Warm, yummy, "pu-pu"

"So i tried pu-erh [sic] again." That's how my last email to Chad began. We'd been having discussion about tea since 2007, I think. We'd talked then about his other-wordly love and my dirty hatred for Pu Erh. (Vince and I started calling it pu-pu.) But this time was different. Maybe the water was the right temp, maybe I didn't add too many leaves, adjusted steeping time just-so. This time it was good in a way that made me stop reading for half a sec and look up and...just sit. I took notice of how nice the taste was. Not filthy, sticks and leaves and dirt, but delicate, almost earthy, almost sweet. Besides that, Pu Erh, according to my favorite tea company, gets its name from a small town located in southern Yunnan. Tea had been cultivated in this part of China for about four thousand years. Its popularity owes much to the many trade routes that flowed through this region. With popularity came royal inquiry. And so, Pu Erh teas have been offered in tribute to many a generation of Chinese emperors. It is among the few teas that improves with age. Similar to wine, one may find very expensive Pu Erhs that are decades old. "Slimming" is one of the properties the locals attribute to it. Recent studies seem to show there is some validity to this reputation. This tea's unique fermentation process imparts it with some cholesterol-fighting powers.

Note, too, Pu Erh, is a black tea. It's considered, again by my tea pimps perhaps the most esoteric of Chinese varieties, has a pronounced earthy aroma and taste. It is very popular in China due to its notoriety as a slimming diet tea. Recent studies seem to support this claim, but attribute this property to all teas. We suggest trying a sample before committing to larger quantities. The earthy taste is not subtle. Chances are, you'll either love it or hate it. (All the above bloviating by adagio tea.)

My note to Chad continued: "I like it."

Chad wrote back, quickly: "Enough puerh [sic] for now. I am into Sencha green teas. Do you have a decent place to get good loose leaf tea? If so, check out Sencha. There are several of them. They have a very thick, grassy flavor and it is so so good. At first it took my by surprise, the taste, and then it really grew on me. Sometimes it tastes like scallops smell."

Here is the Sencha leaf:

"The other tea i am really into right now," continued Chad, "is a yellow tea. The yellows are similiar [sic] in antioxidants to the white teas, but the yellow is much rarer and really subtle. Almost tastes like warm water, but if you are still and quiet it is a really amazing mellow experience drinking yellow teas. The yellow i have tasted is called Huo Shan Yellow.

"The other tea i am ga ga over right now is an oolong called Wuyi Shang Red Cape. A totally exquisite experience. I found myself stopping on the sidewalk, while sipping, to tell my wife how good this was...repeatedly...and she argeed [sic]; she added that it tasted like the tea her grandmother used to make with fresh berries and herbs.

"PUERH began all of this..."

And isn't it strange and good--when something you took for shit not so long ago turns a corner and makes you appreciate even one small moment now--and kick out a single sentence that contains the words "ga ga," "oolong" and "cape"? That's "pu-pu" for you. Right, Chad?