Category Archives: The Junky’s Log

Puerh Vessel Variants: Imperial Roots

Posted on by Yang-chu
07 Apr

Lately, I’ve been on a gaiwan kick, essentially testing my puerh vessel hypothesis.  It goes something like this: raw puerhs younger than ten years old are generally better in a gaiwan and those older are generally better in clay.  The hypothesis has generally held true for puerhs younger than ten, but I needed to test those older.  Hence, Puerh Vessel Variant: Imperial Roots.

Imperial Roots has been newly christened.  Formerly called  “Gift Box,” such a drab name did this ’08 XG production more than a bit of a disservice.  I started with the gaiwan:  disappointingly flat.  I’ve been drinking this puerh since ’16.  It started out very pepperminty and now has advanced to the vaunted . . . well, it the gaiwan actually there no “vaunt” of any sort.  This was quite surprising because I’d never had a bad session with it.  This was why I knew it was the brewing vessel and not the puerh production itself.

Brewing Imperial Roots in my bell pepper blue clay pot rendered the perfect puerh experience.  Those just starting out might feel that the attention given to teaware is kind of a put on, but it isn’t.  There’s a mysterious alchemy that occurs between leaf and clay.  For some reason, this commingling detracts from young puerh but for old it has the opposite effect.

Bell Pepper Pot with the ’01 GM Puerh

One thing, clay adds volume.  Think of hair mousse.  With young productions, volume isn’t an issue because as with anything young you know it lacks experience.  You’re generally looking for vivaciousness and and purity.  When something you know to be older lacks depth, the experience quickly falls flat because you’re looking for the complexity.  The gaiwan will generally do a poor job of unveiling this complexity.

A treasure like Imperial Roots needs brewing in clay.  It’s not optional.  It doesn’t have to be the fanciest clay by a long shot, but it is essential.  All of the attributes that make it a pleasure only come out in clay.  We’re talking about the sweetness, thickness, mineral notes, the camphor, and yes the vaunted vanilla and root beer.  I cringe at the prospects of someone brewing it in a gaiwan– positive sacrilege!

Just some additional observations about Imperial Roots puerh here in April 2020.  All of the peppermint candy of previous years is gone.  All of the notes are a good octave lower than what they used to be.  This production is trending in an unmistakably desirous direction.

Puerh Tea Report 2020

Posted on by Yang-chu
12 Mar

As the new puerh tea begins to hit the market, it might be interesting to reflect upon recent developments, so here it is your Puerh Tea Report 2020.  Naturally, items and factories in the Puerh Junky’s stash will be the focus.  Ripe puerh will be given a bit of attention, with the bulk on raws.

Ripe Puers

The year 2019 had the Puerh Junky bidding a fond farewell to the ’06 Boss Tuo, an item that scored highly on every count.  I’m furiously searching for its replacement, something with the same explosive camphor notes and sweetness, along with a the deep tones of humid storage.  It’s larger brother with the same name doesn’t hold a candle to it; storage plays such a critical role in the expression of a production that it is usually impossible to tell that the same material under different conditions are actually the same.

Anyway, Xinghai (XH) and Zhongcha (ZC) have formed the backbone of the ripe stash.  Surprisingly, the Silver Peacock, XH has held relatively stable, with older productions, say before ’14, rising in price rather incrementally compared to ZC’s 7581 brick, which is now about three times the ’16 price.  Interestingly, the Lunar series has averted the frenzy, so constitute a relatively good value.  After years of being virtually overlooked, the ’06 “55” has started an advance.  This is ZC’s (aka CNNP/KMTF’s) best ripe production.  I expect that this will be the last year that it will be available from any vendors on the Chinese side.

Aside from these two factories, another general observation concerns ripe bamboo productions.  To wit: bamboo ripe productions have appreciated considerably more than ripes as a whole.  Puerh Junky has one ripe bamboo offering that is exceptionally clean and bright, with hints of humidity and cinnamon.

Raw Puerhs

The world of raw puerhs has been more dynamic.  Generally, it seems the smaller productions like tuo, bricks, and small cakes have averted the frenzy of cakes.  Since ’16 ZC’s new offerings have been handsomely priced.  One exception has been the Lunar Series but that looks to have come to an end this year, with about an 70% increase in price over last year.  The weird thing is that the older productions, those that can be found, are still priced along earlier lines.

Factories like LME (Lao Man E) and GPE (Gu Puerh) have held steady, so they constitute relative steals.  The only exception is ’07 Hideout, which in just one year appreciated more than 200%.  A more than reasonable alternative to it is the 2008 Gift Puerh, which has the same sweetness and camphory goodness.  Up until this year, there were still quite a number of very good Tulin productions that were plain ole cheap, but not so much anymore.  Oh well.

Though there may be exceptions, the scene with LM (Liming), YPH (Yangpin Hao), and 6FTM (Six Famous Tea Mountains) has been hawt to say the least.  YPH prides itself as a top-tier purveyor of Yiwu productions.  Prices for their older  productions (before ’12) have essentially trebled in the past year and a half.  For those keen on the Yiwu Zen vibe do not seem to have been deterred.  I must confess that much about brand is going into the pricing, as I find productions like the ’07 LME Spring Puerh every bit as tasty if not more so.   Some LM productions have consistently been favoured by collectors, but there are still plenty that are quite tasty priced quite reasonably, in the $55-$75 range.  Newer productions, however, are now in the ZC range.

As for 6FTM, well it isn’t a factory that I pay much heed to, with the exception of their Lunar Series.  This is because I’m not the craziest about Fengqing puerhs.  That said, I did take a liking to the their Lunar Series for their v. fancy wrappers.  Others have been very keen on the big taste and a big qi that’s made believers of even the greatest of qi skeptics.  Anyway, this series has turned out to be of great interest to collectors and as a result even the late productions like the Ram and Snake are now sold at near 10 times their original sale price– if you can find them.  The ‘05 Jingmai “003” is actually on par in terms of ferocity and qi at a fraction of the 6FTM Lunar Series prices.  The factory that makes the “003” specializes in very aggressive productions not altogether dissimilar from LM’s cakes.  However, the raw material seems even better.  The ’10 Tiger, for example, which sold out this year showed remarkable transformation from when it was first acquired.  It ripened from a bright pineapple-like monster into a husky root beer in the first two infusions before gradually fading into its original greenness.

Enough with the nostalgia for now.   Hope you find this missive somewhat helpful as you continue your own puerh tea pursuits.

Cheers,

PJ.

 

Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge: Day V

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Dec

For the final day of the Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge, I reached for Kunming TF’s “55“.  What can I say but that Day V was definitely the best.  First of all, the camphor notes sounded more resolutely.  The tannic attributes quite common to the 55 were not detected.  The brew comes out very round and sweet.  It compared quite favourably to the Boss Tuo in regards to the sweetness, fullness, candy like qualities along with a sparkling clarity and redness of hue.

By day three, I had begun to do the test using a porcelain and a clay cup.  There is a qualitative difference between the two.  The porcelain has a rounder quality which is more muting, whereas the clay is the opposite more amplifying.  The clay enhances minerality and can be the difference maker for a brew that might otherwise taste flat from gaiwan brewing.

I can see the virtues of brewing ripe puerh in a gaiwan depending upon one’s preferences.  I prefer clay because it produces a fizzier brew with more depth, something necessary for optimal appreciation of Xinghai productions like the Silver Peacock.  The notable exception was how the 55 performed, which was nothing short of stellar.

Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge: Day IV

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Dec

For day IV of the Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge, I reached for the ’14 Macau Puerh Brick.  Whereas I felt that the gaiwan muted the vegetal notes of the ’07 Mushroom Tuo, those same notes seem ever more present in the Macau Puerh Brick.

The gaiwan effect for this ripe puerh doesn’t seem as noticeable as with some of the previous samples.  Even after revising this production the following day I didn’t catch much change.  There is no pushing the Macau Puerh Brick beyond any acceptable point.  The aftertaste is long and vegetal.  There are no deep or humid notes detectable.  The glass vibe might be the most prevailing attribute.

Riper Puerh Gaiwan Challenge: Day III

Posted on by Yang-chu
23 Dec

For the Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge: Day III I chose the ’06 Black Brew Tuo.  I had it with a patient.  We both found it dreadful.  The taste was flat and gave the impression of puerh that had been stored in conditions that were too dry.  We only got through two infusions before moving on to some raw puerh.  At the very end of the second I brought out the clay cups and that made a positive difference.  Several hours later, I decided to give it another try and it was much improved.  The brew had depth and sweetness, more closely resembling its traits when brewed in clay.  The aftertaste didn’t last so long.

Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge: Day II

Posted on by Yang-chu
21 Dec

For the Riper Puerh Gaiwan Challenge: Day II, I reached for the ’07 Mushroom Tuo Puerh.  Most notable are the mineral and clean dirt notes.  The aftertaste faded rather quickly.  The gaiwan revealed that the Mushroom Tuo might have been stored at the very driest edge of humid storage.  Sweet without the impression of a certain vegetal quality I pick up with clay.

Ripe Puerh Gaiwan Challenge Day One

Posted on by Yang-chu
21 Dec

It’s damn cold these past few days so I’m going with ripe puerh more than usual.  It dawned on me that perhaps a ripe puerh gaiwan challenge was in order.  For the next five days, I figure to sample some ripes and offer my impressions.  We’re starting with the ’07 Silver Peacock, XG.

The ’07 Silver Peacock, XG is already a very Zen ripe puerh.  Brewing in the gaiwan mutes a certain zing imparted by the clay.  At the same time, certain fruit notes that have been remarked upon by others was more evident.  The most surprising aspect of the experience was the contrast between the Zen broth and the strength of the lingering aftertaste, which is deeply satisfying and calming.  The experience seemed lighter than in my clay pot.

 

Update II: 07 Peacock Puerh Cake

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Oct

Alas, it seems only a month ago I reviewed the ’07 Peacock, ZC.  I wanted to see how it was doing after the span of the the summer.  You can gander the review here.  The root beer notes that I mentioned have intensified.  This taste isn’t for the initial infusions anymore either.  Root beer has permeated the taste.

Zen Puerhs

The ’07 Peacock puerh used to be a Zen production.  The taste used to be gentle, soft, and evocative of misty clouds with a bit of Wheaties.  It is hard to conceive of how such a taste can transform into what it is now.  There isn’t much astringency.  Even beyond the root beer tastes of roots and vanilla is some bitterness.  There are are even pronounced floral notes which could easily be mistaken for being in the original profile– which couldn’t be further from the truth.  The zing of “puerions” on the tongue indicates top quality material.

Such night-and-day transformation of the raw material usually points to productions hailing from the Yiwu region.  That would be my best guess for the Peacock.  Yiwu puerhs are known to get better with age, a truism that I took to be more folklore than fact.  It is still quite difficult to get my head around how something ever so subtle in taste could change so remarkably only through aging.

Not all Zen puerhs, it should be noted, make this type of transformation.  Not all Yiwu offerings will transform into a zingy, rooty, vanilla melange of sweet with a splash of bitter nectar.  Some rather old YPH productions, for example, only begin to taste old or clean-old.  They never exhibit that particular zing.  One exception is the Glee.    I do not know if this is attributable to processing or terroir.  Others that do not transform is due to less than ideal quality.  This points to both soil quality and tree age.  Older trees have a more extensive root system drawing more minerals from the soil.

Peacock Puerh Photos

Autumn ’19 Infusion 6 and 7

Different Angle of Peacock Puerh

A couple times people have asked a question that suggests that they believe that “Peacock” is a particular puerh type.  It isn’t.  Peacocks are just an icon popular among the puerh producing tribes of Yunnan.

Applicious Yiwu Puerh from ’03

Posted on by Yang-chu
14 Sep

It took five months for the Applicious Yiwu from ’03 to come into form.  Form doesn’t necessary mean Root Beer class, however.  This is decidedly not of the Root Beer class.  It’s more of the Yang Pin Hao vibe: forever Zen.  As I say this, I instantly recall that Glee is turning Root Beer.

I’ve been tasting this since April ’19.  Rare is the instance where a puerh ships and is ready for drinking in short order.  The Applicious Yiwu has had the opportunity to benefit from humidity at least 70% in temps well above 60 these past few weeks.  Sometimes the temps are over 30c but the humidity doesn’t go below 62% and be as high as 85%.  The tea loves this.

The Applicious’ huigan is mac.  Basically everything about it from when I got is is a testament to proper storage on the front and back end.  The dry storage ensures no stinkiness while age sets end; the back end brings out the life in the leaves through humidity and temperature– without the stank!

The Puerh Junky’s Spidey senses didn’t fail him here.  The real gem is its sneaky sourness.  This isn’t orange juice sour.  It’s not in the liquor.  It sneaks up in the huigan giving rise to an amazing cheeky sensation that is closest to the “salivation” sensation so oft mentioned.  It isn’t astringent, just a sneaky sour, surprising and pleasant, a squeeze of lemon so to speak.

Those familiar with Yiwu productions might be surprised.  I’m familiar and certainly surprised.  If you want to understand the quintessence of fruity Zen then try this, but otherwise don’t bother.  Many people like to be smacked with obvious sensations and that’s not the vibe of this production.  It is of exquisite quality and typifies the “gentle” (柔) class of puerhs.  No Root Beer treasure can be considered gentle.

Puerh Fakes: The Karaoke of Tea

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Sep

Sitting in traffic and listening to the local mandarin station, I happened upon a music program that made me draw a link between karaoke and puerh fakes.  Karaoke isn’t so appealing to Americans.  Sure there are exceptions, but it’s not like you’re going to find karaoke bars flourishing in every town and hamlet in the States as they do in China and Korea.  When Chinese associates asked me why karaoke was not popular here, I replied that we prefer original performances over mimicking the work of others.

The radio host introduced a song that hit big on the charts and in karaoke bars of China: Miss Dong.  The song was so popular that the host noted how sick he was of hearing it stream from every karaoke bar, especially given what he called the schmaltziest (油腻) of delivery.

How does karaoke relate to puerh “fakes”?  The answer lies in a belief that when something is really good it establishes a standard.  The standard cannot be perfected but should be emulated.  This viewpoint goes back at least as far as the national examination system established in the Han Dynasty (220 bce- 220 ce).  The centerpiece of those exams was emulation of strict poetic forms themselves thought to embody a certain perfection between heaven and earth.  How do you perfect the synchrony between heaven and earth?

Karaoke is an entertainment form of state exam mentality, so to speak.  Songs that hit big in the karaoke scene reflect a certain perfection.  Improvising is totally unheard of in karaoke, because the song itself is already perfect.  There’s no such thing as putting your personal mark on perfection.  That which is perfect can only be emulated.

Which brings us to puerh “fakes.”  Now, I’m sure you’ve been to karaoke and been amazed by some performances.  You didn’t watch the performer wondering so much whether they were the recording star.  Still, it didn’t mean that the performance wasn’t stellar.  Maybe you hadn’t even heard the original recording, but it didn’t stop you from enjoying the performance.  The same applies to puerh.  There is a “hit” from ’75 that I’ll use to illustrate this point, the 7542.  What will be briefly highlighted are the nuances that have gone into the “karaoking” the 7542.

Nuance #1 is even though the 7542 originates from the Menghai TF during the monopoly era, other major factories were making it too.  First, once the branding of individual factories became more important different names emerged for the same recipe.  Thus, Kunming TF’s Green Mark is the 7542.  The recipe number doesn’t tell you whence the production came; it tells you when and where the recipe was originally crafted.  Is this karaoke or more like recordings of the same song at a different studio?  You decide.

Nuance #2 is that numerous individuals at the vaunted Factory #2 were forced to strike out on their own in the 90s as the monopoly transitioned from cooperatives to market-based operations.  Band members like Boyou, Du Qiong-zhi, and Zou Bing-liang have all gone on to have remarkable careers of their own.  Mme. Du in particular has performed the classic 7542 in at least one different recording studio, Pengcheng, and has been involved extensively with collaborations with Xinghai TF (also female owned) among others.  I haven’t pursued this line of inquiry extensively in terms of other mix masters sharing these recipes with other factories or their own productions, but it doubtless a common phenomenon regardless of whether stated or not.  Producers are mum about the makeup of particular recipes, so one is left to conjecture and lots of comparing.

Nuance #3 is productions without name.  These are the closest to what could be considered a genuine fake.  Still, namelessness has no bearing on the quality of performance.  These no names are just puerh creations that haven’t the studio or engineer name on which to hang their hat, so they often randomly pull a classic recipe name from their hats with no idea about what they’re referencing.  This might be analogous to a song’s title being “You Light Up My Life” and then hearing a performance of “Hotel California.”  If you’re not bent on hearing the former, then the quality of the latter’s performance may carry the day.

Puerh Fakes: Closing Thoughts

To this humble Puerh Junky’s mind, the use of the term “fake” is far too indiscriminate.  Karaoke offers a vantage point where an analogy can be drawn regarding puerh productions in this regard, both culturally and in terms of the evolving puerh market.  The next time you see the term bandied about, see if you can tell if the user demonstrates any awareness of the nuance in the karaoke of tea.  These nuances boil down to name of factory, mix master, or no name at all.