Mid 90s Wild Puerh

In the hot loaner teapot, the dry mid-90s wild puerh iron cake smells strongly of vanilla.  Wet, the vanilla mellow against a symphony of balanced aromas.

Brewing requires a measure of light-handedness.  Five seconds for the first six infuisons proved sufficient for me.  That’s because this production comes with some serious bitterness.  Unmistakably bitter.

Bitterness is not the most prevailing note, just the most daunting.  It’s definitely present in the aftertaste, along with vaguely mineral-graphite-petrol notes.  Still, that bitterness lingers.  All those complexities are present on the back end.

The main taste is a rich cream soda, with elements of spiced wood.  In terms of age-expressed herbal complexity, it shares an association with ’10 Year of Tiger, MK, though the Mid 90s wild has no floral notes.  All told, I get more than 12 infusions on a consistent basis.

It’s not uncommon to conjecture about the actual age of a production.  The best way to judge is by the colour of the leaves.  Storage conditions vary wildly.  It makes a huge difference in terms of how the tea expresses over time.  Here, the leaves are certifiably red, though the liquor is not particularly deep in hue.  At the same time, from one infusion to the next, it does not get lighter, perhaps even darker, as oxidation has penetrated evenly through the leaves, not just the superficial layers and at the edges.  Even though in many regards the ’10 Tiger, MK is more aged in some regards, the notes are significantly brighter, something only expressed in “young” teas.  In this case, I’ve an ongoing relationship with this seller.  Their storage is consistent and prices reasonable, so I don’t feel cause for there to be unreasonable suspicion toward their claims.

I’ll be posting sometime next year.