Did Puerh Junky Mention?

“Did Puerh Junky Mention?” is a bit of a retrospective.  The last puerh order for the year has been placed.  All the Nov acquisitions have been nestled along with the rest of the mounting stash.  None of the orphans are feeling lonely, and some of the “long with” items are excelling.  Let’s start with the excelling, shall we?  There are three offerings that come to mind.

’08 Buddha Impressions is a Jinggu, Simao offering from a local factory.  The pressing is moderate to light.  They didn’t fall sway to modernism or herdism, which seems fairly typical of the Jinggu offerings tracked down.  They have an iconic brick offering and it seems that at one time were part of “the monopoly.”  Anyway, storage conditions here in LA, CA, USA have be very good for it.  The past three years have not been very warm and its cooking has not in anyway been stressed.  At the same time, the zing in the material has increased greatly and the underlying quality shines greatly.  The factory offerings are increasingly difficult to come by and that’s presumably due to pre-orders or connections with exclusive distributors.  It’s worth a sample for those seeking good value from established terroir-specific factories.

’03 Yiwu Princess has always been a fav of Puerh Junky, but its vaulted to another level in the past year due to ideal storage conditions.  Originally of a humid nature, the extremely moderate conditions of LA, CA, USA have allowed all the intrinsic qualities of the the Princess to take the next step.  Most interesting is its evolution from old to young.  It previously had a taste of old chrysanthemum and has subsequently blossomed into a young floral taste along its aged backdrop.  The storage transformation for it has been stellar, exhibiting a lively mouthfeel and depth of high-grade material and superb processing.

The Puerh Junky has a vague recollection of writing upon the ’08 Dali Tuo.  In most of its stages its been pleasant, though there was one juncture where faith was close to loss.  Now, it could be said that its at the stage where one favouring wicker and berry should not hesitate.  Compression is tight.  Complexity is engaging.  Exquisite.  Instagram shots.

Finally, there is James Brown.  It’s an ’02 sinewy offering with funk and depth.  Those keen on wicker and extraordinary value.  The name indicates a funk factor akin to some cheeses.  It’s NOT mouldy or dank.  Rather, some type of cultivation has occurred that is unique to say the least.  Duration is long.  Woody, funky, spice, and deep– potent aroma.  The unexperienced will ask, “Is it really tea?”

 

by Yang-chu