I’ll admit I was surprised at just how many tea shops there are online, even in the U.S., that aren’t major chains like Teavana. There are a lot of great, dedicated people (like the Tea Urchin and Verdant Tea I posted before) selling wares, and this is where I prefer to source things.
Pu’er seems to have a lot going for it. I’ve found several sites that revolve around pu’er (Yunan Direct, Pu’erh Shop and Tea Urchin are the top 3 in that regard). They might sell other tea styles, but the post-ferments are 80%+ of their product line. I guess this is because pu’er is very deep (shapes, vintages, etc) and visually rich (shapes, designs, factories), so it’s easier to have a large product line. That reminds me, I need to find a good Bing for my collection; I’d like to see what different compressed pu’ers are like.
As to the alteration of the nature of the tea, I am unsure what to expect. Compared to the loose leaf pu’ers I have, the only compressed forms can be at times more astringent, rougher at the back of the throat. I don’t expect small balls of red teas to be distinctly fantastic, though. It’s probably low grade to begin with.
Now, clearly what I need to do is invest in compression equipment and make my own compressed forms for a side-by-side comparison…
M.
