Camphor Class production offerings feature the most distinctive puerh attribute. The profile taste ranges from a light mouth-cooling sensation to dark tones of petrol, pencil shavings, and peat moss, characteristics common among the Tobacco Class. In actuality, Tobacco Class notes are a camphor expressions, which one expert divided into 120 different iterations. The difference between the two is purely arbitrary, with a tendency categorize offerings with greater explosiveness, possible medicinal attributes like Vicks Vapo Rub, as being Camphor Class. One thing for certain is that expressions at the darker end of the spectrum reflect considerable transformation. It can also reflect something about the actual age and soil of the raw material, as it takes both a rocky soil base and a mature root system to reach it. This may account for why heicha which cannot develop such a root system due to its latitude of production. However, this is just conjecture.
’08 Cam-fleur
Slate-peat, vanilla sweet. Tweak, tweak astringent cheeks. Honeysuckle huigan. Guangdong stored. Baoshan, Lancang, Xishuangbanna, and Simao 100yr arbor autumn material. Stored in LA since Nov ’23.
’06 Silver Pekoe
The ’06 Silver Pekoe stored with a moderate amount of humidity, giving rise to tippy camphor. This tuo possesses a pleasing measure of depth and complexity. Very aggressive mouthfeel. Wuliang material from Xiaguan lineage Tulin brand. Stored in LA since ’19.
’06 Grenouille
Nose: sweet apple, pumello zest, creamy camphor, and wet-humidity translating to initial infusion of strong scorched sugar note. Moderate astringency with a predominating toasted note. Wuliang material from Haixintang. Stored since Jun ’20.
’05 Root Beer Comfort
Root beer nose, cream broth with hint of dank graphite. Astringent finish with some bitterness. Strongly sedating qi. Yiwu old arbor. From the Five Flower of Menghai Ruan Dian-rong’s respected factory Six Famous Tea Mountains. Stored in LA since Mar ’21.
’05 Mekong Attar
Lily-of-valley top note that instantly swoons into vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, cardamom, and nutmeg. Husky warmth sweetness. Bitter and astringent, sour hints finish. Piques salivation. Reverberating huigan. In Los Angeles since April 23.
‘04 Mighty Mineral
Light camphor, strong rose fusion, with rose particularly evident in huigan. Powerful astringency blending with peat minerals in huigan as well. Silver pekoe, likely Hekai, Menghai and Fengqing, Lincang blend from one of the Five Flowers of Menghai TF, Ruan Dian-rong’s Six Famous Tea Mountains factory. Stored in LA since May ’21.
