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March ’24 Puerh Musings

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Mar

March ’24 Puerh Musings must be prefaced by commentary upon the ventures of some individual(s) who thought it necessary to scrawl my personal FB postings to otherwise disaffect those who might be affected by my views on matters entirely unrelated to tea. I’d like to dedicate this post to them and hope whatever ventures upon which they engage beyond defamation do well.  For what it’s worth, I do not retract one scintilla of what I’ve posted.  At the same time, I do not care to belabour matters about which most have very little discernment, which has essentially been my life purpose.  I welcome any interlocutors who are of good faith, but it should be noted that were I a conventionalisto, then that which I’ve been able to offer would be off the radar because I’d be too busy adhering to “herdism,” that which is anathema to my being. . . eh?  (though I’m not Canadian)

We now resume with the third-person lens where we find the Puerh Junky moving from the kitchen of burping cabbage fermented concoctions to the front room alcove, where he crafts his “musings.”  He has designs to discuss the few Zhongcha/Chinatea offerings upon which he’s been sitting as well as some Xinghai and other productions that have been sitting in the cave for a while.  In particular, he feels that there have been some ripes deserving mention.  He’ll start there.

Leap Week LME Ripes

Leap Week LME Ripes occurred spontaneously.  For clarity’s sake, LME stands for the Laoman’e brand and not the terroir, per se, though all of their productions seem to come the three same terroir: Bulang, Nannuo, and Banzhang.  All LME ripe offerings can be characterized as rich and dense, having full fermentation.  There’s full mouthfeel and considerable bitter finish.  This bitterness is likely their most distinguishing feature.  They provide a range of entry points in terms of price.  Prices for widely available productions tend to hold steady, but the Arbor King and BZ Peacock have shown movement to the upside, the latter being a rather extraordinary offering.

The week started out with the ’12 Arbor King, which proved to be its poorest performance ever.  Typically, there’s a cherry note that accompanies its intensity but this time it could not be detected and it was definitely on the flat papery side.  It’s not likely the storage, at the same time AK has not been temperamental.  The best guess is the weather and I’ll be sure to revisit in the next month or two for latest developments.  Overall, I found the visit disappointing and a later visit in the week proved no better, even after airing a bit.

I recently picked up three more ’11 Orchid Vibe.  It’s a good price and I’ve enjoyed the vanilla, along with a fermentation that’s a bit lighter than the others, though by no means light.  I stored it in the ripe big box.  The taste is vastly different from the past with much more wood resin.  It seemed quite similar to the Langhe Ripe Tuo, though they’re stored in different places.  Overall quality and character are solid, but the personality differs greatly from any previous session in tasting for a number of years now.  Again, must be the rainy-season effects.

By this time, the Puerh Junky had a fancy to test a LCGC ripe acquired in Nov ’23.  A more exhaustive write-up on LCGC ripes will be in order some time this year ’24.  The year ’23 had Puerh Junky more curious about their ripes.  It proved a good change of pace, as it brought the LME ripe house style into greater relief.  The greatest difference?  Sweetness.  The LCGC possesses a light molasses and Wheat Chex quality.  The sweetness adds a layer of thickness, though it’s not sticky sweet.  Since Old Geezers which sold out to a local fiend, I haven’t found such a production.

Finally, there was the ’06 Nannuo, LME. It’s in the ripe sampler set #4. This was sampled straight from storage and twice thence in the same week.  Each time, totally blind, PJ’s wife made remarks whereas none of the others elicited a peep.  The Nannuo, of which, I’ve picked up three more in a most recent order (yet to be received), possesses a layer of Vienna Fingers vanilla cookie.  There’s a top layer of this with the LME house bitter finish.  Still is not remarkably sweet.

All were brewed in my ripe pot 10-12g about 3m to start at same or upward with about four infusions.  No vegetal at all.  Prices for these between in the $60s-110.  Samples avail in Sampler U or on respective page.

Zhongcha

Zhongcha is ChinaTea.  I’m trying to get use to using that name more frequently.  They’re a full-range outfit but most of that which Puerh Junky offers is in the “peoples” and midrange priced offerings.  There have been a few individuals who’ve examined the leaves and made critical remarks, then showing me Chenshenghao’s yedi.  I’ve not endevoured to portray my ZC’s on par with CSH’s, but when I look at such monochromatic leaves, I immediately suspect blow drying.  No bueno.  In any event, Zhongcha has presented itself as a volume seller of casual drinkers that “the people” can afford.  Until ’14 they adhered to strict processing methods that didn’t pander to quick-sweet tastes.  Furthermore, they’re iconic and worth visiting for a sense of classic puerh history.   Since ’07 the Zhongcha brand has been synonymous with Kunming TF, though there’s an out layer or two.  Initial forays into Zhongcha were with the ’07 offerings, with a few offered as late as ’16.  In ’23, I ventured into a few ’06 and ’08 with generally positive findings but much different from the ’07s that had served as a centerpiece of acquisition from between ’14-’20.  Astringency is much greater in the ’06 and ’08s.

During the leap week I visited two relatively recent productions, the ’12 Mangosteen and the ’13 Bulang Shengtai.  I had to sit the Mangosteen out for two weeks after first test.  There’s a very high-pitched camphor note that may only be detected by mouth cooling for newbies.  There a middle note of aged fruit, plum possibly, with a zing of erstwhile mangosteen, but a wicked astringency that is altogether not in comportment with the house style as I know it.  I’m still not offering, though I’ve had on hand since ’14, only offering to those confident about their storage.  Having tracked essentially since inception, two more years seems the minimum.  It has maximo classical processing and I’m optimistic given it innate character.  First batch, late March/early April.  It’s bona fide and taking it time.  At least three on hand.

The ’13 Bulang Shengtai has been more fudged in processing if the Mangosteen serves as any comparison  The sugars have already come in, an overall fruity character, having an element of bitterness.  Zen front, fruit second, not unfriendly.  Easy. Everyday drinker.  A good candidate for one unfamiliar with 10yr plus productions that have been only moderately fired.  The wrapper is iconic, but if I’m resorting to wrapper I cannot be all that taken.  It’s very possible that it’s just early.  The 10yr spot is just for starters, nothing negative, seasonal factors included.  Fine.  Much better than two years ago.  Again, the sugars are present but Zen needs some differentiation from bland.  A good conservative starter for testing your brewing method.  I’m expecting more with the the weather changes, say late Aug.  Hit me up.  I won’t raise price in next two years.  I plan to post on a Zhongcha page at the latest by May ’24.

Xinghai

Xinghai grabbing continued afoot in ’23.  Now is a time for proper testing the first stage.  We’ll visit the ’07 Oasis Odyssey, ’07 Paolo Santo, and the ”06 Treasured.  I also tried the ’06 Bulang GS, which is prolly issued under ’07, but I’m willing to give it some time.  Let’s start with the Oasis Odyssey.

Oasis Odyssey seems to have been acquired in May ’23, offered in Nov of the same year.   Over time, it has traversed from oily purple to the typical astringent XH personality with good salivation effect as opposed to drying.  Mostly in the Zen Class.  Compression is massive.  The purple has diminished in expression.  Balanced sweetness.  We’ll have to observe how it evolves in relation to the changes of the seasons.  I’m looking for more oil and purple as last year.

The ’07 Paolo Santo tuo has me rather excited.  It’s a second batch production that has lemon and wood attributes.  I can easily see how the first round would be much more expensive.  No smoke, high limonene wood expression, not too sweet. smattering of bitter.  It’s not available presently, as I only acquired in Nov ’23 but around May ’24 will be.  Bright wood bitter, lemonime, complex, nice.  It’s very promising.  Not sweet but quintessentially Xinghai.  Qi is overall warming and settling.

Finally, there is the Treasured, acquired in Jun ’23.  It has yet to be listed, but one of the projects for the Xinghai Raw page two.  Treasured is the second batch.  It’s in the Tobacco Class, possibly approaching tequila.  Not atomically pressed, with a nice balance of smoked wood, wood resin, sweetness, and astringency.  Probably the most notable element regards storage.  Most productions require the proper treatment that these LA environs provide.  Even then, it takes several months to bring them into a form that make them presentable.  It’s needed every bit of the nine months to come to form.  It’ll appear on the XH second page for certain.

Wrap up

March ’24 Puerh Musings have covered a range of raws and ripes.  The ripes were confined to Puerh Junky’s LME offerings, while raws involved Zhongcha and Xinghai productions.  LME ripes stand out for their bitter finish.  ZC’s ’12 Mangosteen is showing promise, but the astringency is a bit of a hair raiser presently, so it’ll sit at least till after the summer.  The ’13 Bulang Shengtai will be posted soon on a page with a few other others.  The Xinghai visits covered two productions that will also be listed soon.  If all goes well, at the latest mid-May.  Each has a distinctive profile and all being second batches are very reasonably priced:  Oasis Odyssey is Zen with balanced sweetness; Paolo Santo is as the name suggests with remarkable qi; Treasured offers wood complexity of Tobacco Class.  Paolo Santo is also Tobacco Class, but possesses a vastly different quality from Treasured, more closely resembling their Green Peacock.

Ripe Puerh Report Spring 2023

Posted on by Yang-chu
30 Jun

The Ripe Puerh Report Spring 2023 covers ripes in the Puerh Junky Collection.  Just offering some updated notes on ripes listed and unlisted as they evolve.

Let’s start with the ’04 Golden Sail, which is no longer dry and has taken on quite a bit of sweetness and humidity.  The changes after two year’s storage are rewarding, but there are but two of these left.  These tuo were picked up because they represented an interesting Guangdong angle on the marketing of Zhongcha productions.  Golden Sail in particular seems to have circulation in HK and is marketed as an export item similar to their Lucky brand.  This tuo is for the dedicated Zhongcha follower.

The YPH ’10 Sweet Richness lives up to its name.  That said, there is the matter of greater than normal bitterness.  For some, this is a good thing.  It’s quite noticeable.  No tartness.  Yangpinhao is a venture that strikes me as providing an excellent product but struggling for identity.  This situation is in no way remedied by changes of ownership. They do both ripe and raw, but more known for their raws some of which get faked.  Ripes seem to be given to a heavy fermentation style that nevertheless benefits from generous aging.  The blend of tannins with sweetness strike a good balance at this time. . . if you’re in for bitter.  About three fabulous heavy infusions of a dark, dark chocolate like brownies with a bit of baby powder perfume and slate.

Haixintang is the factory providing Grenouille.  This is a factory I’ve known from the early days and their star seems to be rising.  In ’22 the decision to delve a bit deeper had the ole Puerh Junky acquiring a few of their offerings, among them their ’18 Yiwu Ripe.  It captures the essence of Yiwu, smooth, creamy, sweet, banana.  Total extravagance. Nice price stored in nice conditions for a young, ready now offering.  It’s good.  If your conditions will allow for the fermentation zing, then it’ll be better.  Not expensive.  Send an email or hit me on Insta if interested.

The ’06 Langhe Ripe Tuo and I go back a long ways.  The first batch was Guangdong heavily stored and this is also from Guangdong but likely acquired from Kunming.  Right now, this tuo is on the cusp of something unimagined.  Having the fortune to compare the two storage differences provides a fascinating vantagepoint.  Right now, it’s verging toward the ’05 Yiwu Laoshu raw from 6FTM, petrol .  It’s baffling to say the least.  Langhe ripes are stellar but storage and timing is crucial.  Naught-era Langhe provides insight into the a stage of production that strongly oriented to old raw.  Storage factors tremendously.

The ’12 Arbor King, LME is extremely balanced.: sweet fruit, bitterness, moon pie.  I’d call it plush.

Each of these productions offers distinctive ripe puerh profiles.  The most surprising is the Golden Sail because its transformation has been most dramatic.  Second is the Langhe Ripe Tuo.  Its qi is serious and this petrol profile represents something I don’t think I’ve previously had a ripe.

cheers!

 

Turning Up Heicha

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Apr

Turning Up Heicha came about from a reflection upon a number of dry-stored productions from about ’98-’07 that possess a quintessentially heicha character.  “Heicha” is a class of tea to which puerh belongs but is processed in different provinces.  “Puerh” is a trademarked name similar to champange, so technically other places technically cannot use the term.  Other types of heicha are fucha and liubao.  Typically, heicha’s association with puerh is with ripes given the processing technique, but older raws venture into the heicha category as well.  Puerh Junky will be visiting raw with heicha expression in this post.

HK Returns Cake, Zhongcha

Among the varying HK Returns offerings from ’07, the HK Returns Cake proved the burliest.  The lack of sweetness acquired in ’16 constituted a continuing conundrum.  I porcelained a portion about two years ago in ’21 Spring.  The porcelained version is not recognizable from previously associations, though the listing blurb duly notes that it strode a road toward berry fruit-osity.  Another portion of the same cake, stored differently, still possesses the tobacco tinge.

Only one tasting of the ’21 acquisitions (about three) transpired, and it expressed camphor sweetness indicative of greater humidity.  Overall, the HKR Cake has great durability and depth, with some of the stronger character from its youth coming though.

HK Returns Iron Cake, Zhongcha

Since we’re talking about heicha and Zhongcha and HK Returns, there’s the Iron Cake.  The pauperly Puerh Junky only has one of these for sale.  It’s absolute magic.  To be perfectly honest, were I looking for this taste, I’d probably venture into Dancong’s.  It’s extremely well constituted: sweet, thick, and with lemony notes on the top.  Lemonene expresses in Hideout, LME, but Hideout has an identifiably puerh character and complexity.  The HK Iron could be easily classified as a well preserved dancong or better yet, a well-stored fucha of about 8  yrs old.

Macau Raw Brick

The 2000 Macau Raw Brick isn’t for sale, but it serves as a solid touchstone for appreciating the transformation of raw puerh.  It has a depth that perhaps surpases heicha at it current stage.  Mind you, Puerh Junky doesn’t do much heicha drinking.  The variables of Mainland storage, travel, and storage on the LA side albeit separate intersect.  By the time the MRB reached performance level, it was difficult to determine which variable factored most.  This brick happens to be referenced in the Puerh Yearbook. It’s devoid of any humidity, so there’s no “old taste” per se, but it’s aged fully.

Du Qiongzhi 7532

The ’03 Du Qiongzhi 7532 comes in a bold Red Mark wrapper and progressed beyond the initial tobacco stage.  This particular cake, acquired in ’15, has never received full treatment. . . or maybe it has to its detriment.  It received the “top-shelf tx,” productions that were more enclosed and even placed in the sexy cardboard boxes aptly fitting single cakes.  The thing is that the cardboard aroma bleeds into the cake while zapping it of certain essential esscenses.  It’s been much work trying to bring this cake around.  It’s going on two years now, and if it’s been tinned, I don’t know where such tin is stashed.  In any event, it seems it wants to emerge as the porcelained version of the HK Returns Cake does but just hasn’t juiced up enough given the top-shelf tx.  It’s from Meitra Du’s own collection, so the junky side of me thought to be extra careful with little basis for knowing what extra care meant given my conditions and the conditions of the cake.  An Aug ’22 session produced by far the most enjoyable session and this summer seems to be a good time to really give it a push.  I do have two non-cardboard affected cakes.  The wrapper is thin cotton paper of distinctive quality.  Though horribly tattered at the edges, I don’t recall any staining.

’03 Du 7532

Thick Zen, Zhongcha

Thick Zen epitomizes the enigma of puerh.  My first encounter with it was around ’17.  It looked horrible and tasted of absolutely nothing.  I knew it must be good, but I didn’t know how long it would take.  Its viscosity clung to me and anticipation of it morphing into root beer oozed from my being.  I drank and sampled much from the first two cakes, convinced it was Yiwu.

The second batch of TZ has the same thickness, but the storage was dry, it appears, beyond the stage of turning camphor, wood, or rooty.  Could be the material as well.  Batch two is far sassier, with the fruit note far more up front, with stone fruit sour, a bit of raisin in the nose.  It’s like a strong boiling of dried cherry and peach without the sugar added.  Picking up some grape nose as it rehydrates.  By June ’23 it should be in good form, it’s already much sweeter than at the beginning of the month and there’s even some vanilla and complexity that garned its praises previously.

What’s not Heicha

Neither Poison nor some Yiwus are coming off as heicha.  I’d say the Yiwu Gratitude is venturing toward heicha, but the Prince is holding true to a darker note.  A number of the 6FTM Yiwu on hand have turned petrol in the same time frame.  All of these hail from backgrounds of decidedly more humid conditions.  When and how much humidity gets applies plays a major role in how the production will manifest.  Raw puerhs possess a degree of dynamism that cannot be found with other heicha, but through prolonged dry storage with heat they manifest as a bona fide heicha character.  Counterintuitively, ripes take considerably longer to have heicha traits to emerge.  The exception to this is the big leaf sancha, which might be processed in a fashion quite similar to liubao.

Wrapping Up

This desultory passage on raws Turning Up Heicha is just one of the ongoing reflections upon storage.  Although ripe puerh technically fits within the category of heicha, it doesn’t possess the fruit character until considerably aged and often never (there are obvious exceptions).  Conversely, raw puerh can turn up heicha quite often given the right measure of heat and dryness.  Raw productions like the HK Returns Cake and the Du 7532 that previously fell under the tobacco class have been marching ever resolutely toward heicha brightness.  Both cases demonstrate how slight variations in storage variables can produce notable differences.  The HK Returns Iron was first sampled last year, ’22.  There was no need to taste before then, because it was clear that offerings of this nature needed a solid 15yrs storage before sampling. It’s certainly the most outstanding among the HK Returns Series.  Age being what it is, there are nevertheless great storage matters requiring tending.  The Thick Zen second batch is every bit as thick, but needs some loving before performing optimally.  Complex notes are starting to form and it’s possible that storage intensity may reawaken its puerh essence, but for now it’s trending decidedly in the direction of heicha.  Finally, some reference points contrasting from heicha provide the reader with the Puerh Junky’s thinking on the matter.

 

 

Water Blue Mark Comments

Posted on by Yang-chu
13 Dec

Water Blue Mark Comments pertain to the timeliness of this production given the need for a woolen sweater.  Puerh Junky scored just the last of this production from a particular vendor, so more was able to be procured. . . at a good price.

Water Blue Mark is a Green Mark of a certain character that merited another name.  It has a smoky fruity flavour and depending on certain variables like season, infusion methods, and aging varies in its expression.  It’s one of the few KMTF expressions that I though was Dayi in nature.

It seems others have picked up on this.  The offerings still avail are more than 3X than when originally offered perhaps around ’19.  I won’t be able to speak for the next round arriving; my buyer sent pics of seven separate cakes that should have otherwise been in tong.

I can speak for the four still on hand.  It’s a good tea for the winter.

Puerh Junky Visits Thick Zen 2022

Posted on by Yang-chu
08 Nov

Puerh Junky Visits Thick Zen 2022 continues the saga surrounding one of the plethora of Zhongcha’s ’07 offerings looked at askance by puerh snobs too smart for their own good.  The Puerh Junky has written about the Thick Zen on numerous occasions and now, alas dear reader, we’re at the point where due to forces beyond his control Thick Zen has outlived its name.

Thick Zen continues to evolve.  Zen is more of an afterthought.  There’s all this tartness in it now, picking up in intensity.  As of Nov 2022, there’s orange spice bitter fusing with its Zen past, not terribly sweet but dreadfully interesting.  The shift with the season is magical.  The  once-lauded Yiwu vibe is about one quarter present, as bitterness and sour take the drinker to the Menghai zone, a nice Menghai not trying to intimidate but at the same time comfortable with being itself.  The qi numbs the entire face, makes you feel as though you had a halo beginning at the shoulder.  I read that the a ’21 production by the same name comes from Lincang, entirely possible with here.

Thick Zen is egregiously undervalued given just how dynamic the material is.  The persistent perception that ’07 productions are bad is gradually starting to lift.  The year ’07 witnessed a speculative blowout and specifically an administrative restructuring at Zhongcha that had zero to do with anything related to tea.  Somehow, word on the street became ’07 offerings could not be drunk.  This absurdity turns out to be a fortune for the value hunter.  Thick Zen is value amidst value, highly representative of the KMTF processing style, and over time far more engaging than most any other puerh.

Puerh Junky Visits Golden Sail

Posted on by Yang-chu
22 Aug

Puerh Junky Visits Golden Sail picks up with another ripe from the mid naughts.  Golden Sail holds the distinction of selling Yunnan puerh under a Guangdong brand.  As the Puerh Junky has made abundantly clear, brand is about the closest this 250g tuo comes to Guangdong, as it was brutally dry stored.  Some people like that dry-stored ripe vibe, so I made it available even though by my own reckoning it needed resurrection.

The problem with dry stored ripes is that they aren’t sweet.  Ripes should have some measure of sweetness.  I’m not sure how some of the instantly sweet ripes are processed but guesses are that they’re heavily wokked and/or heavily fermented.  Both are heat processing which accelerates transformation of “the stuff” to sugar.

Dry storage also stunts expression.  Notes don’t sound as clearly or vibrantly.  Instead, there are fleeting hints to an otherwise stilted drinking experience.  Such was the case with the Golden Sail, which had hints of fermented cherry but altogether too faint.  Combined with a lack of sweetness and a mid-range vegetal note, it was very difficult to drink.

GS came Puerh Junky Resurrection Center (PJRC) in Dec 2020 complaining of the conditions mentioned above.  An Aug 2021 tasting showed not much change.  The experience was frankly nothing short of horrible, lacking sweetness and if memory serves possessing a sour note totally challenging.  During that session, the cherry note was not detectable either.  I only got through two infusions before tapping out.  Gross.

Aug 2022 presents a vastly improved picture.  Some renovations at the PJRC have afforded more efficient humidification in the summer months to the benefit of all the ripes.  I stopped using a hygrometer.  The Power Humidity Ward (PHW) of the PJRC receives visits on a daily basis, so there is very little concern about mold.  Furthermore, temps remain moderate from daily maritime breezes that cool the air.  Temps have rarely gone above 85, with an average range between 65-85.  Furthermore, any particular concerns about humidity can be addressed by moving ripes from the PHW to another ward in the PJRC.

No such concerns apply to GS, which is now exhibiting sweetness, a cherry-cum-berry flavour, and a slight camphor note.  Remarkable are both bitter and astringent features that express both in the broth and aftertaste, especially the astringency.  The fruit is very promising and much bolder than before.  It’s downright fruity.  Let there be no doubt: GS is in a much better place.

The astringency and bitterness got me curious.  Golden Sail is a Zhongcha/CNNP export brand.  I had assumed that this tuo was their flagship ripe 7581 devised by the Kunming TF but the wrapper offers no indication.  However, this degree of bitterness and astringency doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of the 7581, which is never bitter or astringent.  Such a profile suggests that the material comes from considerably smaller leaves, possibly grade-four leaves and smaller.  Close inspection shows tiny twiggy material, tips, and chopped leaf.

Come to think of it, the release rate of GS is along the lines of smaller leaves, very quick.  Even so, the durability is greater than with most gongtings.  It offers six solid infusions.  As with most ripes this age, clarity is first rate.

 

Puerh Junky Reform School

Posted on by Yang-chu
28 Apr

Puerh Junky Reform School is a post that is sure to leave many a puerh enthusiast crestfallen.  No. It’s not about reforming tattoo and piercing hipsters from the notion that that oolong-processed “gu-shu” from ’19 is puerh;  rather it’s about how the Puerh’s Junky continues to get schooled by some real late bloomers.  The reader is left crestfallen because his junkiness deigns to make out like his irascibility has been earned by developing a reservior of knowledge, while it becomes ever clearer that it is simply his posturing.

Those ’07s Turn 15

First of all we should start with those much disparaged Zhongcha ’07s, which turn 15 this year ’22.  Whereas treasures like the Thick Zen and Water Blue Mark blossomed two or three years ago, the same could not be said about the likes of the Pig, the Blue Mark Iron Cake, HK Returns Iron Cake, or Beijing Olympics.  Among these, certainly the the Pig continued to beg the question:  “Why or how could it be possible for the makers to produce such a crappy tea”?

Against my better judgement, I opened the Pig up a few weeks ago.  What a difference!  There’s no need to go into the gory details.  The takeaway is what’s important: that is many flat, boring, or crappy productions are simply not what you think they are and only time will reveal their secrets.  This boils down to processing, a subject that many including myself have discoursed upon a great deal.

’07 Pig, ZC

Whether the the old-school processing methods are better than the new-school ones is going to boil down to preference, intention. . . and disregard for the the time variable.  If one intends to store the newly processed ones, then it’s anyone’s guess what the results will be, compounded by the complexities of storage conditions.

Pig 2016

Pig 2022

I nearly destroyed my silver needle storing it among the raws, and similarly catastrophic results developed with a couple tasty Nahan, Lincang cakes.  It is clear that those puppies require a great deal more air than traditionally processed puerh.  Any fears that air will cause the treasure to lose its aromatic intensity and pizazz should be laid to rest.  The opposite is true.

’18 Nahan

Nahan 2018 Shot

The pinkishness to the hue of that pic is obvious.  Evidently, this is supposed to mean “glory.”  The material is no doubt good, but creatures of this sort are raised in the same pen as the Pig.

As market demand has driven demand for more puerh that can be drunk now increases, it appears that some of the newer methods have creeped into even how Zhongcha is making some of the older productions.  If the Lunar Series serves as any indication, we see that compression at the very least is one of the differences.  This in itself may be sufficient for allowing quicker transformation, but there’s more.

For example, there’s a huge difference in appearance between the of the ’07 Pig and the ’14 Horse.  Wholeness and choppness is going to impact the final result.  Ostensibly the Pig and Horse recipes are the same, comprised of primarily Lincang material with some Menghai thrown in.  However, the sweetness has already started to emerge with the Horse despite being seven years younger than the Pig.  They’ve both been stored here in Los Angeles for about the same amount of time.  It seems unlikely that this difference could be chalked up exclusively to compression, though it is imaginable that both required somewhere around the same amount of storage time under Los Angeles conditions to blossom, seven years.  Still, the Puerh Junky’s hunch is that there’s changes in processing that are driven by the market.

Pig w/ neifei and neipiao modesty

Horse brazenly immodest

The Lincang villages not including Mengku and Fengqing specialize in fruity expressions that are sweet very early.  This is due to processing.  However, old-school Zhongcha productions comprised of Lincang material are no more expressive at a young age than those from Yiwu.  The differences depend not in terroir but upon the ones processing the maocha, just how much they feel they can reasonably cook the tea without losing the intrinsic character.  Obviously, some have assumed a devil-may-care attitude knowing that the drinker hasn’t any inclination to store the production, so they cook the hell out of it. . . or is that into it?

Wrap-up

This confession has gone long enough.  I can think of at least three different productions that have been stored since before ’16 from the ’07ish time period that didn’t blossom till this year, all from different factories with varying measures of market cache.  Some of these productions are still not ready but do benefit from a good deal of cooking.  My experience with some of the Lincangs that have specialized in sweet processing longer than other regions is that they require different care from the old-school productions.  Even here, however, it seems that the craft tends toward more conservative processing the more special the production.  That is to say, real Xigui and Bingdao won’t get the fire of less recognized villages and even they will require some wait of a year or two.  That’s another reform school lesson for another time.  By the way, have you paid your tuition?

 

 

 

Bada Peacock: Hot to Trot

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Feb

This just in: As of February 2022, the Bada Peacock is Hot to Trot.  Some time ago, the Puerh Junky did a side-by-side with Hideout.  Well, the Bada has left the Hideout in the dust.  At the time of that review, the Bada had a copper twang.  It’s no longer there.

Kunming TF productions aim for Zen.  The Bada Peacock is no exception.  There’s no bitterness here, nor any astringency.  Giving the leaves a good 15m soak and there is still zero of either.

In all its Zen, one thing distinguishing the BP from some of the other KMTF/Zhongcha offerings is its complete deviation from that fruit undertone so easily associated with the flagship jiaji (甲级), i.e., Top Notch Tuo, but also evident in the HK Returns, Water Blue Mark, and emerging in the Thick Zen, and presumably to appear in the Beijing Olympics and the still very young Mangosteen, a rough customer despite being from ’07 leaves before being pressed in ’12 (As an aside, it should be noted that HK Returns cake is still in a burly phase.).

Most ZC productions from ’06-’14 do not specify region or village, as the emphasis during this era was still on recipes, mostly some combo of eastern Lincang and Menghai/Bulang.  In this regard, BP is unique. The taste is pure rock sugar.  It’s very, very, sweet and this sweetness never wanes.

Ephemeral and ineffable.  You could drink and drink the Bada Peacock trying to figure it out.  The light floral note offers a nice accent to an sugary treat that doesn’t require much thought for an offering’s that’s hot to trot.

Beijing Olympics: Enigma No More

Posted on by Yang-chu
10 Feb

Cut the Puerh Junky some slack, will ya?  This is a work in progress.  PJ doesn’t claim to know the answers nor does he believe they’re to be gathered instantaneously.  Beijing Olympics: Enigma No More is a crushing and condemning tale of the Puerh Junky’s utter obtuseness, his lack of insight, and his ultimate triumph through no doing of his own.

Over time the ole KMTF has lost a bit of luster in the eyes of our questionable hero.  He would point to the Beijing Olympics as to no small reason why.  Puerh Junky has written numerous times on Beijing Olympics.  One of the prevailing remarks was “fuzziness.”  Perhaps the PJ has not elaborated upon his feelings about fuzzy, but they’re akin to feelings about jagged.  Floral is often jagged; fuzzy is the opposite but no more desirable.  Crayolas, pastels.  Yeah they’re nice (sorta) if you want.

So at fifteen, Beijing Olympics is decidedly out of the fuzzy stage.  Now its seeking to become a contender.  There can be no doubt that the primary reason for this is that it is now sweet.  It’s sweet like sugar-cured tobacco.  There is a depth with sweetness and a fruit accompaniment evocative of the Water Blue Mark and the Top Notch Tuo.  Little wonder.  Many of the KMTF raw productions are variations on a theme, a theme with an unmistakable yet ineffable fruitiness expressing at different stages in aging, presumably due less to differences in material than to differences in processing.

In any event, the Beijing Olympics is serious now, certainly more serious than its ever been.  It can now stand up for itself against the OG Gangsta or the Dali Tuo.  Of course, it has its own kung-fu but at the very least it can stand in the ring.

What struck me most in the latest tasting was the aroma, its depth of sweetness.  There are now no longer any crayolas, which are fuzzy, a taste your humble Puerh Junky doesn’t favour.  Cool, the wet leaves conjure what many call “hay.”  I might detect a faint air of eu de crayola, but wood, sugar, and tobacco now predominate.

Puerh Potion Number 2001

Posted on by Yang-chu
13 Jun

Puerh Potion Number 2001 is a whimsical tale involving the rather drably named Yiwu Huangpian.  It’s an old ’01.  It’s taken a beating with heat and dryness after its brief humid phase.  It’s pure Zen.  Many Yiwus I’m discovering are quite grapefruity, see Dragon or Yiwu Princess.  This isn’t.  It’s not floral either.  It seems to be a benchmark puerh in terms of it’s “old taste”, chenyun.  A very glorified form of newspaper.

There’s really very little use in talking about a puerh like this unless you’re somewhere where it’s chilly.  This is much more an autumn and winter type experience, puerhistically speaking.

So why am I writing on it you ask?  Because I rarely write upon ripes to a fault and this offering is an excellent introduction to raw puerh for the person who fancies ripes.  Yes.  This is an obligatory ripe post by referencing an old taste raw.

I’ve started to sorta suspect that one of the vendors I like doesn’t sell what he says he’s selling.  I’m willing to chalk it up to losing something in translation.  I didn’t buy the cake based upon what was on the wrapper, but this is one of “those wrappers” I was looking to acquire in any event.  There’s a stylistically similar one that reads spring tips.  This one reads top, bottom, then middle gu shu cha.  You simply can’t get more specifically generic than that. I got it because that vendor has excellent taste.

Now I’m looking at this cake and wondering if the wrapper is really what it is on the inside.  I don’t know.  I’ll never know with these iconic wrappers.  The neipiao is one of those horrible CNNP inserts.  I can’t remember what the neipiao was for the other one of “theirs” I had looked like.  I simply thought the vendor was selling something he liked.  He didn’t make any claims.  I ran into the factory in the Puer Yearbook a few days back.  I decide to pry loose the neifei, will it be as generic as the neipiao with a bazhong?

The plot thickens.  The neifei is identical to the wrapper.  Did this factory use CNNP neipiao?  I have to check the puerh bible.  It only lists their ’99 version which also looks to be huangpian but a different neifei.  The difference proves nothing because these matters change from one year to the next.  I snap a shot.

The thing that stands out in this photo in terms of authenticating this production is the fantastic appearance of the lousy CNNP neipiao in the very upper left.  The neifei marks the year of production in all likelihood.  This one is ’99.  The one of “theirs” from ’03 has a different neifei too.  I haven’t heard much about them but I don’t think I knew what I was seeing either.  I tried to get more of their ’03 but the vendor said they were sold out.

If the vendor’s description included the name of the factory, it could be it eluded me due to the trickiness of factory name.

I don’t know what to make of the puerh bible.  The Xinghai offerings included in it are quite skimpy, not remotely their best.

Another look at the puerh bible and I see that the tea’s name is actually gu cha shu, as that’s what the neifei also reads.  I was wrong about its name.

It certainly tastes its age.  It’s looking like what’s in the puerh bible, so this is supposed to be something.  I suppose. It’s the only thing of theirs listed.  This factory has only come to my attention by accident, only by virtue of the wrapper.  The ’03 version of ostensibly the same production but looking quite different is a dank camphor hydra.

With Puerh Potion Number 2001 you’re getting a classic old taste that still exhibits the exalted Zen of Yiwu.  Now when you’re drinking it you can quote chapter and verse about the neifei and neipiao.  I just thought this was a “white label.”  Maybe it’s a white label brand, which is highly likely.  Hard to find a raw closer to a ripe in terms of taste.  You drink this and you know it’s old.  You taste the Yiwu and you’re either bored or brought to tears.