Forever Zen Post Mortem
Just yesterday (12 Feb ’22), Forever Zen made its debut. A more detailed post mortem is in order. The ’09 Forever Zen is a dry stored offering from a longstanding vendor of mine, since ’13. It is from them that I learned of the Banzhang Zhengshan TF, an outfit offering productions both raw and ripe of far superior value. Remember this?
That’s the Vanilla Prince, the only raw I’ve ever seen associated with “gongting.” Here’s a very tasty tuo with lemon notes that I’ve not been able to source but was once offered by the same vendor.
Anyway, I really can’t say enough about how much I like what they do, BZZS. The thing is that being named “Banzhang” suggests their forte is in the region of their origins. Years ago, Puerh Junky offered samples from a burly Jingmai (Simao) kilo brick that they offered, but this was essentially in keeping with the fuerte vibe to be expected.
Jingmai Kilo
Regions are marked not just by differences in terroir but also differences in processing methods. That’s a topic for another discussion. In any event, when a factory strays from their region of origins, there’s reason for caution. For example, 6FTM’s Yiwus are incongruous with the fundamentals of Yiwu. Thence, I was skeptical that BZZS could pull the Yiwu bit off successfully.
This skepticism proved unwarranted. Everything about the Forever Zen is quintessentially Yiwu, in this case Manzhuan. That’s the blue stamp below specifying Manzhuan along with their literally fire-branded signature.
They went full traditional here opting for the bamboo ties as well.
They’re not monkeying around here. No flash or glitz. If I didn’t know this factory, I would have easily moved onto a flashier peacock or commemorative wrapper. This no frills conception carries over onto the spartan neifei.
I just spent the last month reading though the blog of a prominent blogster who is to bitter and astringent as I am to root beer. However, the blogster seems to confuse personal preference for tea quality. This is an egregious tasting flaw. As noted on more than one occasion, my personal preferences don’t cloud my ability to assay a production’s quality on its own terms. I certainly do not use bitterness and astringency as a basis for forecasting what a production will become. Furthermore, I have great reserve regarding any opinion that cannot clearly differentiate between bitter and astringent. As far as I’m concerned, such a gaff is the equivalent of not knowing the differences between “your” and “you’re.”
As Chinese are wont to do when conveying truths, there’s an aphorism that goes,
班章为王，易武为后
trans. Banzhang is this the king and Yiwu is the queen
These prefatory statements relate directly to Forever Zen, which is as queeny as you can get. Here’s the deal, there’s a reason why all the six famous tea mountains are in Yiwu. When the Qing (1644-1911) envoy, whose name eludes me, was dispatched to the southern tributary of Nanzhao in the late 17th-c to scope out the good stuff, he was looking for productions that jived with the genteel tastes of the Qing court. Burly Menghai/Bulang/Banzhang offerings wouldn’t make their mark till the late Republican era (1912-1948) and early PRC when the outlook on life was “bitter.”
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s proceed further to Forever Zen, which hearkens to the age of gentility.
Infusion 10-11
Gentility doesn’t preclude qi. Day one, in which I got in seven infusions, the experience reminded me of swimming in the farm pond in my backyard in Iowa, where pockets of swirling warmth commingled amidst the cooling waters. This warming sensation swirled in spots, from the gut, to the skin, followed by a veil of heaviness, then back to a swirl in the gut.
Infusions 12-13, 15s
Despite the lack of any real astringency, it’s both cheeky and throaty. In particular, the throatiness lasts for better than 15m.
Infusions 14-15, 25s
On day two I gave myself permission to stop after infusions 16-17. Sure the quality had tapered a bit. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the mouthfeel, as I was so high, smashed in fact. Day two was much headier than day one. By then I was up to 45s.
