This suspect came into the Puerh Junky Stash in the summer of 2015 during a period of Cultural Revolution acquisitions. It cost next to nothing so no questions arose about its authenticity. It’s decidedly inauthentic. It was advertised as being from the late 90s. Judging from the colour of the broth, that may be true. However given the greenness of the leaves, it is also possible to hail from the late naughts.
What you’re buying here is Los Angeles storage. Upon arrival, this brick was undrinkable, marred by the cacophonous rank storage favoured in Hong Kong. The Puerh Junky generally considers puerh of this sort literally toxic and the more intense that taste the more toxic. On a scale from 1-10 this “8972” tipped the scales to 10, helped in no small part by florality and greenness that were nothing short of atrocious. Productions of this sort should be considered at a production unfinished, requiring a subsequent stage of storage recovery, tuicang (退仓).
After seven years of storage fuss, Revolutionary Suspect #7982 is ready to make its debut. The humid rot has been completely vanquished. Sweet nuts, pine, and a some butterscotch emerge. The original storage was not so aggressive as to destroy an interesting underlying character. It may be reaching its peak, with some sweetness still to express. Flash releases up to the 12th-infusin before requiring longer soaking for another 4-6 rounds. 9g.
$1.52
