I'll get a sample and write about it in the coming weeks. We did, however, enjoy many awesome infusions of the Yi Wu Cha Wang and the Gu Shu Cha Wang cakes.

Firstly, here is my review of the Yi Wu cake: Wow. It's not often that I get a chance to drink tea this flavorful and satisfying. All of the leaves are beautiful, long and plump and the yellow-orange liquor is like sweet nectar to me. The broth is crisp, clean and floral. I really liked this tea, and may have to buy one for myself.

Yi Wu Cha Wang


Yi Wu Cha Wang - Dry Leaf


Yi Wu Cha Wang - Spent Leaf

Click here for Houde Asian Art's product listing for this Yi Wu cake.

Click here for Tuocha Tea blog's review of this Yi Wu cake.

And now... my review of the Gu Shu cake: The leaves are an attractive blend of broken and whole pieces with a fair bit of stem. They appear plump and juicy. Richard brewed this tea a little strong for me at first but I didn't mind and I could still tell it was a very high quality cake. I wasn't in love until the fourth or fifth infusion when the richest plum and brown sugar notes started to emerge. The tea was always complex and interesting and like the Yi Wu cake left me feeling very mellow and comfortable.

Gu Shu Cha Wang


Gu Shu Cha Wang - Dry Leaf


Gu Shu Cha Wang - Spent leaf

Click here for Half-Dipper's review of this Gu Shu cake.
Click here for Houde Asian Art's product listing for this Gu Shu cake.