Puerh Junky Visits Fohai

Posted on by Yang-chu
03 Jan

Puerh Junky Visits Fohai turns out to be the first missive of 2023, all fresh and shiny with the resolve a new year.  Ole PJ decided on pulling down a couple 6FTM productions for the first week of limbo, that period between the calendrical new year and its lunar consort.

The ’06 Fohai, 6FTM rests broken up a bit in a tin, doing so for the better part of two years.  The lid is not afixed, an accommodation which presumably affords brewing on moment’s notice.  As previously noted FH is next to the opposite of Poison, the latter being smoky, camphor-y, bitter, some sour.  Now, FH is mostly Zen, at least the broth is.  The brightness of this tinned version is completely gone.  The end result is a broth with texture, sweetness, and bitter edges but nearly no taste.  Then. . .

It’s not an uncommon feature of some puerhs to showoff more after having been swallowed.  The huigan on the Fohai expresses a fascinating degree of complexity, part of which sheds light upon the broth.  Perhaps initially there is orchid but deeper in there is the unmistakable “delight” of fresh narrow tan rubber band that’s been chewed prodigiously.  This note lingers. Furthermore, it’s important to note that it’s not the broad white dura rubber band.  It’s the thin tan translucent fresh rubber band.

Next is its intimidating qi, rating 5 on a scale of 5.  Early heart pound and pleasant warming sensations quickly take backseat to a serious and enduring headiness, the kind that makes the eyes itch.  The qi sensation overall seems to be more keenly observed in the morning irrespective of production.  That said, it is exceptionally strong with the Fohai, lasting strong more than an hour on only three 150ml pots.

Fohai Yedi 2023

Finally, Fohai possesses noteworthy expectorant properties.  Sometimes the inner ticket/neipiao of puerhs will include health information referencing fat and digestion, less often phlegm.  I generally take such info with a grain of salt and cannot recall Fohai‘s neipiao;  you’ve read one neipiao, you’ve essentially read them all.  When a raw starts to exhibit behaviors more commonly associated with ripes, well it’s distinctive at the very least.  Fohai sits very nicely in the stomach, while scouring a good deal of muck.

Fohai is a next-level puerh.  It doesn’t cater to taste, rather delivers hugely on huigan and qi.  A sweet Zen broth with slightly bitter edges has usurped its former spry orchid broth.  With age has also come durability.  It continues to perform well at each stage of its evolution.

 

 

Puerh Junky’s Ripeliday Season

Posted on by Yang-chu
31 Dec

Puerh Junky’s Ripeliday Season takes the reader through the mind of Puerh Junky during a time most generically called, “the holday season.”  PJ thinks that the dark seasons are for dark tea, go figure. This 2022, as people busy for the arrival of the Rabbit, finds matters no different.  Below he busily jib-jabs about a few ripes in the Puerh Junky Collection, aka shop.

’06 Old Geezers is the stout of the PJ Collection.  It’s probably more dense than even the Boss Square.  Stouts aren’t clear.  Old Geezers is a stout, with a taste as you dig deeper of Chocolate Malt-o-Meal.  Camphor fades, after first infusion, into a very slight hint that some may associate with cardamom.  Camphor haters who don’t know what camphor is call it “hospital”, “linnament”, “medicinal” or “band-aid”.  Great sweetness and lasting aftertaste that is sweet and sticky.  Yields 4-6 long infusions of 2m.  There’s only three in storage and won’t be replaced, last I remembered it was no longer avail.

With the ’05 Lucky 7572, meistra Du Qiongzhi ostensibly takes her cue from her ancestral factory, Menghai TF/Dayi.  Having no experience with that production from Dayi and having drunk her ’01 Red Mark, fermentation seems light.  This will have appeal for those keen on experimenting or in Du Qiongzhi productions.  Strawberry Qwik that fades fast.  High degree of clarity.  Dryer storage, even though the paper is tea stained. Two on hand.

The ’11Peacock Gold, Fuhai leaves the mouth with a faint taste of band-aids after coating the mouth and throat in velvety milk chcolate.  Respectable sweetness, chestnut color and high clarity.  Silt and baby powder.   Not as thick, sweet, or malty as Old Geezers.

The ’12 Arbor King, LME provides a study in schizophrenia.  The upfront notes surprise with cured fruits before quickly shifting to dark cocoa.  Real bitterness, with a light geosmin and camphor finish.  The huigan is sticky bittersweet, as thick and enduring as the Old Geezers, with clarity about 3-5.  However, it doesn’t have the longevity of Old Geezers.

Winter brings a heavier hand in brewing, with expectations of a heavier brew.  Old Geezers stands out among the group for its ability to holdup and its coating huigan.  The Arbor King hits a bittersweet spot and would be as good were it to last as long.  It’s only an ’11 and closer examination reveals a good deal of “greenage” to the composition, so there’s reason to believe it will develop further.  Fuhai’s Peacock Gold excels in clarity with milk coco, light geosmin and talc.  It’s not as sweet and the huigan fades rather quickly.  Finally, the Lucky 7572 is not so wintry, with strawberry malt in a comparatively light broth.  It’s a prime candidate for summer cold brewing.  Some of these samples can be found on the Ripe Sampler page.

 

 

 

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.

Another Puerh Blossom

Posted on by kevin@epikta.com
19 Nov

Another Puerh Blossom directs attention to a ’12 Laoman’e production acquired in ’14 and sat upon for a total of eight years.  The Puerh Junky’s wife and I first visited one of the maker’s shops in Kunming back in ’13.  She was floored by a Jingmai offering and for about the next five years PJ made some effort toward acquiring a few of their productions.  Their web presence has diminished considerably over the years, but their shop still flourished in ’17.

In ’14 acquired offerings included Laoman‘e, Xigui, and Huangye, all from ’12  They were all about the same degree of wtf.  I didn’t know what I was tasting.  A ’10 Bingdao snagged in ’16 was equally disappointing.  The only really tasty production was a hideous looking ’07 Wuliang.  At the time I’m certain I didn’t think, well that Wuliang has had considerably more time to develop.  The Wuliang leaf material appeared considerably more rustic than usual.  The tastiness was thus attributed rusticness not age.

’07 Wuliang Yapu TF

Two years ago the ’10 Bingdao blossomed.  It is outstanding.  This year 2022, the 2012s had come into form and the Xigui started to be offered through the Lincang Sampler set.  This mid Nov day occasioned trying the Laoman’e.  The richness and sweetness are noteworthy, particularly in contrast to previous years.  The colour shows that its just at the be first stage of readiness, but it is an extremely satisfying stage.

It’s as interesting to observe the evolution of Puerh Junky’s own understanding of puerh as it is the puerh itself.  These Yapu productions were taken for decidedly second-rate, when it more accurately reflected second-rate understanding.  We’re all learning.

Xinghai Tea Factory Aiyaaa

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Nov

Xinghai Tea Factory Aiyaaa momentarily gripes about food stamps.  Well, technically date stamps or the lack thereof.  Liming is bad with stamping but Xinghai is the worst.  By ’08 the problem seems to have been remedied, but between ’04-’07 the stamp situation is a disaster.

It’s not uncommon for wrappers to indicate checking either the neipiao or neifei for time stamp.  It may say check neipiao but the stamp will be on the neifei.  Quite often there is no stamp at all. On top of that is a situation where the neifei isn’t really even a part of the cake.

Well, after watching this video where the stamp was clearly absent from a neifei that looked to me as though it should have been stamped, a rant was in order.  You’re witnessing that now.  The Puerh Junky’s wife did as well.  The quandary was clear: why aren’t they stamped?  The easy response is they’re fakes.  But if it’s fake, why not go the whole nine to ensure you’re pulling one over?  Enough has already been made of just how much the fake card is overplayed.  I suspected, perhaps pilfering at the place of employ.  Ambitious employees may opt to try their hand at entrepreneurship.  Possible, but perhaps not likely.  Finally, the heavens opened.

Puerh Dating Quandary Solved

If dateless productions are not fake or the result of sly employees’ pilfering, what would dateless offerings be communicating to buyers?  “IT’S THE BATCH STUPID,” to quote a famous politician.  With some of the big time factories where collecting constitutes a significant part of the market, the first batch is that which is coveted.  Batches of the same production must be differentiated from the first in order to maintain the first’s “rarity” and value, thus the absence of a date stamp and presence of quirky anomalies with the wrapper.

What kind of quirks?  Well, for example, the first batch (pictured above) of what Puerh Junky calls the ’05 Xinghai Green Mark (the real name is just too generic, no wait is Menghai Qizibingcha generic?) bears a faded green seal, whereas the second batch seal is much more vivid. . . and lacks a date stamp.

In another example, the second batch of the Bulang Old Tree has the identical wrapper but is stamped “特制青饼” and lists with a different Xinghai production name on the reverse specs.  One vendor actually had all three versions of the wrapper, one having simplified characters, but only the first batch bearing the time stamp and being twice the price of the other two.

Stamped Second Batch

Xinghai Not So Chaotic

So Xinghai Tea Factory is not so chaotic.  It like Liming and a few others have a method to their date-stamp-free madness.  There’s a measure of coolness to such a practice.  It reflects just how seriously the factory takes itself, the exact opposite of chaos.

 

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 Making Tea

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Nov

Puerh Junky Visits Making Tea involves a CMS series by the same name.  I’ve gotten my hands on a few of the series from the year ’16, even posted fotos of on Instagram to make it official.  CMS is technically Yibang CMS and that detail is critical as they possess either material or a processing style that is very Yiwu. . . Yibang being in Yiwu.

The style goes beyond just the stone pressing to encompass the overall softness of taste.  Here, the dry leaves give off a slight smoke and kerosene nose that is mostly candy fruity.  The candy fruity is very similar to the recently listed Jade Mark, a nose of something like Jolly Rancher watermelon.  That kinda fragrance is certainly more Menghai or Lincang.

Making tea Nov 2022

The first real infusion gives off clarity of about 2.5 outta five.  I’ve drunk about 3/4 of this cake and it’s never left any impression.  Based on the intensity and height of the aroma, the ole Junky‘s luck may have changed but while sniffing the cloudy brew the thought to lower the water temp occurs.

Consistent with Yiwus, the taste doesn’t jump out at you.  It’s still too young to have any of the smooth vanilla or thick texture, but the qi comes on powerfully in the head and chest.  Overall, there wasn’t enough to sustain even a modicum of interest.

Several hours later. . .

“It’s good at any temperature,” comments the wife.  The hiatus has helped harness hiding sugars.  There’s a bit of kerosene, ever so slight.  Zero bitterness, even when pushed. Nothing to be said of astringency either.  There’s nothing to sink one’s teeth into.  Zen brutality.

Day two is much of the same.  A thread of freshly mowed grass can be detected in the pitcher, but doesn’t convert into the taste.  Pure rock sugar, a very faint sense of something floral, but all completely fades after taking a piece of buttered bread.  The following taste is of an insipid green tea.  Qi goes to the head in a comprehensive manner, not jagged but with full self-assurance.

Reading through the ’09 comments on an ’08 CMS production that I drank this ’22, one commenter said the tea was “moderately floral and lacking in complexity.”  Thirteen years later, the floral note sounds with great perfection, with nice sweetness and thickness.  The difference is age.  The Puerh Junky assumes Making Tea is in a similar boat.  Realistically its about six years away from hitting a decent stride, optimistically three.

 

 

A Night Visit with BZ Peacock

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Oct

A Night Visit with BZ Peacock finds the Puerh Junky searching for an appropriate night cap, something with more bite and less dirt than the ’01 Yiwu Chashan.  He grabs the caddie about 1/8th full of Buddha Impressions, when he finds the gaiwan of BZ Peacock opened the previous day staring at him.

There’s no doubt that the BZ Peacock is now the best its ever been, this Oct 2022.  The two days of sitting have produced excellent results.  It’s very much on par with Wang Xia’s ’01 Green Mark A, which I’ve mentioned several times by different names.  It tastes like really good leather that’s been cured with the best of tallow and fragrances, like oud, sandalwood, and myrrh.  It’s bitter on the finish with an interesting yet characteristic apple sweetness and sourness of many fancier Xinghai productions.  This time it lurks amidst a a strong layer of smoked hickory.

The Buddha Impressions isn’t this woody, but like Grenouille and Zou Binlang’s Cinnamon, they all are of a similar profile.  Buddha Impression is more peppery and ferment-y, with amaretto notes.  Fuhai’s ’07 7536 can be added to the mix, but its notes are more commonly found in any kitchen cupboard, namely bay leaf and clove.  The ’07 iteration is reported to be unique, to which I can attest to only from an ’04 in the stash, which is decidedly heavier stored and perhaps more in the vein of the 7542.

Certainly, one of the more curious aspects of all these productions is absence of a punctuated camphor note.  Perhaps this will emerge, is only a product of storage, or its absences is particular to these productions.  The ’05 Silver Pekoe, Tulin seems to demonstrate that storage plays a significant role in the camphor note.  Its first iteration received heavy storage, expressing strong sour notes on the back end during the first four years of possession.  The second iteration had that baby powder note but after a year of good heat and humidity transitioned into camphor.  In the first, the camphor deepened, while the sour waned winding up with a dense camphor explosiveness.  The second, has settled into the Grenouille and Buddha Impression neighbourhood.  The second definitely stored under much drier conditions.  In the final assessment, there’s no doubt that explosive camphor is closely correlated with humidity and warmth.

Finally, BZP lasts forever.  It isn’t a quaffer, so a gaiwan is likely to last up to 5 sessions of 450ml each. I’ll relate something from my days in Beijing to this end.  There was a retired Frenchman with whom I drank cognac on a couple occasions.  We only had one teacup’s worth each time, sipping.  Contrast this from the HK context, where they were drinking XO in tumblers as a “classy” sign of extravagance.  Yeah, you can quaff BZP if you like, but it doesn’t feel like that type of tea to the Puerh Junky. . . but what does he really know anyway?

p.s. BZ Peacock sale till Sun.

Puerh Junky Visits Chameleon 2022

Posted on by Yang-chu
17 Oct

Puerh Junky Visits Chameleon 2022 pays some much-needed attention to Chameleon.  It’s not brewing crystal clear anymore.  Oh well.  However, the Puerh Junky finally found the words for Chameleon‘s banana aroma. . . fried banana.

Chameleon is an excellent drinking experience.  It is now at a stage where the ’06 Bulang Thick Brick, GPE was when first purchased in ’14.  However, Chameleon is not humid stored. It lacks the cinnamon aroma too.   Those looking for ripes that approximate coffee should consider the Ripe Sampler, but not this brick.  Similar to the Thick Brick the huigan lasts forever.  Comprised of fried banana, yam, lacquered wicker furniture in a Florida July, sweet roots like burdock and angelica, and a piquant kick of juniper, Chameleon is a lot like a Tootsie Roll beverage that changed its formula to sell in China.  Very much in the tradition of Chinese tonics or if not the neighborhood of Dr. Pepper certainly its zip code.

This round, Chameleon brewed in the red-clay gaiwan at near flash brew durations till the fifth infusion, whereby it lasted for another three rounds with considerable pushing.  The huigan, fragrance, and colour lasts through, though the texture and sweetness dissipate quicker thereafter.   Unexpectedly exotic, terranean, and complex.  Since acquisition it seems that the tastes have melded to make for a ripe experience beyond the ordinary.

Puerh Ratings 2022

Posted on by Yang-chu
07 Peacock 9611, CNNP
09 Oct

Below find Puerh Ratings 2022 according to a few websites from Baidu searches.

Chinapp (品牌网)

The Chinapp derives their rankings “based on nearly 100 indicators such as brand strength, product sales, user reputation, and netizen voting.”

  1. Dayi (huge surprise. . . not)
  2. Liming (genuinely huge surprise)
  3. Zhongcha (fairly surprising, they’re referencing about the “new Zhongcha” for sure)
  4. Xiaguan
  5. Fucunmeiji (福村梅记).  This one is a huge surprise.  A few years ago, they also ranked quite highly.  At the time of that ranking 2015, Yangpinhao had their hand in the processing of Fucunmeiji’s offerings.  Dunno if that’s still the case.
  6. Longyuanhao
  7. Longsheng Puercha (龙生普洱茶）Totally unfamiliar.
  8. Laotongzhi
  9. Langhe
  10. Fuhai

Rankings (排行榜)

This is a pure rankings website that devised their ranking “according to the brand evaluation and sales volume”.  Participants in rankings appear to be fewer than 100.

  1. Dayi
  2. Liming
  3. Qingfengxiang (庆沣祥) A upper tier of Colourful Yunnan Brand
  4. Xiaguan
  5. Laotongzhi
  6. Chenshenghao
  7. Gongming (宫明) Unfamiliar est. 2014
  8. Colourful Yunnan
  9. Fuhai
  10. Lancangjiang Familiar but never tried. Est 1985

Cangpin Puerh (藏品普洱)

While the two above seem to be keen on selling tea, this site only lists three and is much more focused on the history surrounding the factories.

  1. Dayi
  2. Fujin
  3. Chenshenghao

Newest Comparison of China’s Top 10 Puerh Brands 2022

This is just an article, but worth running through the translator.  Bet you cannot guess which is #1.

  1. Dayi
  2. Xiaguan
  3. Laotongzhi
  4. Zhongcha
  5. Chenshenghao
  6. Lancang Gucha
  7. Mengku(rongshi)
  8. Douji
  9. Fuhai
  10. Liming

Puchawang (普茶网)

Seems this might have been devised in ’21 but reposted in May ’22.  Site dedicated purely to puerh tea news, articles, storage, and brewing.

  1. Dayi
  2. Xiaguan
  3. Fujin
  4. Chenshenghao
  5. Mengkurongshi
  6. Liming
  7. Laotongzhi
  8. Changtai
  9. Xinghai
  10. Zhongcha

Reflections

Clearly, Dayi commands pole position in the world of puerh.  As far as the remaining positions go, there is considerably more jockeying.  Among the sites devising a list, some are clearly more geared toward plying their wares.  This might influence what appears to be the presence of some fairly obscure brands.  Others seem to be more influenced by reputation built by the brands, adhering to traditional views among experts.  Among the five, the first two seem to be more sales oriented, whereas the last three more in the traditional camp.

No single list can be taken as gospel, but taken together one gains some idea about what consumers and experts both take seriously.  The composite picture isn’t going to change much from one year to the next.  Probably checking every five years is more than sufficient to apprehend any surprising developments.

Another thing is that it is highly doubtful that most of the lists are based upon the most recent productions.  This makes it virtually impossible for upstarts to get on the list.  Consequently, this makes the Chinapp list at least interesting in terms of introducing potentially viable fresh players.  Longsheng isn’t a new player, but their presence given their age did garner attention.

Regarding specific factories, we see Liming placing in all of the top-ten charts.  Again, it is not altogether clear why LM has the reputation it does in the English world, but at the very least it is reasonable to conclude that this view is not shared in the Mainland.  Second, Fuhai does considerably better than Xinghai, but the Puerh Junky wonders to what extent Xinghai’s processing of Fujin factors.  It just conjecture.  Finally, the Puerh Junky sees factories making a list as largely a combination of size, history, marketing, connections, and finally quality.  Tasting productions on an off the list is a bit of a lifetime project to determine how each may personally rate for you.