Chameleon (250g brick) takes its name from its changing character. Its initial attribute is “date.” If you let it sit a few hours, then it shifts to a high volume camphor explosion with a backdrop of berry, similar to aged heicha and puerhs of at least 15 years old.
Out the gate, Chameleon impresses with a sweet aroma dry in the pot. There’s none of the salty smell customary with many ripes. None. Maybe the sweetness is like dates. . . or honey, banana also comes to mind. It’s not grassy in the least. Neither aroma nor taste carry vegetal notes. Chameleon‘s aroma pops dry and obviously more so wet. It’s not a poppy aroma however. In fact, it has a most distinctive note that I mostly associate with brie and rubber bands. Enticing eh? But it doesn’t stop there.
From the rinse till when it’s cashed, Chameleon is absurdly clear. It gives it up quickly. Longer infusions are totally unnecessary, but if you go that route it expresses a broody darkness of blackberry, but when held to the light it’s still crystal clear. As it fades, the colour expresses lighter shades of cherry red. Its clarity is outstanding.
Looking for astringency? Chameleon doesn’t have it. It’s silky smooth from tongue tip to gullet. The date taste lingers in the mouth afterward, the brie and rubber bands, an overriding sense of sweet, not as oppressive as molasses but with a similar molasses richness. Oh yeah, they call that “date.” Fortunately, this sweetness isn’t sticky and the brew overall has a juicy thirst-slaking quality about it. No doubt this would make a fantastic cold brew.
From the morning session, I came away with the evocation of something between Wheat and Bran Chex– that’s an old-school breakfast cereal for you youngsters. In the evening session, my wife had to shoot me with a dart gun to settle my jubilation over the bright camphor with the berry undertow. With a few years storage or in opening the night before, camphor would likely be its prevailing attribute. Chameleon isn’t picky. You choose.
So how old is this huangpian? Oh! Did I not mention it’s huangpian? Some of the absolutely most distinctive ripes I’ve ever had have been huangpian. This little reptile certainly also qualifies. As for age, it’s very difficult to tell. The storage style suggests that it was made after the 90s. Still, it could be as young as 2010. There is no “old taste” to this, i.e., no old books. There’s no dryness of any sort but neither is there any hint of humidity. Of course, there’s no wet-pile. A brick will age quicker than a cake, but there’s no signs of this storage having been excessive in any direction. The storage is stupendous. With ripes, clarity is a reliable barometer for ascertaining the readiness of a production. “Ready” in this case means that all the stuff that is the byproduct of wet piling has been “eaten,” so to speak. Murky ripes are not ready, shoddily processed, or of questionable quality. Chameleon is anything but shoddy or questionable. Stored in Los Angeles since Feb ’21. 250g.
14.¢
