Tea Encounter Brand Puerh Initial Impressions

I guess it’s a little overgeneralizing to state grand sweeping impressions of Tea Encounter’s premiere brand of Tea Encounter puerh.  It’s a bit of a stretch because the release only had four offerings.  I would say the most obvious thing about Tea Encounter puerh is that its main goal is likely to fill gaps in what is offered both at Tea Encounter and on the Western puerh market as a whole.

For instance, their 2019 Tea Encounter Bai Yin Shan Yesheng fills a gap of offering a Lincang wild from a region not represented by any Westren dealer.  Their 2019 Tea Encounter Laos Gushu offers Laos puerh which hasn’t been offered in the West since 2014.  Their other offerings give us budget versions of regions that typically are offered at a higher quality by Western vendors (and therefore much higher price point) such as 2019 Tea Encounter Bang Dong and 2019 Tea Encounter Gua Feng Zhai.  Smart offerings (and currently discounted on a Black Friday Sale).

As far as the overall feel of the brand, I would say that they are milder and not as aggressive, they focus on subtlety and are not standoffish or overly bold.  They are deliberately positioned to be budget puerh so, overall, they are easy on the wallet.  They could all be consumed now, and many have decent stamina especially considering the price.

I think Tiago of Tea Encounter might be positioning the brand to focus more on the further Eastern Border of Yiwu and even the border tea beyond.  Of course, it’s a complete guess but wouldn’t be surprised to see more from Gua Feng Zhai, Xiang Chun Lin, and even Laos, and other border teas in the years to come.

Congratulations Tiago on your premiere offering!

Peace