Anybody got a recommendation for a good place to taste and buy different types of puer tea in Kunming and compare the flavor of raw, aged cooked and whatnot? Looking for somebody honest, English isn't so important, but good putonghua is. Thanks.

-Dan

I can recommend the store next to China Merchants Bank on Dong Fang Dong Lu. Near the crossroads with Bai Ta Lu (I think) close to the Thai Consulate on the same side of the road.

It was recommended to us by a Kunmingnese. It is not a cheap place, but they have the full range of teas. Unlike a lot of the cheap places, you get what you have paid for.

They do the full tasting. We spent about 2 hours there and they never showed any impatience or tried to hurry us up, even though it was passed their closing.

Thanks, tigertiger! Can you clarify a bit on "get what you have paid for"? How much for a brick of tasty puer?

Define tasty????? Um!

By 'you get what you have paid for', I mean that you don't buy 10 year old tea and get home to find it is only 3 year old, or a different grade from what you were told.

Pu'er is like wine, people buy it and then put it down for a few years. There is no limit on price. You can easily pay over 10 000 for a brick. But I am sure that the staff will be able to find you something to your taste and in you price range, however much that is.

Fair enough, poorly phrased question. Thanks for the info.

My fault for poorly phrased response in the first place.

Anybody got any updates or new info on this thread? Im looking for bricks in the <1000 pricerange

There is a shop owner I know in the north main tea market. She is honest and has excellent puer varieties. No English, but good putonghua. Will have to pm me, as I have to find her business card.

Also, you can just go to that tea market and find a comfortable shop, and sit down and try some puer. I've never felt pressured at all by any owners, and nearly all are honest and selling decent to fine puer, in some cases from their own plantations. Whatever price you pay there, will be a bargain compared to retail pricing. We are really lucky to have several large wholesale tea markets in Kunming.

There are many varieties of choices in the tea market in Jinshi xiao qu. You can taste first in any of the shops.

tea market is hot in prices this year. not easy to find good stuff for reasonable price. puer this year is again double in prices if compare with last year. if dont know the seller or nobody invite you to the shop, you will get horrible prices.
What is means less than 1000rmb for bricks ? Better look for cakes, bricks are normally low quality. Fermented or not fermented- sheng pu ? Old or new ? PM me if you want help or come drink cup of tea. But i am in Malaysia for tea now, so finish of this month will be back in Kunming.