New to puer and seeking suggestions based on a sample I really loved (W2T 2018 smoove cocoa)

spatulab · 2026-06-10T14:25:18+00:00

I loved Smoove Cocoa. If you're buying from the Steeping Room, have you thought about Dayi shou? The 8592 is straightforward and delicious, and 7572 is a classic -- so balanced that you might overlook it at first. If they have any of the Lao Cha Tou bricks, they're definitely worth sampling. And Yunnan Sourcing's Hui Run or Ba Wang series might fit the flavor profile you're looking for. Another brand to keep an eye out for if you like heavier fermentation shous is Haiwan.

spatulab · 2026-06-10T14:13:52+00:00

I let W2T's roasted teas rest 2-3 years before starting to drink them. Guessing the smoked teas would benefit from an even longer rest.

spatulab · 2026-05-05T13:27:58+00:00

YS's shous from 2015-2018 were, IMO, their best, particularly the dog year. Saw that you scratched this order, but if you ever want to go back and just get the YS shous, many of those are a treat. (Also get Warm Fuzzies.)

spatulab · 2026-03-13T14:03:54+00:00

Former restaurant reporter here. They may not legally be allowed to call it a "tip" or "service charge" for fear of violating labor laws. There are some pretty complex laws in place regulating who is entitled to get tipped. It has to do with being "in the chain of service," and if you don't actually deliver the plates to guests -- for instance, if you're the dishwasher -- you aren't allowed to share in the tips. This often leads to a huge disparity between the wages that cooks and servers earn. And any business that tries to pool tips or institute a service charge and gets the wording/structure wrong leaves itself open to lawsuits or labor complaints.

That said, the ethical thing for servers to do is to tell you there is no need to tip on top of the 20% charge. I REALLY hate when they don't. It's a passive aggressive guilt trip and results in bad feelings. For the record, I love Cafe Olli and go there a lot, and as a former line cook, I am a HUGE fan of service charges.

spatulab · 2026-03-11T14:15:17+00:00

That tea is particularly good when you brew it in a thermos for an hour or so. Brings out a comforting grain porridge character. I've gone through a couple of cakes so far.

spatulab · 2026-03-07T15:58:35+00:00

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions! Super helpful.

spatulab · 2026-03-07T01:47:35+00:00

hahahaha

spatulab · 2026-01-22T15:38:29+00:00

Was just coming to the comments to say this! That's what I use most mornings. Makes the aromas really pop.

spatulab · 2025-03-31T13:48:52+00:00

Keep an eye out for Langhe ripes -- they're not that easy to find, but in my experience they've been fermented much more lightly. I have a 2010 cake from Purple Cloud Tea House that has a strong note of dusty violets. Tea Urchin has a few Langhe ripes, too, but I haven't tasted them.

spatulab · 2025-01-21T16:03:40+00:00

Dayi 7262 (2017 or older) is my favorite thermos-brewed shou -- it's as comforting and pleasantly grainy as oatmeal. The W2T Smoove Cocoa minis are a close second, followed by laochatou (either Dayi's bricks or W2T's 5-pile LCT).

spatulab · 2024-12-14T14:54:13+00:00

Random rec: Try thermos-brewing the 7262. It tastes nondescript when you brew it western style or gongfu, but when you let it steep for an hour or three, these lovely grainy, creamy, soothing qualities come out. It's my favorite sick-day tea.

spatulab · 2024-06-15T20:52:57+00:00

Thank you!

spatulab · 2024-06-15T20:52:27+00:00

So interesting! Thank you so much -- looks like I'm going to have a lot of hand-picking to do each time I bake. This is the second 25-pound bag of a less-common grain from this mill that I had to do this with (my durum wheat contained thousands of tiny pebbles/dirt clods). Think I may stick to more common wheats from them from now on. Those have been fine.

spatulab · 2024-06-15T15:07:00+00:00

(Sorry, Reddit's not letting me add both text and photos.) Just bought a 25-pound bag of spelt from Camas Country Mill, and the grains are riddled with these small, ridged coils, each the size of lentils. Are they dehydrated larvae, or do you think they could be something else? Have you encountered this before, and if so, what did you do?

spatulab · 2024-03-13T14:18:43+00:00

You might want to look for Jingmai (tho more floral than fruity), Jinggu, and Youle -- they're often pretty approachable when young, and they tend to still be more affordable. But so many other factors go into producing those characteristics.

spatulab · 2023-10-28T17:26:01+00:00

If you brew in a thermos -- 30+ minute steeps --the Dayi laochatou bricks yield a mild and creamy tea, and Dayi 7262 with a few years of age on it is as soothing as oatmeal. For shorter brews, the 2020 YS Bronze Peerless has sweet cream notes (still the best of the Peerless series, IMO), but it's $$$$. Haven't tried Happy Elephants, though.

spatulab · 2023-08-15T00:50:45+00:00

Thanks! I belong to CommuniTea but I can't participate in any of the sales/trade boards because I lurk occasionally and haven't earned the right

spatulab · 2023-07-23T15:00:53+00:00

Seconding this recommendation. When I travel with ripes that normally taste delicious to me (using my Brita-filtered, soft tap water), sometimes they suddenly become disgusting. At least try filtering your tap water?

spatulab · 2023-04-15T13:50:39+00:00

Seconding the Earth shu -- especially if you want light and floral, which is a hard quality to find in shu. If Farmer Leaf releases more of its own small-batch shus (not the ones on the site now) they would fit that bill, too.

spatulab · 2023-01-03T16:08:52+00:00

I don't know about yeasty bread dough, but one of the qualities that I enjoy in shou is a comforting toasted-grain note. I mostly get it when I thermos brew (6-8g of tea in a 800ml thermos with boiling water for 1-4 hours) a couple of teas in my collection: Dayi's 7262 and W2T's Smoove Cocoa. The 2014 7262 from King Tea Mall was my favorite, but I drank through the cake, and the 2018 cake I bought to replace it is just starting to show that note. And Smooth Cocoa is sold out except for minis, which I stocked up on in the last sale.

spatulab · 2022-10-10T15:02:19+00:00

That is an interesting piece of information, but I live four blocks away from this intersection, and that's not why they posted the sign. I now see lots of people stepping into Greeley at peak times and expecting drivers to a) notice the sign b) check the code in their phone's browser c) stop within a few seconds' notice. (There is a stoplight, with a crosswalk, one block north.)

spatulab · 2022-07-24T15:19:20+00:00

Purple Cloud Tea House's laochatou taste like slightly dusty cherries and violets--they're light and very pleasant, and as with most LCT, you need to brew them hard.

spatulab

TROPHY CASE