Puerh Junky specializes in mid-aged puerhs, mostly raw but with a few ripes thrown in.  From the outset, I gathered wrappers expressing interesting historical and cultural Chinese elements.  Additionally, in having a bit of a background in Chinese history and Chinese ethnology, I found the tea industry of Yunnan captivating.  Such are a few of the particulars involving the Puerh Junky’s entry into the puerh universe.  Now onto the Collection.

Puerh Junky Collection

Kunming Tea Factory (KMTF), aka Zhongcha or China Tea Co., constitutes the largest and most famous factory in the Puerh Junky Collection.  Among “the big three” (Dayi and Xiaguan being the other two), they are easily the most overlooked in the English-speaking world.  Herein you can find a decent sampling of the Zhongcha treasures, usually expressing something of cultural significance like the Lunar New Year or Hong Kong’s return to the PRC.

Though some of the brands offered here can be found through other Western-oriented vendors, the Puerh Junky Collection tends to be confined to commemoratives and peacocks.  This reflects an early approach toward getting my feet wet with regard to specific factories, while limiting what would be selected from them.  It was through peacocks that I locked in on Xinghai and Liming, for example, and Six Famous Tea Mountain’s (6FTM) and Lancang Gucha’s (LCGC) snazzy Lunar Series were no brainers.  To a great degree, the Puerh Junky buying approach sticks to this formula, though a measure of experience has occasioned venturing afield in some instances.

Along thematic lines are numerous classic-style wrappers.  Invariably, “classic” involves the famous bazhong (八中) wrapper.  This is a complicated subject often touched upon in the blog and easily resolved by getting samples, not just with the Puerh Junky but far and wide.  If there’s something striking your fancy and you don’t see an available sample, feel free to contact me.

Classic bazhong wrapper style

There’s little point in trying to pass off misrepresented productions.  This was the very reason for avoiding Dayi/Menghai TF to begin with: they’re faked too often.  However, with a coy wink to the buyer, even some good Mainland vendors seem to have little problem offering a few replicas.  In contrast to brazen frauds, such productions are not sold as unbelievable bargains but as reasonably priced items reflecting the vendor’s own confidence.  Offerings of this sort are clearly denoted in the product description.

Still some of the goodies defy thematic categorization.  Gupuer TF and Banzhang Zhengshan TF stand out in this regard.  Both factories come by way of a meticulous Kunming vendor.  Another vendor, favouring a much heavier storage, introduced Jinglong TF, Yiwu Zhengshan (no TF in its name), and Yongming TF, though the third first came to my attention during a visit to Bangkok.  Shujian is a brand that features dragon pearls and makes use of Yongming craftsmanship, a common practice among vendor brands as touted as Fujin and Jindafu and as English-language oriented as Yunnan Sourcing, W2T, and Tea Urchin.  In contrast to these vendors, however, the Collection is made up almost entirely of puerh that is before 2014.

The Puerh Junky Collection offers a solid sampling of prominent Mainland factories.  A great many of the treasures possess some type of cultural significance either to Yunnan in particular or to China as a whole.  Those serious about puerh can avail themselves of a plethora of mid-aged factory offerings at an age meant for drinking.  Classically processed puerhs are not meant to be drunk young; the sugars and complexities just haven’t had time to develop.  This is the most probable reason for skepticism about “Chinese factory teas” in the English-speaking world. . . aside from herdism and a general lack of experience with mid-aged puerh as a whole.  Puerh Junky fills this gap.  Which brings us to storage.

Puerh Junky Storage

Storage is obviously a major issue with puerh.  There are two types of storage: wet and dry.  Mainland Chinese favour dry storage, whereas the Chinese diaspora of Taiwan, HK, and Malaysia favour wet.  The difference between the two has to do with humidity.  Wet-stored productions are “microbial” in taste.  It can add a certain richness, in addition to being more rapidly aged.  These accelerated conditions can come at a cost to complexity.  Dry-stored puerhs preserve their complexity, but are relatively “green” and rough compared to their wet-stored counterparts.  Overall, Los Angeles storage is somewhere between Kunming (dry) and HK/Guandong (humid) storage.

There’s a great deal of gradation between the two extremes of wet and dry.  Most offerings of the Puerh Junky Collection have been dry stored before arrival to Los Angeles.  They are first stashed here for at least six months before listing to allow them to waken from their Mainland warehouse slumber.  Most wet-stored raws are held till the dank aroma has aired out.  Ripe productions tend to be better with a bit of humidity, and space permitting, are stored under more humid conditions than their raw counterparts.  Some productions are offered on the immature side, giving the buyer the opportunity to store under their own conditions and at considerable savings.  “Immature” differs from young productions that are immediately drinkable.  Details of this sort are specified in the product description, but don’t hesitate to ask if it’s been accidentally overlooked.

Variation in storage conditions and production compression are the primary factors in determining an offerings real age, which can contrast greatly from the date of production.  This causes a great deal of confusion and speculation about the veracity of production date, and by extension the authenticity of the item itself.  Suffice it to say, storage differences will effectively produce different teas.  Where, when, and how long a production has been subject to specific conditions determines the character of that production.  These conditions cannot be easily replicated.  Once a batch has sold out, there is little possibility that the second batch will match the first.  If the vendor is different, then forget about that production being the same.  On the whole, the Puerh Junky Collection reflects the dryer end of the storage spectrum, which is consistent with Mainland and personal preferences.

In Closing. . .

The blog chronicles in real time puerh storage developments. It also includes lighthearted discussions on vessels, water, factories, history, and brewing.  Puerh Junky is largely a self-directed exploration into aspects of puerh tea culture.  The blog is the reader’s way to vicariously share in the travails and triumphs of this preoccupation.  Overall, the Collection is veritably worth its weight in durian.  I’m presently just biding my time till that San Gabriel collector with the Lamborghini buys me out– in durian.  Till then, feel free to reach out for samples or with questions.  The site is active, so check back at least monthly for the latest blogs, new additions to the Collection, and sales.  You can also find Puerh Junky on Instagram.