Category Archives: The Junky’s Log

’07 Bada(zz), CNNP

Posted on by Yang-chu

The ’07 Bada(zz) arrived in April ’18.  It’s already changed quite a bit from a mainly minerally taste to minerals and old daisies.  The taste is quite similar to ’05 Glee, with similar astringency though possibly sweeter.  The after taste of rocky sweetness hangs on in the mouth for quite a spell.

In contrast to the ’12 Cherry Blossom, there are no smoky notes to the Bada(zz).  I recently visited the Cherry Blossom and I notice quite a bit of green apple in there too.  There’s no hint of any fruit in the Bada(zz).  Maybe the aroma is a bit fruity but it strikes more like honey.

Another similarity with ’05 Glee is the taste of grains, evocative of Wheaties.  This is only evident in productions that have a few years under their belt.  It seems like there may be some camphor notes trying to sneak through, something to watch for as it continues to age.

A final curiosity is that this cake bucks the trend of the time toward extreme pressing, unlike the ’07 LME Spring Puerh, which must have set a record for compression density.  Even though the Bada(zz) is pressed densely, it’s not excessive and the material flecks of with relative ease.

Oh yeah, this is Mt. Bada material.  Possibly only the second I’ve tried by name.

Sweet Roasted Hay: ’12 Cultural Revolution Series

Posted on by Yang-chu

I’ve had this ’12 Cultural Revolution puerh brick sitting out in the kitchen now for easily nine mths now.  My record keeping being what it is, I cannot say it’s been longer but not likely shorter.

I first picked these up purely for wrapper appeal in Kunming in ’13.  Two years later I got some more.  I know the general word on the street is that after about a year ripe puerh productions are ready for drinking.  There seem to be some people who are actually fond of the the strong tastes and smells of young ripe puerh me not among them.

This 100g ripe puerh brick never expressed particularly strong odors, but it nonetheless did not taste so ready, rather bland.  Now it has transformed into a very sweet production in terms of both the liquor and aftertaste.  There is an astringency I hadn’t noted previously.  Pouring the first infusion I noticed a vegetal aroma, which expresses as sweet dry slightly malted hay.  Some vanilla notes in there.  Some might detect a bit of chocolate.  By the third infusion the brew gets murkier than its clear initial rounds.  Drinking at room temperature, I can tell it would be quite tasty cold-brewed.

The ’12 Cultural Revolution Series puerh brick has deep-roast straw properties of the ’07 Boss Square, though it is not as rich and the latter has a more obvious chocolate tone.  The astringency is similar to ’06 CNNP “55”, though the “55” is more bitter and less sweet with noticeable camphor notes.  The ’09 Qing Beauty compares favourably in terms of sweetness and clarity, but it is much, much more floral, with heavier fermentation, and sour notes.  In other words, it contrasts greatest in terms of the other two comparisons.

 

 

Sandalwood and Soap: ’06 Tippy Tuo

Posted on by Yang-chu
30 Jun

There’s a much greater taste of something like sandalwood starting to express in this treasure.  The camphor and woodsy quality seems to have vanished.  Several years ago, there was an orange-juice quality, replete with sourness that has sense vanished.

Spring tea.  A strong and lasting aftertaste.  That’s where the sandalwood is most evident.  Flowers, that aroma and aftertaste of many spring productions is straight sandalwood.  There’s also some humidity and minerality.  That comes on the front end.  The humidity used to be more pronounced, not in a dank fashion, but that which gave the long gone woodsy vibe.

Ahhh.  Sometimes it seems that the puerh pursuit is one of nostalgia.  There’s still quite a bit of attack on the tongue.  I noticed that this one consistently leaves a qi-effect.  Not all qi-effects are heady, however.  This one has “gut qi.”  I’m not saying it is a gut buster, because it doesn’t land exactly in that fashion.  A gut buster elicits the urge to eat, just like one that has gut qi.  The difference is that gut qi doesn’t give you cramps.

Nothing about this production feels green anymore.  As you dig deeper in later infusions, bitterness definitely starts to assert itself.  A zinging astringency attacks the tongue throughout.  There’s something in there that evokes a sense of soap powder.  Certainly the woodsiest of spring productions I’ve had.  Quite similar to this in terms of the sandalwood.  The ’07 Tippy Tuo is an entirely different production, which tastes much more like Lin Cang, Fengqing, of the Yunnan black tea vibe.  This has the true minerality of Wuliang material.

Bubble Gum Tiger Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Jun

I don’t know how it is that today I’m picking up notes of bubble gum in 10 Tiger Puerh, MK.  I’m getting it in the aroma and taste, along with angelica spiciness.  It’s Bazooka bubble gum, not “chewing gum” like Juicy Fruit.   The gan is instant with this raw puerh tea.   It is very sweet.  The aftertaste is sweeter, sugary like stevia.

There’s some bitterness in the broth, enough to give it an edge.  Previous sessions have typically conjured a sense of root beer.  The 10 Tiger MK is unmistakably herbal, not vegetal.  There’s no hint of green taste.  I keep thinking sassafras.  There’s much to be said for the moderate compression and decent warmth of the initial storage.  This is a color and taste well beyond its years by 6-10 years.  At the same time the brew has lost NO qi or flavor.

There’s some aggression to it.  It’s not passive aggression nor is it out of control.  Just letting you know it won’t be pushed around.  No smoke.  Maybe that bubble gum is flowers.  Maybe.  Little doubt this is Mengku material, like that weird cousin in the movies who grooves to the beat of jazz-inspired house, as opposed to, say, Chopin.  Maybe.

Woolen Sweater Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
23 Jun

The ’05 Green Mark has a bit of a petrol and deep forest vibe and is one of the few humid-stored raws in the collection.  Did I say raw?  It isn’t.  It is a raw-ripe blended puerh, so the color is much darker than most raws you’ll encounter this age.

I find myself coming to’05 Green Mark quite often.  The humidity is welcoming.  The after taste is of flowers and petrol, with saccharine and astringent notes.  The flowers aren’t evident in the broth, rather you get smoke, leather, and petrol.  I’m pretty sure that this is what the crew on Ahab’s ship drank when sailing in the North Sea.

The aroma is addictive: camphor, smoke and intermingle giving a woolen-sweater effect.  The camphor dances about with the with the saccharine.  It’s not honey or maple or agave, as right on the edge of sweetness is bitterness.

All of the richness of taste is balanced by a broth that could possibly thicker.  There are some slight vegetal notes that you might be able to pick out and the qi won’t bowl you over.  Still it possesses a notable phlegm cutting quality.

This offering is under CNNP, but it does not come from one of the big three.  This wrapper has wide use in the puerh universe.

2008 Gift Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
22 Jun

Minerally, frothy, slightly humid, and sweet.  Has that solid Xia Guan quality which is never watery, evocative of a light root beer given the herbal notes.  There’s camphor in there too.  A well-crafted recipe. The 2008 Gift Puerh does not possess the characteristic Xia Guan smokiness, which makes it a drinking pleasure presently.

07 LME Spring Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
18 Jun

The remarkable thing about the LME Spring is its lingering floral huigan.  The liquor goes down smooth, with shades of wheat.  Some traits characteristic of root beer are now also starting to express themselves.  This brew will not bowl you over.  It is extremely subtle, many would say it just tastes like water.  It took me a while to figure it out, but so intriguing it was that I kept drinking to uncover its mystery.

Some time ago, it had been my erroneous impression that it was bitterness that gave rise to a production’s floral character.  If anything, the LME Spring proves that thesis entirely incorrect.  There is no hint of bitterness in this super hard-pressed cake.  It is so dense and of such exquisite material that it impossible to over brew.  It is perfect for those who tend to brew with such a heavy hand that the finer subtleties of soft productions are lost.  It simply does not brew up bitter.

The LME Spring is simply not for those who favour aggressive puerhs.  However, if you appreciate secrets well kept and an evanescent liquor from which a divine aftertaste emerges, then I cannot think of a better treasure.

’05 Jingmai “003”, LCGC

Posted on by Yang-chu
18 Jun

Everyone seems to love spring tea, aside from the classic recipes.  The “003” is spring tea on another level, evocative of white tea but still with the bite that Westerners, that is west of the Kunlun Mts, crave.

Spring tea typically does not yield as many infusions as productions from later in the year.  The “003” is no exception.  That said, it provides high and refined notes that are unmistakably refined.  LCGC likes offering productions that will smack you around a bit.  This treasure gives you an idea of what the Chinese “tea head” values in higher-end productions.

Chock full o’ buds, you can tell from the picture that this has already undergone a great deal of transformation.  I’ve noticed that many aged spring productions express kinda wild weed type notes similar to dandelion.  For some this might take a minute to get used to.  This is not the profile of the “003”, which is much more similar to silver needle white tea.