Xiaguan 101 & The Crane Gang [Inbetweenisode 269]

[@hooreltr]

For reference, these are the cakes James recommends in this episode: Good teas, but not typical Xiaguan: - Love Forever - Tibetan Flame/ Bao Yan Tier 1: - Jia ji tuo - Te Ji tuo - Iron cake 8653 2005 thick paper from January-February-March Tier 2: - Gold Ribbon - Yin Cang - Cang Er - Nan Zhao - 8673

[@TeaDB]

Thanks! This is good to type out. Yincang is this one kingteamall.com/products/2007-xiaguan-yin-cang-yu-er-silver-jade-100g-puerh-sheng-cha-raw-tea

[@hooreltr]

@@TeaDB Thanks! Edited it into my original reply.

[@boucaa]

Thank you for this episode. I've been drinking puerh for a few years now, but in some aspects, I still feel like a newbie - especially in non-western facing producers like Xiaguan. I find great value in these educational episodes that focus on a specific topic, which I assume you often choose based on its underrepresentation in the international tea community.

[@TeaDB]

Thanks Jan. Glad to hear it is helpful. That was exactly my intention! Xiaguan and Dayi are both checking out for sure. Very different from other boutique raw more commonly sold by western pu vendors.

[@guydrinkstea]

Real Crane Gang hours, who's up

[@JamieGarry]

This guy drinks tea

[@norgonqm9504]

Happy to hear that more Xiaguan content is coming! I recently got the 2012 Xiaguan Te Ji Tuo (the purple one) from YS and found it rather enjoyable, though on the astringent side. Looking forward to tasting what a good version is supposed to be 😅

[@TeaDB]

Yeah the young ones can hit the spot depending on your taste. Thanks for sharing!

[@Benjalina666]

Super useful, wanted to explore Xiaguan, just ordered a few things from KT mall, thanks!

[@13jgasho]

Never had Xiaguan so I enjoyed this video and potentially will give it a go. It'd be cool to see other videos like this for brands you enjoy.

[@TeaDB]

Thanks Jacob. Glad to hear it. May do something similar for Dayi at some point.

[@TheCynthiaRice]

Did I miss Denny's in-between episodes of him hiking?

[@TeaDB]

Nope. Eta 2027?

[@BlakeP16]

For cakes pressed really tight, or the tuo you mentioned, how would you recommend opening these up when brewing with out losing too much character through excessive rinses? I still struggle with that even after all this time of drinking tea.

[@TeaDB]

Break it up a good bit before brewing. Breaking leaves is inevitable when brewing these. And lean a bit heavier than normal on the tea to start so it comes apart.

[@BlakeP16]

@@TeaDB awesome, thanks. Also, do you have any sources or articles you could reference me to for deciding what water source to use? I am trying to dive deeper into water quality and not just put water in a kettle

[@TeaDB]

@@BlakeP16 I haven't really done deep dives into articles. Most of my experience is just with the PNW water i have up here. But you should check out Max and Arby's respective blogs. teasecrets.home.blog/2018/12/24/the-journey-begins/ empiricaltea.com/

[@lunes-1]

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