’00 Sampler U

Welcome.  This is the new and improved Sampler U page.  Having morphed to accommodate interests based on data derived by our crack team of advanced puerhsticians and third-generation pugorithmic cryptologic technology, the Sampler U page answers life’s difficult questions with ease and convenience.

“However does the Puerh Junky do it?”

You’re not the first to broach this sensitive topic. You see, emphasis is now less on factory learning and more on taste profiles.  Life is too valuable to be spent puerhing over boring teatails.  Yes, a nod is still directed toward a semblance of factories, but it’s now woven into the tastepestry of the Sampler U page itself and the wider Puerh Junky puerhverse.  Talk about modern solutions, eh?

It deserves mention that although some offerings might not be listed in The Collection (i.e. shop) or be without links, chances are there’s at least a cake, tuo, or brick residing rather patiently in the Puerh Junky Cave (PJC) and only too happy to make itself a home in your pumidor. Just ask.  The Puerh Junky can be found on Discord, pinterest, and instagram.  Now onto the samples. . .

Zhongcha/China Tea/Kunming Tea Factory/CNNP

No proper sampling foray should begin without referencing Zhongcha.  In 2007 Kunming TF took exclusive control of the Zhongcha emblem for Yunnan.  In the olden days, all factories were part of a state monopoly.  In the 90s the state started instituting market-based reforms, taking a smaller stake in tea operations.  Factories yet to develop a market identity continued to brand under the ZC brand up until the mid-naughts, using the iconic bazhong emblem.

Bazhong Icon–eight 中 surrounding the tea (茶) character

Under the monopoly established in the 50s, the Kunming TF received the factory designation #1.  In the early 70s, they played a vital role in the development of ripes introducing their most famous production in ’75, the 7581.  Word on the street is that their bricks are the best, with the illustrious Menghai TF being more sought after for cakes and the bit less shiny Xiaguan TF known for tuo.

In ’07 KMTF restructured, a development that seemed mostly administrative.  They still are best known for their recipes in the form of numeric codes that primarily blend Lincang and Menghai material.  Their commitment to traditional processing means that most productions require a good ten years to even begin tasting.  This is especially the case with dry-stored productions before ’14, when they relented and began newer processing techniques.

Total 60g,  $10.80

• ’06 Red Peacock 12g — sweet camphor
• ’07 Water Blue Mark 12g — light smoked fruit
• ’07 Red Mark Tuo 12g — savory peat
  
• ’12 Fu 12g — burly Jingmai
• ’14 Bulang Peacock 12g — dreamy creamy

Menghai Melange

Menghai is the largest puerh terroir.  Since the 2000s ever fewer productions are sold under the Menghai name, as the trend has been toward more and more minute areas of demarcation.  At the same time, often township, county, mountain, and village are used interchangeably.  Three of the five selections below are from factories that hold their own with Menghai productions.  Two are interesting commissions for the non-Mainland Chinese.

Total 60g, $14.52

• ’08 Nannuo, Haixintang 12g — soft refreshing
• ’07 Mincemeat 7536 12g — bay laurel, clove 
  
• ’04 Uncle Creme Florale 12g — name says all
• ’04 “45” 12g — camphor peat, Malaysian commission
• ’06 Sassy Raisins, LME 12g — raisins and astringency, magnificent clarity

Most Popular

List of best selling raws from 2022 through ’23.  This group represents a diverse range of tastes and ages.

Total 60g, $13.92

• ’07 Green Peacock, XH 12g — oily citrus, apple
• ’07 Thick Zen, ZC 12g — thick peach heicha 
  
• ’11 Creme Florale, MKRS 12g — creamy astringency
• ’14 Jade Mark, ZC 12g — full fruit medley
• ’02 James Brown, 12g — funkiest Yiwu ever

Simao/Puerh City/Lancang

Sitting in the shadows of Menghai, Yiwu, and Lincang, Simao offers arguably the most ferocious of puerhs.

Total 60g, $21.36

• ’08 Buddha Impressions, Jinggu 12g — amaretto tobacco
• ’06 Jingmai, Tianhong 12g — shengtai only factory
• ’12 Cherry Blossom, Tulin 12g — smokier with age
• ’07 Auspicious Dragon, Bailong 12g — fruity filling
• ’09 Tiger Tuo, LCGC 12g — complex jungle

Aggressive

Intense texture, taste, or qi.

Total 60g, $22.22

• ’10 Luoshuidong, Jinglong 12g — lively mouthfeel
• ’05 OG Gangsta, GPE 15g — deadly astringency
• ’06  ’06 Bulang Old Tree — deceptive
  
• ’14  Jingmai , GPE 12g — no Jingmai frivolity
• ’06  Silver Pekoe, Tulin 12g — you asked for it
  

Humid/Old

Mostly Guangdong stored offerings possessing varying shades of humidity and tuicang, the term used to describe post-humid storing conditions.

Total 60g, $16.56

• ’07 HK701, ZC 12g — HK commission
• ’04 Millennial BZ  12g — bittersweet camphor
• ’08 Simao Orange, 12g — camphor sweet
• ’05 Jinggu Big-Leaf, Bailong 12g — mushrooms forever
• ’98 Manzhuan 12g  — zest for life

Banzhang Zhengshan TF

Banzhang Zhengshan TF is a boutique factory established in ’06 with a focus on productions that “everyday folk can afford to drink and store.”  Their material draws almost exclusively from the Menghai broad-leaf variety.  Their branding is fairly straightforward, a series of Dai Country (Daixiang, 傣乡) offerings of cakes, tuo, and bricks.  They also offer a Banzhang King and Banzhang Impression series, as their higher tier offerings.  These are crafted from old trees and stone pressed.

Total 48g, $9.68

• ’07 Mengsong 12g — creamy, balanced bitterness
  
• ’09 Forever Zen 12g — macadocious Manzhuan
  
• ’08 Vanilla Palace 12g — teeny leaves
  
• ’06 BZ Ancient Tree 12g — floral elegance
  

Bazhong/CNNP

These are all pre-’07 offerings bearing a classic “mark” designation introduced in the 70s and 80s, e.g. Green Mark, Red Mark etc.  It’s fair to say that bazhong offerings are the deep waters of puerh purchasing, where sharks are everywhere and the only thing to go on is the word of the vendor.  Complicating matters is storage variation, often making it near impossible to discern age or quality without several years of storage.

All of the headache has been eliminated for you.  Your task? Enjoy.  Particularly, you’ll want to savor the rare opportunity to drink older dry-stored treasures that are not just smooth but stand in marked contrast to their South Sea counterparts in terms of brightness of character.

Total 60g, $26.43

• ’99 Red Mark 12g — zingy Yiwu
• ’04 Green Mark, 8582 12g — sweet cream sass
  
• ’01 Orange Mark Dai 12g — smoky behemoth
• ’03 Marquis du Green Mark 12g — astringent floral vanilla 
  
• ’04 Orange Mark BZ Organic 12g — creamsicle meets Banzhang