Tag Archives: aged puer

Black Brew– Xinghai’s MO

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Jan

A brief interlude into Black Brew and Xinghai’s MO, if you will.  The other day, the Puerh Junky ran across a query from someone in Turkey who asked about a particular ripe puerh cake that was under the Xinghai label.  Interesting thing about Turkey is that Turks drink more tea per capita than any  other, more than Russians, Indians, or Chinese.  However, Puerh tea still seems a relative unknown there, but the things I know about Turkey could fit on the back of a dime so…

Someone helped the inquisitor out by telling him that the cake was Xinghai and that they had a solid reputation for both raw and ripes.  Someone chimed in stating that Xinghai was NOT a very good brand and then cited a twitter-like ap called Discord as evidence.  Quick to gather information, in my junkiness I ran over to Discord to assess these views.  Maybe all five of them.

Absurd.

Xinghai, just like all the other major second generation factories, descends from one of the big three.  In this case, Xinghai is effectively known as Dayi/Menghai TF junior or Dayi #2.  Xinghai’s ripe puerh production may vary from Dayi.  The number of Dayi ripes the Puerh Junky has sampled is extremely small.  On the other hand, Xinghai’s hand in ripes is extremely consistent and well executed.  Theirs is not the stout type ripe so popular among many shou drinkers.  Rather it is a light style that seeks to highlight qualities one might find in aged raws, qualities like minerality, sweetness, and camphor.  The makers are NOT going for the syrupy, chocolately effect that screams shu but something closer to an actual aged raw.

Black Brew remains true to the Xinghai MO, though it is darker than most.  In terms of clarity, it is is a four of five lasting about six plus infusions.  It is very sweet, but the sweetness is like rock sugar not molasses.  There is no breadiness, rather minerals and camphor throughout.  The taste remains consistent from one infusion to the next, the ratios of sweet, mineral, and camphor remaining the same to the very end.

Black Brew is a shade richer than the Silver Peacock and without any of the humidity of Operation Macau.  None of these express any dried fruit notes.  It is clear that the same hand was involved in the production of all three.  None of these treasures are recommended for brewing grampa style.  You’ll otherwise miss the beauty of their clarity and the skill with which they were produced.

 

Puerh Rating: Cultural Revolution Series

Posted on by Yang-chu
14 Jan

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on ‘12 Cultural Revolution Series.  This offering was first posted in spring of 2016.  At the time it was very much in that “so what” stage.  The Puerh Junky imbibed of it in those five years a total of four time and twice this week, being the second week of January in 2021.

Upon the second tasting in ’18, the CRS exhibited certain talcum notes, giving the impression it was going to take a turn for the perfumy type ripe but has now settled into the domain of richness with camphor.  This production is clearly getting better with age, so lets get down to it.

After three rounds the totals were as follows:

  • Aroma           8
  • Clarity            9
  • Sweetness   11
  • Viscosity        8
  • Astringency  12
  • Huigan          11
  • Qi                   4

Reflections on Cultural Revolution Series

The Puerh Junky has a preference for lighter ripes that demand less brewing time to get the most from them.  In the final assessment, the CRS is decidedly NOT that type of ripe puerh.  In fact, it was apparent in the fourth infusion which I pushed for a minute that it was decidedly better than the previous three because it had received the requisite time to sufficiently enrich the broth.

Increased brew time does not adversely affect CRS’s most outstanding attribute, smoothness.  The astringency/tannins noted in ’16 upon posting are no longer there.  Second is its sweetness, which is building with time.  Notably, as one digs deeper with each infusion there isn’t a big drop off in sweetness, while the huigan builds.  Camphor and sweetness express strongly in both the broth and the huigan, the sweetness such a presence that one my call for water to dilute the sugar.  It is a sugar sweetness, not molasses.  In fact, even though the camphor indicates a fair amount of aging and juicy storage, there is no darkness, yeastiness, or even humidity characterizing Guandong type storage.

The PJRS gave the CRS a low qi score.  However, it appears that its qi effects are considerably greater, though they come on rather slowly.  The sensation once it came on could be felt in both the head and the muscles of the neck and arms, giving that “need to stretch” sensation.

Conclusion

The Puerh Junky could hardly think of a more appropriate production to introduce someone to ripe puerh than the Cultural Revolution Series.  It is sweet and camphory without any hints of wetpile taste.  At the same time, given the trajectory of the offering itself, it is clear that it is at an interesting stage that is trending in the right direction for the seasoned ripe drinker, particularly ones who enjoy their ripes on the thick side.  Puerh Rating: Cultural Revolution Series

63/105, C

 

Puerh Rating: Orchid Vibe

Posted on by Yang-chu
19 Dec

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on Orchid Vibe.  Offered in 2011, it represents LME’s continued reliable ripe puerh production style.  One overriding observation is a sweetness to LME’s ripe house style.  The Orchid Vibe is no exception.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          11
  • Clarity          10
  • Sweetness   13
  • Viscosity       15
  • Astringency  14
  • Huigan         13
  • Qi                  8

Reflections on Orchid Vibe

Marshmallow and milk chocolate.  There’s a very interesting squinch of sour at the back end that makes it cheeky.  In later infusions the vanilla marshmallow fades into dark wood terrain that has a faint evocation of rubber bands.   There’s also a pervasive blanket of talcum throughout.

Conclusions

Orchid Vibe is a solid everyday drinker for those who like their ripes with a darker edge.  It shares attributes with the “55” in terms of sweetness and woodiness, but Orchid Vibe starts out with much more vanilla and marshmallow before expressing wood.  “55” is woody throughout with more camphor and tannins.  The sour element in this ripe makes it unsuitable for pushing, as previously noted.  It nonetheless strikes the Puerh Junky as being exceedingly well executed.  The qi on this is a super creeper, 15m later the effects were going stronger than during the session, headiness and started feeling hungry.  Puerh Rating:  Orchid Vibe

83/105, B

 

 

2020 Top Tastes

Posted on by Yang-chu
17 Dec

Herein, the Puerh Junky lays bare his 2020 Top Taste preferences.  This is going to be short.

  1. Root Beer
    Imperial Roots— from peppermint candy with faint dank to boss root beer.
    Thick Zen— from thick Zen dry straw to sweet root beer.  Que bueno!
    Tiger, MK— Daxueshan florality with effervescent root beer.  Sold out this year.
    Tiger tuo, LC— From pineapple and green apple to root beer.
    White Tips tuo, TL— dynamic to the hilt.  The second batch is now in cooking stage so can be picked up at a fair price.  It’s simply not the same as the original as it is so much drier.  This imparts an incense and floral vibe instead of forest and mint candy.
    Vanilla Palace— Burly Bulang with florality to zesty root beer.
  2. Zen
    Grenouille— tobacco to Zen
    Hideout
  3. Mineral Camphor
    Cherry Blossom
    Leifeng Ripe– a few free samples avail but not for sale
    7261 Ripe– Coming soon.
    Bada Peacock
  4. Floral
    Lily of the Valley
    Yiwu Princess
    LME Spring Puerh
  5. Perfume
    Red Star
    White Tips Tuo second batch– wretchedly perfumey, what will
    Buddha’s Impression– Coming in 2021

Some have probably ascertained that the Puerh Junky has simply plied artifice in an effort to sell his wares.  Guilty.  In actuality, his is a fairly dualistic view toward the entire affair of puerh tastes: root beer or not.  It’s become a bit of a way to gauge life itself: is it root beer puerh or not?  Higher order life questions include whether an offering portends the promise of root beer.  Of course, there are other manifestations that can be quite exquisite; it’s just they’re not root beer.

 

Endangered Species Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
18 Oct

Endangered Species Puerh isn’t what you think.  This is a nostalgia piece regarding a tuo, a lunar tuo to be precise, that has long vanished.  It took about four years from my acquisition for it to express root beer notes.  At the outset, in ’14, it tasted like pineapple and Granny Smith.

I ran across this post from ’12 and thought I’d share.  It’s in Chinese and for your convenience, I through it through “translator.”  I didn’t tidy the rendering.  It’s good for the pics at the very least.

Tiger is the king of the forest, tea is also the king of the forest
The raw materials are selected for the large-leaf ancient trees and the old sun-dried green tea in the Lancang River Basin, carefully blended by the tea craftsman, and picked by hand. The new and old match, high temperature autoclaved. The soup is yellow and bright. After tasting, the mouth will stay fragrant. Strong taste. pure. With a long aftertaste, it is an excellent product worth collecting and drinking.
I kept it at home for half a year, and I started the soup today. I feel that the raw materials do have the ingredients of ancient trees. I don’t know how much, but the price is still very close to the people and very attractive. In terms of taste and color, after nearly 3 years of transformation, the color of the soup turns yellowish and brighter and slightly red, and there is no longer the green and astringent feeling of new tea. The taste is strong, the bitterness comes and the bitterness is very fast, the sweetness is strong, pure, and the aftertaste is long-lasting, and it is very comfortable in the mouth for a long time. In 3-5 years, Lin Zhongwang must be a good tea.

One of the advantages to tuo is that they’ll get up to speed much faster than a cake.  This particular tuo which was stored conservatively but raced to root beer faster than any amidst the treasure.  This was when I realized that the aggressive taste of Lancang TF was worth enduring.  Still I have an ’09 Ox from them that I’m still waiting on.

Maybe ’10 was one of those “good years.”  I say this because when I got the Mengku Tiger in about 16, I couldn’t believe how positively mature it tasted. . . an looked.

Unbelievably from 2010.

The conditions were magnificent.  It didn’t taste as if it had been pushed too hard in storage.  The root beer was there along with typically floral and burly notes characteristic Mengku/Daxue Shan.

Alas.  They come and they go.

 

Puerh Readiness

Posted on by Yang-chu
16 Oct

The Puerh Junky in me got to pondering the determinants of Puerh Readiness.  Surely, this is not a construct.  There must be objective standards upon which to base puerh readiness.  Puerh Readiness is sought after by middle-aged and old puerh drinkers.

So, the Puerh Junky sits to have a second PJRS of Fu.  It is infusion four after two hours.  The infusion is two or one in clarity.  He sits to write notes.  His mouth is full of flowers but pronounces the cake: “NOT READY.”  The taste is good.  It will please the ruffians, but the Puerh Junky is not rough.  There was a time it was quite ready.

Gold Ribbon

Zhongcha ’07 “9611” Peacock Gold Ribbon Cake

After two hours it is evident that Fu is exquisitely good but dreadfully young.  Lack of clarity in a standard Zhongcha production is highly irregular.  Any ugliness in the broth points to the youth of tea.  Clarity is one parameter that the Puerh Junky uses in evaluating the readiness of ripes.  The same can be applied to raws and in cases of Zhongcha the benefit of doubt should be extended because unlike Xiaguan, they specialize in tea clarity.

“9611” Clarity and Beauty

As mentioned, the young tea drinker may be entirely adrift regarding puerh readiness.  The fact is many young puerhs are “ready.”  If they’re oolong processed and sold as “gushu“, then maybe a little too ready.

Puerh Transformation

Puerh readiness is expressed in the fundamental transformation of the raw material under particular storage conditions.  It is a trans-annual phenomenon.  Productions can be initially quite drinkable only to descend to the depths of unreadiness, as the Fu case demonstrates.

Part of readiness is also usually conveyed in the colour.  Light coloured liquor is indicative of young tea or relatively dry storage older stuff.  They won’t taste anywhere the same.  The latter may bear attributes of readiness but reflect a different curing style.

Some productions may be able to progress from one stage to the next without hiccoughs but the hiccoughs are quite common and it often has to do with the tea’s own personality.  For some drinkers these quirks however ephemeral prove charming.  Just because a production dips into a period of unreadiness doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, particularly if you’re not finding the same problem among the rest of your stash.

A whole treatise could be written on Puerh Readiness.  The Puerh Junky experienced a moment of panic regarding the ’19 Crouching Tiger, but it simply wasn’t ready.  It needed a year, which is hardly atypical.  There is something about mouthfeel that is an indicator.  It is most certainly not astringency.  In fact, too much astringency is dead give away of poor brewing or just not being ready.  The ready mouthfeel is fizzy or like a magic blanket tiny sparkles.  It’s the benchmark of the root beer class.

Puerh Rating: Quincy

Posted on by Yang-chu
07 Oct

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on Quincy.  This is another production from ’07 by the LME.  A fair amount has been said about this puerh factory.  The Puerh Junky carries a number of their productions.  They have a level of integrity, while being great everyday drinkers given the price.

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma        14
  • Clarity        12
  • Sweetness  7
  • Viscosity      7
  • Astringency 12
  • Huigan         10
  • Qi

Reflections

Sept 2020

For starters, Quincy takes a real hit in terms of qi.  For what is supposed to be old tree material, this production has never struck me as one for qi.  That can be a good thing if you’re just looking for a drink.  The sweetness and viscosity are also slightly below average.  Those preferring drier and lighter texture would find this appealing.

In terms of clarity, the final results don’t show that it starts out great then grows gradually cloudy.  This trend probably continues for another two infusions before getting pretty.  As far as astringency is concerned, it maintains an evenness a very mild astringency level throughout.  All of the ’07 LME offerings are decidedly smooth and not astringent.

The most outstanding feature of Quincy is its aroma, which still pops.  However, this is likely to be a somewhat unfamiliar aroma among drinkers of young tea.  This aroma only develops after the raw puerh has aged at least six year.  At least.  These are notes that are simply not present in young tea, malto meal, medicinal linaments your grand parents used.

Conclusions

There is no way around the unique flavour profile of Quincy.  The Puerh Junky has tasted a handful of such unique profiles.  To be honest, the closest association is with Raid lawn mosquito spray from a can, something I haven’t been exposed to since the mid 80s.  Associations like laundry soap or baby powder are far more common in puerh.  The petrol taste is a class in itself.  Here even though the taste has petrol elements, they are far more medicinal.  Puerh Rating: Quincy

62/105 C

 

Hawt Puerh: Monkey 6FTM

Posted on by Yang-chu
06 Oct

On Monday to mark Labor Day 2020, I decided on Hawt Puerh: Money 6FTM.  I didn’t subject it to the PJRS.  I just wanted to check in to see where it was, already having ascended to the top-self of Puerh Junkiedom by virtue of its collectability.

Monkey Closeup

The ’04 Monkey is the first in an extremely popular Lunar Series by 6FTM.  It’s made from early spring material.  The recipe has never changed.  It’s a punchy floral qi-heavy, mouth-blasting forbearance.  It expresses the quintessential Fengqing character.

This rascal has been aging in Los Angeles since ’14.  It probably is responsible for the wrapper fetish.  It has been stored between the controlled conditions of the fridge and hot/variable container.  Maybe two years ago, to baby the wrapper, I placed it in a cardboard box, one slightly different from the normal puerh boxes but one used for that very purpose nonetheless.

Untattered Wrapper

Reflections

First, that box has contaminated some of the taste.  I’ve placed the Monkey in plastic and back in the box and will check in on at end of year.  The taste isn’t particularly strong, but I don’t like it.  On writing this, I’m going to take it from the box and keep it in plastic and check at year’s end.

Second, it is simply not possible to drink this and not compare it to Poison.  Both are 6FTM Lunar productions.  Poison came into my possession in Jul 2020.  It is Kunming stored but by people who really know what they’re doing.  Poison is more aged and as active as Monkey.  Monkey has old-book (can you say cardboard) note with root beer, as the floral notes emerge with each infusion.  Poison is pure root beer and there isn’t any other layer.  It’s pure Poison.

Infusion 3

Third, the durability of the Monkey is a great disappointment.  I only goes five infusions before starting to fade and it actually bottoms out in the 7th or 8th.  Poison doesn’t bottom out, EVER.

Conclusion

The ’04 Monkey is a “hawt” puerh commodity.  It has a pleasing depth of flavor and dynamism in the mouthfeel.  Still, five infusions is a shade short for most productions, particularly of this age.  I don’t ever recall noticing such a short lifespan previously.  It was brewed in gaiwan and infusion times were the typical flash-10s.  In short, Poison casts such a shadow over Monkey that it is only possible to be mildly entertained by it, not floored.  If one is a committed wrapper junky or a collector it’s worth having, otherwise its price extreme for the judicious junky.

 

 

Puerh Rating: Water Blue Mark

Posted on by Yang-chu
04 Oct

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the Water Blue Mark.  This is the Kunming Tea Factory’s (KMTF) reproduction of a Menghai TF creation from, as early as I could tell, ’98.  The purpose of the PJRS is to objectively adjudge a production based on seven criteria, otherwise minimizing subjective preferences.  It comes in handy for an atrocity like the Water Blue Mark.

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma        10
  • Clarity        10
  • Sweetness 12
  • Viscosity      9
  • Astringency 11
  • Huigan        11
  • Qi                 4

Reflections

Water Blue Mark: Cashed Leaves

The Water Blue Mark’s highest score was in sweetness.  It is surprisingly sweet.  This attribute says nothing about it’s taste profile however.  It is very, very heavy tobacco.  More on that in the conclusion.  All of the scores appear to be conservative, particularly the qi score.   Even the Puerh Junky has better qi days than others.  In assessing the score sheet, it is evident that the Blue Water Mark has staying power in terms of sweetness and viscosity, while the huigan and clarity improve.

Now the obligatory ’07 KMTF refrain. . .  The reputation all for 07 Zhongcha productions have been written off by the experts.  Another man’s trash is the Puerh Junky’s treasure.  The fact is that in ’07 KMTF went bankrupt but the factory kept churning, even more furiously.  In terms of its role in the development of ripes they deservedly hold their demarcation as Factory #1.  Almost all their other classic raw productions seem to have some history with Factory #2, Menghai, modern day Dayi.

In assessing a range of Zhongcha/KMTF productions from ’16-’06, Zen seems to predominate their house style.  The Puerh Junky associates this primarily with eastern Lincang material, Bangdong etc.  One would expect the Water Blue Mark to not deviate much with a name like Water Blue Mark.  Wrong. And herein lies the atrocity.

Conclusions

The Water Blue Mark comes at you more like the OG Gangsta or the Longevity Tuo.  Brewed in a gaiwan, this puerh exhibits NO mercy.  Perhaps this is what prevented detection of qi.  It is wicked strong, but not harsh and edgy.  Deep to medium notes, something that must be brewed in clay.  It has a petrolated and woody taste with the absence of rockiness that I most strongly associate with Dayi. It’s dry burning, hot wood, not foresty moist and minty. Yeah!  It’s dry-stored but not dried out.  It’s active as all getout.  There is nothing Watery or Blue about this offering.  It’s Green Mark, some iteration thereof, all the way.  Macho con tobacco. Puerh Rating: Water Blue Mark

67/105 B

Puerh Rating: Peacock Ripe

Posted on by Yang-chu

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the Peacock Ripe.  This is a 357g ripe cake from the LME TF, produced in ’09.  They have other production years for this treasure, ’06, ’08, ’09, and ’11.  They’ve been in the game of making puerh since 1984, focusing primarily Bulang, Banzhang, and Lao Man E.  The link provides guidance for pronunciation of that letter “E.”

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma        10
  • Clarity        14
  • Sweetness 11
  • Viscosity      9
  • Astringency 11
  • Huigan        10
  • Qi                 7

Reflections

The Peacock Ripe distinguishes itself from the Silver Peacock in being richer and deeper.  As the picture shows it clarity is is most outstanding attribute, followed by pleasing sweetness and little astringency.

The qi and viscosity rank lowest, with viscosity being a solid average and the qi expressing itself but not something that’s going to make you crazy, hungry, or frequent trips to the WC.

Conclusions

The Peacock Ripe’s profile is vanilla with some geosmin.  No fruit and despite wikki’s definition, no mustiness.  The Puerh Junky finds LME ripe productions to be outstanding in respect to possessing positively ZERO detested vegetal notes.  The effects of age are evident in its richness and depth.  One drinker who comes to ripe puerh from a wine background noted sustained character even when drunk from a thermos at work. Subjected to the GSM its score would undoubted be higher.  The camphor would pop more. Puerh Rating: Peacock Ripe

72/105, B