These two pieces were selected by Andrew for Larry and Yang Su, for the enjoyment of our customers, and for the readers of our blog.

“Faith” from The Path to Peace cd, © 2007 Orange Mountain Music

“Friendships Of Youth” from Blue Canvas With Spiral cd, ©2003 Paxloon Music

I was introduced to fine tea about fifteen years ago by a musician friend, first through single estate Indian/British style tea, then the spectacular Taiwanese oolongs, Japanese greens, and through my studies of tai chi, qigong and Tibetan traditions, finally puer. Puer has become my most beloved tea, what I reach for in the morning and through much of the day. Of all the sources I’ve tasted, my favorite puer’s (by far) come from Larry and his wife at Pure Puer. I have come to trust their recommendations and their passionate sourcing of intensely flavored, clean tea. Both of those aspects are very important to me. I’m a true fan– I carry it as I travel, brewing in hotel rooms with bottled water, and I give their puer to friends as gifts. Recently, while sharing some puer with an adult music student, he asked if I was eager to find rare puer’s on my travels (I’ll be in China later this year). I said that I keep my eyes open, but there’s no need, I won’t find tea as great as what Yang Su and Larry find. No doubt I will be carrying their puer into China, as odd as that sounds. Thank you, Yang Su and Larry, please keep finding great teas, please keep insisting on high standards, and thank you for the great tastes.

Andrew Sterman

andrewsterman.com

Yang Su and I appreciate and respect Andrew for many reasons. He enjoys the art of tea and he enjoys the essence of puer tea. He is an incredible artist who also has a connection to the Asian culture. He has taught tai ji quan and presently teaches qigong, and his wife is an acupuncturist. His latest album “The Path to Peace” is a tribute to Ghandi. Our family is also interested in music, as our youngest son and I currently study the violin, and our oldest son plays the piano. In my youth, I played the clarinet, and briefly, the sax.

What a great fusion of art; tea and music. Enjoy Andrew’s music as you drink your puer. If you like his music as much as we do, you can purchase it from his website.

Larry Chin

Larry and Andrew at the Phillip Glass’ Days and Nights Festival in Carmel, CA, September, 2011. Andrew performed as a member of the ensemble.