Category Archives: The Junky’s Log

Two Puerh Heavyweights from ’06

Posted on by Yang-chu
30 Nov

I’m finally ready to release Two Puerh Heavyweights from ’06.  They reside at opposite extremes of the puerh spectrum, mid-aged to be precise.  One is the Fohai, 6FTM and the other is Xinghai’s BZ Peacock.  I’ve had the former better part of 18 mths and the latter over a year though began tasting in April.

The Fohai is old name of Menghai city and the famous tea factory.  Since a great many of 6FTM’s productions are region specific, perhaps the choice of Fohai is a creative nod to the past.  Perhaps this formulation hearkens back to a much earlier formula than but similar to the 7532. The reference might be to the Menghai factory itself but I cannot recall any direct MHTF linage as is the case with many notable others, e.g., Xinghai, Haiwan, and Du Qiongzhi to name a few.

The citrus and floral attributes sound with resolute clarity and joy.  I’ve been tinning it since Feb ’21 and the honey notes and viscosity increased considerably.  Being stored in conservatively cool conditions, it’s definitely on the younger side of ’06 by six years.  This is more or less the case with most 6FTM productions between ’04 and ’09, the compression years.

Interestingly, tighter compression is less an index of quality than it is for how the treasure should be extracted from the whole and brewed.  As far as the Fohai is concerned, larger pieces with a bit of shake is superior to any form breaking into smaller or individual leaves.  This is not that type of production and tea bits invariably brew up more bitter and abrasive.  Allowing the leaves to unfurl naturally through the course of several infusions yields a superior experience to the nuance of the tea itself.

The Fohai is stunningly elegant as far as most 6FTM productions I’ve encountered.  It has a citrus note reminiscent of the Jade Mark but utterly foreign to any of their other 6FTM productions in the stash or collection.

The BZ Peacock is not for light weights.  It’s in the Spirits Class of productions.  Mesquite pervades the character of this Xinghai puerh cake.  It possesses nearly all of the hideous notes: petrol, ash, wood, leather, and smoke but includes a most unexpected tartness.  Without having experienced their ’06 Delta Peacock, I would have considered this sourness a bit of a flaw.

The cakes were magnificently stored on the drier warm side.  The wood note thrives in such dryness.  Others might discern mushrooms.  Since being in my possession from Nov ’20, the BZ Peacock has only now reached a level of sweetness where it can be considered at drinking weight.  It’s the sweetness amidst a welter of contrasting tastes that likely accounts for its precipitous appreciation of three fold since ’19.

If there’s any consolation, the BZ Peacock will be classified under Tobacco, since no Spirit category exists.  Though banzhang is a part of the production’s name, it plays zero part in why it became part of the Collection.  Name of terroir is only incidental to factory and wrapper.  Mid-aged Xinghais with fancy wrappers command a great deal of the Puerh Junky’s attention.  Offerings with the name BZ may command the attention from a great many others.

These two treasures will be offered by the 5th of Dec ’21.

 

Best Puerh Surprise 2021

Posted on by Yang-chu
30 Nov

The Best Puerh Surprise of 2021 is the Jinglong Factory.  They’re an Yiwu outfit that seems to have access to some very good Yiwu material and a consistent, if unimaginative, approach to tea production.  The thing is when all you imagine is root beer vanilla and camphor goodness, why deviate?

The Yiwu Prince made its debut this year as the first Jinglong in the Collection.  It’s from a favoured vendor who has excellent storage ensuring a good deal of cooking of the leaves.  This is necessary to get the root beer taste from Yiwus.  This character is completely absent in young productions.   The Yiwu Princess hails from the same vendor and features the same cooking with a greater floral expression.  Jinglong’s offerings avoid the floral trait.  Even though the Yiwu Prince proclaims Yiwu Spring Tips. . . the size of the leaves are altogether too long and thick to be the spring that comes to mind when a wrapper says spring.

The dark brew of the Princess, lest she be jealous.

I hastily sampled a newly arrive Jinglong production creatively named Early Spring from an unfamiliar vendor.  Even though its a great deal cheaper than their Prince, it’s every bit as good: the root beer, vanilla spice, all sweet no bitter, placid on the tongue.  I was surprised being fresh off the boat.

The above is a shot of the ’05 Jinglong Red Ribbon, thus named because it has an embroidered red ribbon in it. But don’t take my word for it; here it is:

Anyway, this production comes from a vendor where I’ve tended to only gander iconic productions.  Amidst a sea of very particular Zhongcha productions with handsome asking prices, this Jinglong rather stood out.  It’s the offering for which I developed the greatest affection, though I’ve only tried it twice.  The ribbon really seals the deal for me, even though some storage factors were dicey at best.  Fortunately, it hasn’t affected taste.

The Best Puerh Surprise of 2021 turned out to be a factory.  Hmm.  Jinglong offerings are remarkably consistent.  They deliver a first-rate Yiwu Zen regardless of price range.  They’re not apricoty and grapefruit seed like CMS.  They’re not grapey, berry, or fruity in any way.  Think of cane juice to which was added all types of very interesting tropical spices, something extremely pleasant like stewed pears in heavy syrup.

Samples of 20g for each is 60g of root beer vanilla goodness.  Hit me up if you’re interested in upping your Jinglong game.

Merlot Puerh Update

Posted on by Yang-chu
29 Nov

This is a quick Merlot Puerh Update.  It’s good drinkin’.  It strikes me as being a bit of XG Love Forever in its ripe version.  Many heicha have this fruity note but can be rather hit or miss with ripe puerhs.

Although the berry note seemed to have been making an exit, perhaps the expression varies based upon the season.  The berry is back in any event.  Merlot doesn’t strike me as being a grandpa style production.  There are layers of nuance better appreciated through proper gong-fu brewing.  This includes an ever so delicate hint of sourness that fascinates the edges of the tongue.  There’s also an element of minerality, no doubt due to the water I use, that only becomes evident in later infusions.

Merlot should be brewed hot but drunk at moderate temp, as with most ripes.

Finally, Merlot is among a number of Xinghai TF ripe puerhs in offered at one time or another.  Their ripes are categorically satisfying with some like the Operation Macau Tuo being nothing short of amazing.  There’s intention behind each production, as no two taste alike.  Merlot takes the berry crown. The wrapper’s official title translates to “Restoring Tradition”.  This might be why it is evocative of heicha.

Reflections ’10 Tiger, CMS

Posted on by Yang-chu
28 Nov

The ‘10 Tiger, CMS continues to impress me as being the best puerh I’ve ever had.  This is not to be confused for my favourite, which varies on season and mood.  The Tiger simply tastes like no other puerh I’ve ever had.  The leaves in the pot consistently smell like some poisonous herb, strange and offensive, like patchouli and andrographis, something definitely medicinal.  The smell in the pitcher is considerably more intriguing amidst a cloud of butter scotch mixed with a rubber band note, which some call banana or date and usually found in ripes.

The Puerh Junky has been drinking the Tiger since Aug of ’21.  Stunned was my initial impression.  The strange aroma yields a broth that nothing short of moksha.  Put the idea of tasting good out of one’s head and just taste what the tea has to offer.  In the earlier infusions its star anise that is the prevailing taste.  In later infusions the patchouli is more evident.  The first few infusions are quite sweet on day two and the thickness is excellent.  It seems to be around 100yr old trees, there’s still quite a lot of sass in later infusions.

The only other production that even approximates the Tiger is Quincy.  The latter went through quite a spell where its aroma was off-putting.  My last tasting of Quincy started to find an emergent strawberry note on the underside the medicine notes.  The impressions of the Tiger are by contrast much more convoluted given its dynamism.  As session in Oct ’22 yielded a watermelon session, the taste of Jolly Rancher candies.  Other fruit includes cantaloupe, but fruit isn’t its overriding expression.

Even as the taste begins to wane the huigan remains potent, filled with agarwood, clove, and dried ginger.  My wife found it a bit heady qi wise though I only felt a moderate opening in the chest, pleasant and refreshing.  Its effect in stimulating the digestive system was noted even more.

Additionally, the age and quality of material impart durability.  There’s no crash landing while brewing.  Even when pushed toward the end it did not lose character.  The bitter along stride sweetness throughout the second half of the session.  Given that most of these spice notes exist in sweet and savory dishes, the experience is suspenseful.

The Tiger, CMS seems most appropriately placed in the Spirits Class.  It resembles spicy digestives consumed after a meal in the old country.

Getting Orders

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Oct

The best part about getting orders is that it takes my mind off all the “new” arrivals.  A dragon pearl order had me stumble upon the ’14 Gedeng naked.

Prolly third infusion

Gedeng is one of the six famous tea mountains of Yunnan.  Don’t quote me but all the 6FTM are located in Yiwu.  I’ve had this since ’14 and listed in ’15, essentially.  The pic above is from ’15.

A little comparison in leaves. . .

2015

 

2020

But wait there’s more. . .

2021

Forgive the shoddy portraiture as I capture this Gedeng in its natural setting.  It seems to be a merciless creeper, astringency wise.  Seems to taste like glorified water.  What struck me was that the second and third infusions has a bit of bitterness that completely vanishes thereafter.  I’m about five infusions in and the first got about 3-5m.  It wasn’t overbearing in the least.  The fifth I gave a bit of stirring.  The pic above is infusion number five.

It then goes through a vous ja de aftertaste full of colour but utterly confusing because none of those tastes can be detected in the broth.  The immediate mouthfeel is a low buzz before wicked astringency, from the throat all along the tongue.  I haven’t felt like drinking something to offset that effect for quite a while.  It’s a tea of extremes.  I’m going to test with wife this evening.

 

Visiting Silver Pekoe Tuo

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Jun

Visiting Silver Pekoe Tuo is in reference to an ’06 Tulin raw tuo.  I first purchased a number of these in ’14 and then they reappeared around ’18 at around 3X the price and completely different storage conditions.  I’ll designate the first purchasing date as FP and the one in ’18 as LP.  They’re both the same ’06 production.

For starters FP was much more humidly stored.  Camphor aroma emanated from its pores.  In the early days sometimes the camphor taste was more obvious than others.  There was noticeable bitterness and there was a distinctive orange juice finish.  It went over a rocky path till reaching root beer perfection.

The LP is, how shall you say, fuzzy.  The aroma is something akin to laundry powder or drier sheets, that fresh perfume scent common among soaps.  Maybe that’s lavender.  Sometimes it blends in with a vanilla, as with the sold out Vanilla Palace.   It’s definitely a perfume which could classify as floral but the notes are much deeper.  It’s the difference between striking a sound on wine glass or upon a hide or a gut string.  LP is like the erhu, the stringed instrument that sounds like a stringed instrument imitating an oboe or a duck.

People complain there aren’t enough pictures, so that’s an erhu.  There’s a pervasive sentiment that pictures of ducks are humourous.  I beg to differ.

The taste of the LP is three words: bubble gum tobacco.  It would be four words if I added an “and.”  I’ve learned long ago to not overleaf this production, so I went with five grams in my slow-pouring 150ml zisha for florals.  It’s noticeably thick and dense, an intense wave of the perfume lady at church before your mind grabs hold of the bubble gum and tobacco.

I cannot recall any smokiness or tobacco from the FP.  There isn’t any smokiness in the aroma that I can detect through the church lady perfume in the LP, though it could be perceived as incense or potpourri depending on how much you like that smell.  This is the smoke that some productions take on as they age and what makes them classed as tobacco. These tend to be tastier in fall.

Now the Puerh Junky doesn’t go around listening to such stuff, unless pining over a previous incarnation.  In honest assessment, the LP is a Fruit Monster on steroids.  The material overall is fantastic.  That said, knowing what it was makes me hate it.  I can appreciate the LP for what it is but only to a certain extent, sorta like the Sean Connery people with James Bond.

Le Yinhao Originale

To be fair, the FP was stored four years before arriving, and the LP has been sitting in the very same deep storage for better than two years at least.  My sample notes are from items in the batting lineup.  These are stored these are stored for convenient access.  Humidity and temp are less concentrated.  It’s reasonable to conclude that the deep stored LP are considerably different from the one in the lineup.

Alas dear readers, to share a comparison sampler, if you will, would be an achievement of positive no significance beyond demonstrating the ginormous differences that storage expresses upon the same production.  There is some FP stash but as part of the collection, it indisposed.  Aye, between cataloging and tweaking storage of an ever-growing puerh junkstrosity, an item or two has known to get misplaced.

 

Puerh Junky Visits Drury Lane

Posted on by Yang-chu
13 Jun

The first thing that catches you about Drury Lane is how clean it is.  The aroma is remarkably sweet. Chocolate, camphor, and crayolas.  The rinse liquor sparkles the colour of brandy and it tastes like Kalua.  There’s an ineffable breadiness that entices.  At room temperature, camphor taste up from before being drowned out by milk chocolate.  Big time milk chocolate aftertaste.

The first infusion brews up considerably darker but still crystal clear.  The taste of vanilla jumps out with camphor middle and chocolatey tannin finish.  The sense of how clean it is remains.  Cleanliness hasn’t come at the cost of complexity.

Infusion two is doubtlessly darker still, a ruby.  I’m brewing judiciously about 10s but the waking was probably two minutes.  The broth now is almost sticky, conjuring impressions of Tootsie Rolls.  It’s super sweet and milk chocolately with fantastic camphor and vanilla elements.

Infusion three is slightly lighter than two.  It is still totally transparent.  It’s lighter in texture and the vanilla element seems to be taking the fore.  There’s the muffin element, simple vanilla muffins that aren’t too sweet, with just a hint of cardamom.  I think it’s good for two more rounds.  Might boil it tomorrow.  Twigs will like that.

If memory serves this is Xiangming Factory.  Actually, it’s Yongming.  They didn’t get puer bible listed in the ’98-’03 edition.  Either Xiangming or Yongming or both in one of the editions.  I think I’ve seen some of their offerings posted.  It was the first ripe I’ve purchased from the vendor I mentioned previously, the one who seems focused on selling the tea and not the factory.  Consequently, Yongming is more-or-less incidental to the tea itself.  Drury Lane sounds a shade more inviting than Menghai Ripe Brick for some reason.  The vendor actually never showed the wrapper.

Infusion five soaked for a few minutes delivers on par with the first infusion.  It’s quite rich.  Positively completely totally dry stored.  Quite reminiscent of the Langhe house taste for some reason.    Infusion six was possibly 15m.  The color is still remarkably dark but it’s less sweet and rich.   The final sips of a Black Russian.

Puerh Potion Number 2001

Posted on by Yang-chu
13 Jun

Puerh Potion Number 2001 is a whimsical tale involving the rather drably named Yiwu Huangpian.  It’s an old ’01.  It’s taken a beating with heat and dryness after its brief humid phase.  It’s pure Zen.  Many Yiwus I’m discovering are quite grapefruity, see Dragon or Yiwu Princess.  This isn’t.  It’s not floral either.  It seems to be a benchmark puerh in terms of it’s “old taste”, chenyun.  A very glorified form of newspaper.

There’s really very little use in talking about a puerh like this unless you’re somewhere where it’s chilly.  This is much more an autumn and winter type experience, puerhistically speaking.

So why am I writing on it you ask?  Because I rarely write upon ripes to a fault and this offering is an excellent introduction to raw puerh for the person who fancies ripes.  Yes.  This is an obligatory ripe post by referencing an old taste raw.

I’ve started to sorta suspect that one of the vendors I like doesn’t sell what he says he’s selling.  I’m willing to chalk it up to losing something in translation.  I didn’t buy the cake based upon what was on the wrapper, but this is one of “those wrappers” I was looking to acquire in any event.  There’s a stylistically similar one that reads spring tips.  This one reads top, bottom, then middle gu shu cha.  You simply can’t get more specifically generic than that. I got it because that vendor has excellent taste.

Now I’m looking at this cake and wondering if the wrapper is really what it is on the inside.  I don’t know.  I’ll never know with these iconic wrappers.  The neipiao is one of those horrible CNNP inserts.  I can’t remember what the neipiao was for the other one of “theirs” I had looked like.  I simply thought the vendor was selling something he liked.  He didn’t make any claims.  I ran into the factory in the Puer Yearbook a few days back.  I decide to pry loose the neifei, will it be as generic as the neipiao with a bazhong?

The plot thickens.  The neifei is identical to the wrapper.  Did this factory use CNNP neipiao?  I have to check the puerh bible.  It only lists their ’99 version which also looks to be huangpian but a different neifei.  The difference proves nothing because these matters change from one year to the next.  I snap a shot.

The thing that stands out in this photo in terms of authenticating this production is the fantastic appearance of the lousy CNNP neipiao in the very upper left.  The neifei marks the year of production in all likelihood.  This one is ’99.  The one of “theirs” from ’03 has a different neifei too.  I haven’t heard much about them but I don’t think I knew what I was seeing either.  I tried to get more of their ’03 but the vendor said they were sold out.

If the vendor’s description included the name of the factory, it could be it eluded me due to the trickiness of factory name.

I don’t know what to make of the puerh bible.  The Xinghai offerings included in it are quite skimpy, not remotely their best.

Another look at the puerh bible and I see that the tea’s name is actually gu cha shu, as that’s what the neifei also reads.  I was wrong about its name.

It certainly tastes its age.  It’s looking like what’s in the puerh bible, so this is supposed to be something.  I suppose. It’s the only thing of theirs listed.  This factory has only come to my attention by accident, only by virtue of the wrapper.  The ’03 version of ostensibly the same production but looking quite different is a dank camphor hydra.

With Puerh Potion Number 2001 you’re getting a classic old taste that still exhibits the exalted Zen of Yiwu.  Now when you’re drinking it you can quote chapter and verse about the neifei and neipiao.  I just thought this was a “white label.”  Maybe it’s a white label brand, which is highly likely.  Hard to find a raw closer to a ripe in terms of taste.  You drink this and you know it’s old.  You taste the Yiwu and you’re either bored or brought to tears.

Puersuits or Puerversions?

Posted on by Yang-chu
10 Jun

Puersuits or Puerversions takes the reader into the dark recesses of the Puerh Junky’s cave.  As the drone zooms in he’s seen muttering something about “porcelain” and “volume”.  He’s also distracted knowing that the reader is questioning the absence of the “h” in “puersuits”, given that the Puerh Junky is so fancy as to spell “puerh” with an “h” in the first place.  Trying to not get caught in the morass of how Chinese gets romanized, he glibly makes something up.  “Everyone knows you drop the “h” before an “s”.  That’s the problem.  No one obeys the rules anymore,” condescending to no one in particular.

His distemper was becoming more obvious.    Taking a chunk from a small porcelain “tea jar” he warms up his workhorse zisha.  It’s the ’07 HK Returns cake.   It’s delivering its best performance ever, a tribute to Zhongcha Zen style and complexity.  Never before had the HKRC “turned over”.  Sweetness and volume where all the layers previously formed a cacophony, now they had the space to harmonize.  The fuzzy note that sounds in many ZC productions from this year is much more ephemeral in the taste but totally present in the aroma, like fabric softener or sun-dried bed sheets.

“The small porcelain tea jar seems to been unspeakably beneficial for the HKRC, better than previously zisha stored experiments for longer durations,” he thinks to himself.  Then his mood turns to all the tea he hasn’t drunk.  “Perhaps this puersuit has turned into a bit of a puerversion,” he thinks solemnly, when the thought of the recently acquired HK Returns brick comes to mind.

HKR Square

For whatever reason, each shape tastes different, though there seem to be clues suggesting they’re the same.

The brick is the first wrapper where I’ve seen any indication of the actual recipe, “6581”.  It’s still firmly situated in the tobacco class, signs of petrol forming as well.  Evocative of Grenouille and Buddha Impressions before getting quite a bit more forceful in around infusion five.  Still quite young in some regards.  It’ll be an interesting puersuit getting to know more about it compared to the others.  Perhaps a sampler wouldn’t be too much of a puerversion.

 

Puerh Report: Tin Water Blues

Posted on by Yang-chu
04 Jun

Puerh Report: Tin Water Blues is part of an on-going look at the development of various tinned puerhs.  Here “tinned” is broadly construed to include raw puerhs stored in clay and porcelain as well.  Tin Water Blues is the Water Blue Mark stored about six weeks in a big fancy porcelain vessel with a tight-fitting porcelain lid having a foil underside.

I tested the Water Blue Mark as many as three times in that period, with a stint where the lid was left ajar.  It didn’t gain anything from porcelain.  A case for the blues if I’ve ever heard one.  It seemed to get airier when what it needs is to continue to cook through some of the smoke while letting the more complex spices and fruits develop.

I moved it to a kraft bag seal pouch, which I use for posting larger samples.  I’ve had some success with these storing a few items.  I consider their storage different from clay and perhaps porcelain in that it is sealing in flavor as opposed to seasoning it with a great deal more air exchange through clay.  Porcelain may not do this and might be best for stuff you want to keep as fresh as possible.  Porcelain aside, this vessel is so impossibly large that it might be best for sancha.

One must consider the change in season and variances in brewing vessels and brewing amounts.  The Puerh Junky using a scale much less lately with raws.  A scale still finds use with ripes more interested in testing performance relative others in the collection.  With raws I’m paying more attention to compression and eye-balling.

The most recent eye-balled session with the WBM stored in the kraft bag for around 10 days is a success.  Altogether eight infusions were had on day one.  At the eighth, which got a minute, an interesting thing happened. . . it got sweeter, while the smoke toned down.  Rocks and sugar.  Infusions the following morning were both sweet and savory.  The production has taken on a more serious tone, savory along with petrol, in the vein of the 6FTM Tuo and other considerably pricier items.  By the 12th infusion it got boring, but the shift at eight bodes well for what WBM is becoming.

I guess not all blues has a sad ending.  I’m at a stage now where I’m much more willing to make quick calls in my six-ring circus of storage.  It’s largely a matter of fine tuning given the variations I have at my disposal and what the tea prefers.  Volume and density is a major axis along which storage hinges.  Right now WBM is in a density phase.  We want more depth and richness to cook the fruit and spices not air them.