Gong Fu Tea|chA Episode 25 - Categories of Tea: A Map View 

"You wanna know the 'right' way to spell pu'er? With the Chinese characters." Perfect lol

Thank you So Han. I’ve always appreciated how you maintain the poetry of tea, but cut through much of the BS. This was an excellent example of what I value. I could endlessly argue why Hei Cha or Oolong should have more divisions or categories, but what’s the point? Do we really desire to make tea more cumbersome or intellectual? I for one value more poetic and ephemeral qualities of tea and just want some basic understanding of were they fit on the spectrum so I can purchase them and talk about them. Please keep producing the tea house ghost, I know it’s a labor of love, but I love the content.

I didn't even like tea until this series taught me how to brew it right. Now I'm practically Iroh.

​Premiere delayed by 30 minutes to let folks at the tea house get here and settle in before we watch together! Sorry for the delay!

Thanks dude. Love the "Ni Howdy y'all" 😂

After watching two episodes of "Whiskey Vault" with you, So Han, I went to this channel ... and was immediately hooked. Normally I strongly prefer Japanese green tea (which, as I've read, seems to be not the perfect choice for Gong Fu style). However, I immediately "went all in", bought a whole lot of hardware - which, obviously, isn't necessary, but was just too tempting - and immensely enjoyed it. Both the ceremony itself and the taste of the tea. Next steps: trying out further types of tea. Just wanted to tell you that this is all your fault 🙂 ... and to thank you for opening a new world to me.

I am so impressed that all of this just exists in your brain. And not even just yours, but other tea experts too. I feel like I learn the same thing repeatedly and its like the first time every time lol.

This is by far my favourite tea video! I knew a lot of this already, but it's a great overview and a good way to simplify and explain all those different distinctions. Great to share our passion without having to annoy someone by talking 20+ hours about it. Further, I really like your mindset regarding pronounciations, tea in general and your conclusion in the end. Very pragmatic and down to earth. Thank you for this superb finale of a great season :D

I do wish I was in your area to have these conversations and experience of tea in person. Your passion for the topic of tea is so infectious

This video was so helpful. I have been confused about all the types of tea until now! Thank you.

excellent summary of all your season two videos, and it's great to hear that there will be a season three!

Really great video, thank you so much for all the effort to put for us!

So Han your passion is infectious and I guarantee with time this series will become a cult classic as love for Chinese tea blossoms across the Western world.

Feeling sad as I just realized that this is the last video in the series :( Thank you so much So-Han for all the time and work put into this series. If I ever get to bring a new person into tea I'm going to point them to this series.

That was a very good video, it definitely helped me contextualize each category. That explanation about heicha vs puer was especially helpful.

I like it when you categorise Puer as Champagne. Very well put!

As a Chinese tea-loving linguist, I like your little caveat at the beginning. 😂

Loooove it! Thank you guys!

Every time I watch you I learn a wealth of information. It’s such a great education on tea. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us!

Good to see you uploading again

Great season finale! Minor correction: Sheng is not fixed like green tea is; it is partially fixed so that it can continue oxidizing. Complete shaqing of sheng is actually an increasingly common issue. It increases the drinkability of young sheng at the cost of long-term development.

Superb video. THANK YOU!

Congratulations for 10,000 subscribers🎊🎉🍵!!!! Can't wait for Season 3!!!!

Also happy to see you and your episodes! You are looking very good!

Hahah loved this episode. The “religious” topics on what is XXX tea, or “how do you spell puer” auto-defensiveness was awesome. And your so right about type face. The purple analogy bit too was really funny. I’ll watch the episode. This was a very very helpful video. You put a ton of information, in an easy to digest way. I’ve been reading a ton about teas for past 3 months, I’ve read tons and tons of articles and was still confused on some topics. You clarified everything beautifully

Because of you So Han, my wife and I are weaned off of energy drinks and now using tea. She suggested it because she noticed that since my gall bladder's been removed, I need to consume things with less salt and fat in them, because flare ups can be painful, and she's been insisting on me exploring tea, because she's also a bit of a caffeine fiend, both tea and coffee. So thanks! Never felt better, and the tea is delicious and enjoyable. Fills that void and then some. :)

Thank you for the lesson. This is the first video I've watched because I wanted a brief explanation of the different types of tea, but I will be looking up your earlier videos. Once again thanks for opening my eyes!

Awesome!

Interesting and informative. Great video!

Amazing video thank you very much

A great video to watch while drinking Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix Oolong :)

This entire series is one big tea pun. You made your quota count XD

I love you videos so freaking much! Thank you for doing them! I swear I will come down to Texas from Oklahoma to have some tea with you.

This channel has helped (and will help) me on my tea journey! From nothing last August to now having a gaiwan and enjoying all diferent kinds of tea! You are an inspiration, especially because I think if you can have a store like that in the US, maybe in the future I will be able to find (or more likely, make one myself when I have money), here in Romania.

drinking the West China Tea 2015 Silver Fern Gu Shu while I watch. Thank you for the great video So-Han and team!

I loved these videos, literally watched all the episodes in the last couple days. Sad it's the last episode. Was very informative though and thoroughly enjoyed them loved every episode 😃

27:38 - love the voice you did there. :-)

So well done, So Han... I will try to use this for introducing friends to this world, they don´t yet understand : )

Excellent graphics!

You do have the profound insights about Chinese tea

Really cool seeing a deep dive into comparing the types of teas. I've been slowly building up a collection of tea, as to what a limited budget can allow. One of my first dives into tea outside of black (red) teas, was a Moonlight White . (Still one of my fine "gems" in my collection. The other being a 20+ year puerh).

I like your point of view.

First time listening to you on your channe and I loved it. Just subscribed

I have drank tea since a very young age. I'm Irish so of course it was Irish breakfast tea, so a red tea. I'm very particular about my preparations and I swear that tea is intertwined with my being. I have never loved anything as much as I do my tea. Words can't describe the feelings that tea evokes, despite the descriptions of "calming" and "relaxing". It goes far beyond what words can describe in my experience. Especially when made properly. I feel it as a friend.. almost a presence as crazy as that sounds. But tea is the best company. I have been wanting to move in to Gong Fu tea ceremonies for years now and I think finding your channel (through the Whiskey Tribe) is going to inevitably move me in that direction as I explore through your videos, so I want to thank you in advance. Looking forward to really sitting down and experiencing tea in the purest form with no distraction. Just myself and a few different preparations of Camellia Sinensis 🙂 Almost like listening to a record instead of streaming. It's just you and the record, and it is something you actively participate in as opposed to passively consume. I of course have subscribed already 🙂🍵

Welcome back!

I came to your videos through the whiskey tribe. I've watched about 9 hours of your content and now I'm interested in learning and tasting a lot more.

Hello here from whiskey tribe. I’ve never been much of a tea drinker but after seeing a few of your videos it has peaked my interest and I’m excited to see what it’s all about!

I literally just laugh spat my delicious dancong oolong after hearing you say "or it will not be white tea, no mo".

Welcome back.

Oh wow, you have tried crassicolumna too? I tried it a year or two ago when I saw it on Verdant's website. I liked it ok, but the body feel was a bit off. That was a sheng , so I just got a sample of yabao to try this time. I just read a few weeks ago that this tea is not a new drink in that region, so that's pretty interesting. I didn't know any other tea folks out there were trying it though. When we get to come to Austin will try to remember to chat with you about that one

Thank you for another amazing season! In the past, So Han has mentioned things like how you're not supposed to cross your arms over yourself when pouring gong fu cha or when you are and aren't supposed to break the heart of the leaves. In season 3, could we see an episode dedicated to some of the traditions and idiosyncrasies of gong fu cha?

Thanks for the great video! It was very insightful and relaxing to listen too Just a quick correction maybe. "Wuyi oolongs are very oxidisied" I think they're not very oxidised but just gone through a heavy roasting that turns them black. It's just black by roasting and not by oxidation, I think?

Hello So-Han. Coming to your channel from the Whiskey Tribe. I am quite curious to learn more about teas and their preparation. Currently I have some teas from Teavana and I have a Lapsang Souchong from and English blender Harney & Sons. My tea kettle is a cast iron kettle bought for me as a gift a long time ago. I know your specialty is Chinese teas and I’m wondering how I can work on perfecting my preparation for my Lapsang Souchong.

Thanks for yet another amazing video. One caveat, a common misconception is that water on iron causes oxidation, but it's rather that oxygen on iron causes it. You can remember it by; OXYgen causes OXIdation. However in this context I can see why water on tea would not be a good thing during its processing.

Shu or Shou Pu'er might be just different dialects meaning the same, therefore both are correct. How would the Hongkong Cantonese version sound like?

Welcome back, So Han!!! I've just started buying the tools for _gōng fū chá_ (功夫茶). The three teas I bought are: _xīn chāng lóng jǐng_ (新昌龙井 green tea), _jūn shān yín zhēn_ (君山银针 yellow tea), and _bái háo yín zhēn_ (白毫银针 white tea). What do you think about my beginner choices?

I'm new to all this. I've come here from being a long-time subscriber of Whiskey Vault and Whiskey Tribe. I love whiskey and also English Breakfast (I'm British) tea. What would you recommend I try in order to broaden my tea horizons?

What was the name of the tea house in London you suggested other than Mei Leaf?

How does humidity affect the aging of pressed cakes? I live in AZ and we are very dry, would that make it take longer for teas to age???

A very clear and systematic way of presenting the information. I was a bit put off by the "rant" about the strictness of usage of terms though.

Why does sheng puer oxidize if it's been cooked? Is it partially cooked?

Woooow that's some dark ya bao 😮 Is that because it's purple or because of some other factor? Even the purple Ya Bao I had was more light green then that deep red

The tea you're drinking having less or no caffeine in it sounds like it would make a very good night time tea. Does it still produce L-theanine, and if so, what is the physical effect of a tea with theanine but no caffeine?

I do agree with the saying 1,3,7 but I personally thing the exact 1,3,7 comes more from 1,3 and 7 being prime numbers. You see it in many many religion and spiritual schools that these numbers have my more meaning. Do they really? I don't think so. After all ageing has more to do with storage conditions than anything else. If you're going to be storing tea in a very whet you can have "fully aged" white or pu erh after only 5 or 6 years. If your going to store them in an fairly dry environment it may only be "fully aged" after 8 or even 10 years. Also I find that the consent of fully aged is a bit redundant cuz that implies that white will at one point be finished ageing while it's really a never ending process that just gets slower and slower. Well yeah numbers are important if you're an accountant and I doubt your an accountant. Unless you are then number away at your hearts desire...

I really enjoy this content, and the immense effort that goes into production and sharing knowledge. However, I feel like some of this information is tainted by opinion, for example the true definitions of sheng pu'er as well as calling red tea instead of black tea, which makes it confusing for a newbie like myself to absorb information about tea.

Is Pu'er strictly from the Yunnan region? Like how scotch can't be called scotch unless it's from Scotland, or champagne unless it's from Champagne? Or can a tea produced from anywhete be called Pu'er as long as it undergoes the right processes?