tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21945233.post8748425199686654878..comments2023-07-26T08:53:36.336-07:00Comments on tea closet: What Is Great Tea Part I - Borrowed AnswersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21945233.post-72691562407737324112012-08-18T00:40:49.103-07:002012-08-18T00:40:49.103-07:00Puerh is different from wine because prices are ge...Puerh is different from wine because prices are getting crazy very fast. So there is this urge to find quickly some good material, build up your collection before it's too late !! So, all the sources at hand are good in order to find good deals it seems. If one says that this is good stuff, someone less qualified might be eager to try and why not buy a few cakes... Also, it is a market : if I buy all the Cloud's cakes, keep them for a while in good conditions, there is a good chance that it will be profitable in a few years... Demand does not reflect quality. I have read somewhere that Cloud was himself buying stocks of puerh, giving good reviews to increase the prices, then resell his stock. I don't know if it is true but this things must happen for sure, and so one must be careful with what is written on the net... Of course, I am sure Hobbes does not fall into this category. His words are genuinely passion motivated for sure.<br /><br /><br />As for wine critics, M. Parker hurts the wine world in ways that are not known to the common consumer. His idea of what good wine is, and the demand that it generates, destroys traditional know-how. One would say that it is not his fault, but there are strange stories about the way he gives his marks...Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06365378347454497408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21945233.post-72839241447344057432012-08-17T11:19:31.272-07:002012-08-17T11:19:31.272-07:00This is one key way we understand how immature the...This is one key way we understand how immature the puerh market is in East Asia. Non-shills, non-vendor-blogs, but consumer advocates are populated only in discussion forums. Not easily searchable, no comment thread devoted to what the advocate sez, and not always a firm history of what that person likes and dislikes so as be useful in understanding what the talked about tea will do for you. When it comes down to it, ulumochi is the only worthwhile blogger over there who talks about tea in any detail/critical eye, and his tastes don't really map onto our tastes vis a vis what we have access to in the West. <br /><br />So, in a sense, if it was Easterners reading Hobbes' blog and deciding to buy out Cloud's stock, I wouldn't really be that surprised. The Half-Dipper has notes on a much wider selection/types of tea than anyone else I've ever heard of, East or West. Of course, he is a younger drinker, and I would not always trust reviews older than about 2009. Actually, almost the same with MarshalN. The obvious are obvious, but the tea in between required discernment that takes a couple of years of intense drinking to aquire. Just look at my own yapping in 2010. Definitely did not know what I was talking about well, and still don't, but better now...shah8https://www.blogger.com/profile/04537529816304128000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21945233.post-87468134557643659072012-08-16T22:26:49.947-07:002012-08-16T22:26:49.947-07:00Dear Hektor,
Since middle-upper class Americans d...Dear Hektor,<br /><br />Since middle-upper class Americans don't drink sheng en mass, we don't know if Hobbes personal tastes could dictate their drinking as well.<br /><br />Parkerization of world wine is an issue which I don't yet hold an opinion since I barely drink wine. However, I still think Parker did much to change the role of the wine critic away from industry shill towards more of a consumer advocate.<br /><br />hsterhsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13118616887446192686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21945233.post-87303805286414795052012-08-16T07:53:25.346-07:002012-08-16T07:53:25.346-07:00Robert Parker is closer to Martha Stewart than to ...Robert Parker is closer to Martha Stewart than to Hobbes. His palate is attuned to some kind of (dare I say) middle-upper class American average. When he gives a great mark, you pretty much know what to expect, so it is reliable that way, but not "intellectually stimulating". Too many great producers have dumbed down to get good reviews from him unfortunately. Sorry if off-topic.Hector Konomihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00626796917703400559noreply@blogger.com