I'm Michael, 39, exploring pu erh tea without the obnoxious marketing. Honestly a great time to be a tea enthusiast as we can use AI to help use understand what's really happening in the Chinese market. This is a side hobby and I'm saving my findings here for my own reference. Side note this website was built rather quickly in a few afternoons - so some sections may be a bit rough.
Exploring the scientific literature on tea's health benefits, from gut microbiome effects to neurodegenerative disease prevention
Written while drinking: Daily tea exploration
Exploring how partial enzyme deactivation and brief steaming during compression enable raw pu-erh tea's natural aging process and flavor development over time.
Written while drinking: Raw Pu-erh
Discovering yellow spots on a 2024 pu-erh cake and researching whether it's beneficial or harmful fungal growth
Comprehensive research on loose leaf Pu'er tea prices across major Yunnan production zones, including Xishuangbanna, Lincang, and Pu'er City regions with flavor profiles and market insights.
Research from available Chinese sources on pricing of loose leaf Bingdao raw pu erh. Expect prices for cakes to be higher due to processing and marketing.
The uncomfortable reality of fraud in the tea industry and why authenticity might be impossible to guarantee.
Real experiences with vendors and shops
An eccentric tea farmer trying to make it big
Popular Chinese livestream tea channel with 250k+ viewers. Direct farmer sourcing format with entertainment value, but questions about authenticity.
An BuLang minority group farmer with an authentic personality
Recent thoughts on teas I've tried
Famous Bingdao region tea from terraced farms in Dijie sub-region. Softer than expected with subtle sweetness.
One of my personal favorites with complex flavors, initial bitterness that fades to lasting sweetness, and strong Cha Qi.