Tag Archives: aged puer

Puerh Rating: OG Gangsta

Posted on by Yang-chu
puerh tea brick
03 Oct

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the OG Gangsta, an organic production from ’05.  The factory is Gu Puerh, which the Puerh Junky had erroneously associated with the Simao TF, evidently.  The long name of the factory is Simao Gu Puerh TF.  I’m not convinced they’re not the same.

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma         9
  • Clarity        10
  • Sweetness  9
  • Viscosity      8
  • Astringency  4
  • Huigan        10
  • Qi                12

Reflections

The OG Gangsta introduces many nuances to brewing.  This tasting was brewed in gaiwan, contrary to the opening picture.  Second, the opening shot is of a selection that has been more transformed than the 2020 shot.  Let’s take up each matter.

Brewing old productions in gaiwan eventually has diminishing returns.  After eight years of age, irrespective of storage type one needs to consider the employ of a clay pot.  Before posting, I tried the OG Gangsta in the bell pepper pot pictured above.  The astringency turned to glass, what the Puerh Junky describes as a sublime smoothness.  Clay makes young productions rough, but it has a way to do the opposite with older puerhs.  In gaiwan, the Gangsta is noxiously astringent.  This is reflected accordingly in its astringency score.

The second picture shows a deeper progression into the 500g machine-pressed brick.  The material at deeper levels is obviously less transformed as evident from the second picture.  This will also translate into a rougher experience but so perplexed by the astringency experience, I retried within the month.

Conclusions

OG Gangsta is one puerh on its way to full root beer bliss.  Atomic compression spells more root beer at the edges than deeper in.  The ferocity of taste is matched by its qi, It shows a quality of selection that isn’t matched by its cost.  We’re talking a tobacco class selection on the road to root beer.  Qi-geeks who are just looking to get knocked on their you know what. . . This score is deceptively low.  Puerh Rating: OG Gangsta

62/105, C

Puerh Rating: Yiwu Princess

Posted on by Yang-chu
27 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on Yiwu Princess, an ’03 production joining the Puerh Junky stash the summer of ’19.  Since this is a white label, there is not anything to report on the factory.  The production came highly recommended from a favoured Kunming vendor.

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma        13
  • Clarity        15
  • Sweetness 12
  • Viscosity     11
  • Astringency 15
  • Huigan        11
  • Qi                10

Reflections

Yiwu Princess: Cashed Leaves

The Yiwu Princess listed in Spring 2020.  This is one of the few raw puerh cakes requiring no adjustment time, which can be anywhere from two weeks to two years.  In terms of clarity and astringency, this treasure receives a perfect score.  Any production that scores above 9 in every category can be considered serious, and as the list shows the Yiwu Princess’s lowest score is 10, qi.

Let’s say a bit about identifying Yiwu productions and storage.  One give away to identifying an Yiwu is in the formation and pressing of the cake.  Stone pressing is the norm.  Leaves are full, often populated with long leaf stems to give it a sexy filigree.  The tenderness of the pressing is immediately apparent when held.  It’s not the power pressed discus of Bulang, where the compression juices the leaves together into a shellac.  Irrespective of how fancy the factory is, Yiwu production methods are incredibly incredibly uniform and careful in presentation.  The the exact opposite of recipe cakes like 7542 or Blue Mark.

The Puerh Junky feels that storage factors more greatly in evaluating an Yiwu than any other puerh terrior.  It just seems that in contrast to Simao, Lincang, Bulang (and all the villages contained therein) that Yiwus generally provide little indication of what they are until they’ve aged at least 10 years.  This aging needs to be stressful too, particularly if you want to know which direction the production will take: root beer or dried flowers.

The Yiwu Princess hails from a Kunming vendor favoured precisely for their outstanding storage.  Storage of this sort would typically be associated with Guandong or Taiwan.  The Puerh Junky detests dank or hot-stored stuff that kills the tea such that you’re only left with drinking dried garbage or newspaper.

Conclusions

The Yiwu Princess is emblematic of puerh tea in the old school sense.  It’s aged to perfection, preserving chrysanthemum floral note beneath the blanket of perfect humidity.  The PJRS has again produced robust results, in this case by demonstrating how complete a performance the Princess give by all seven criteria.  Puerh Rating: Yiwu Princess

87/105, A

 

 

 

 

 

Patchouli Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
27 Sep

This Sat afternoon the Puerh Junky sat down with the Patchouli Puerh.  It’s from an order received in Jun or Jul of 2020.  The Patchouli Puerh bears the real name of ’03 Big Tree White Buds and hails from the Xinghai TF.  This is the first real tasting.

Sandalwood commonly characterizes the dry aroma of puerhs entering the next phase of transformation.  The first time the Puerh Junky encountered this was with a young tuo initially possessing green apple notes.   The change was so remarkable, the Puerh Junky spent a good week searching for errant odors that did not exist in storage.  These moments of panic are normal when initially storing puerh.

On rare occasion, the taste of incense can be detected in the tea broth, but usually the incense vibe is noticeable only before the leaves are opened.  Enter, Patchouli Puerh, but before discussing this intensely curious production, something about Xinghai TF that I haven’t already.

Xinghai Tea Factory

Xinghai TF’s huge puerh operation started up in ’02.  According to Baidu they offer over 80 different productions.  Their reputation is as solid for raws as ripes.  To the Puerh Junky’s horror, he learned that Xinghai bears the nickname of Dayi factory #2.  If that is the case, then Dayi is not only fantastic but Xinghai offers the opportunity to taste older Dayis that have either long been snatched up or cost an arm-and-a-leg.  Here’s a good site for further exploration.  Prices are extremely fair.

The Puerh Junky’s encounter with Xinghai arose from the peacock.  Xinghai features a peacock series and peacock brand in addition to individual peacock productions. The varying divisions, series, and grades amidst big factories is befuddling.  The only recourse is to stick to one’s thematic guns, choosing thematically or visually interesting wrapper before wading into deeper, i.e., expensive waters.

Now the Reflections

The Patchouli Puerh is a Kunming-moderate stored production from ’05.  In fact, the conditions were ideal allowing plenty of transformation while not imparting any humid taste.  The first thing you notice is that it doesn’t taste anything as ugly as the broth.  I didn’t want to apply the PJRS, focusing more on the experience.  At the same time, the variables of the PJRS are integral to the experience.  In short, even though I didn’t do any math this is a tremendously ugly tea for the first two infusions.

The contrast between the murky brew and the its taste is disarming.  You’re bracing yourself for something sharp and highly opinionated.  The reality pauses time, so much Zen in the texture and taste.  Underneath the Zen is a maelstrom of tastes, patchouli being prime among them and exceedingly present in the huigan.  Additionally, peat, minerals, and the slightest hint of sour that starts to express on the tongue and saliva action in later infusions.

The sour plum is interesting.  Some could easily conclude its an awkward teen phase, but if this as awkward it gets then I’ll Junky to that!  Anyway, the sour is like the chimes and triangles in a symphony.  They have a role, but it is very small compared to the woodwinds of patchouli.

Just when you think you have the puerh universe figured out, along comes a treasure like the Patchouli Puerh to let you know you don’t.

 

 

Puerh Rating: Family

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on “Family,” an ’03 Youle Mt tuo by Yang Pin Hao, YPH.  This brand has been in existence since the end of the dynastic era, 1912, but has passed through several hands.  The brand certainly carries prestige.  A tea lass in Kunming looked at me incredulously when I showed familiarity.

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma        10
  • Clarity        10
  • Sweetness 12
  • Viscosity     12
  • Astringency 14
  • Huigan          9
  • Qi                 12

Reflections

Infusion #3

The Youle receives a near perfect score in astringency.  YPH productions are characteristically floral and smooth.  Its thickness, sweetness, and qi make it a strong contender for best among YPH offerings the Puerh Junky has sampled.

Earlier in the week the Puerh Junky sat down with a sample of the ’06 Youle, XZH.  Placing the YPH alongside the XZH the similarities are clear in terms of floral class puerhs.  The XZH despite being Taiwan stored was about where the YPH was two years ago.  Neither production bear any resemblance to anything remotely humid stored, brash, or aggressive.  Both brews maintain a high level of consistency from one infusion to the next and do not bottom out even as they fade.

Conclusions

The Puerh Junky’s archival stash there’s an ’07 Youle Mt cake that is in full-blown root beer expression.  Even in its youth, stored since ’14, it was darker, more camphory, minty.  The Youle, YPH is just now entering a root beer stage, but the overall vibe is soft, clean, and floral.  This is “the other” Yang family boutique puerh vendor.  This isn’t for sale but reach out if interested in buying a sample.  Puerh Rating: Family

77/105, B

 

Puerh Rating: Grenouille

Posted on by Yang-chu
24 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the ’06 Grenouille 100g tuo.  This Kunming dry-stored raw production came on the radar during an Wuliang Mt. phase of collecting.  The Puerh Junky’s tendencies are now more toward productions amidst preferred factories.  According to Baidu, the Chinese wiki, the Hai Xin Tang factory has been in the game since ’93.  They seem to excel both at raw and ripe productions but their variety is extremely limited to one or two productions of each.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          11
  • Clarity            7
  • Sweetness   14
  • Viscosity        9
  • Astringency  12
  • Huigan          11
  • Qi                 13

Reflections

Infusion 3

Most of the time, PJRS sessions are conducted with gaiwan.  Not here.  This tuo is quite simply the most undervalued item in the collection.  Strong vanilla.  No petrol, no flowers.  Brown sugar, light honey, stones, light smoke.

The sweetness of the Grenouille puerh tuo is near off the chain.  Everything in the composition of this production is in the medium range.  The qi expression is near immediate, stirring, expansive.  Sometimes the thought when facing a tuo is to brace oneself from a cacophony of brash machismo, but such is not the case here.  Generally any score above 8 on astringency is decent, and 12 qualifies as fantastic.

The picture tells you this is an ugly tea.  Some people don’t care about that.  I can say that if lack of clarity is an indication of completeness, which it isn’t, then this puerh tuo takes the prize.  The next day it was even murkier but every bit as complete.

Conclusions

Even though the Grenouille hails from the same region of Tulin and Xiaguan, the processing methods and raw material seems to vary in terms of general quality.  Hai Xin Tan is a much smaller outfit with far fewer productions and seemingly remarkable quality.  In terms of depth, character, and richness, it is closest to the Peacock, LM from the same year.  Puerh Rating: Longevity & Wealth

77/105, B

Puer Rating: Female Teamaster

Posted on by Yang-chu
24 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the renowned female teamaster Du Qiong-zhi.  Let’s say she’s no slouch.  Coming through the ranks of the vaunted Menghai TF since the 70s, she’s had a hand in numerous next generation factories of great repute.  This is her production of the famous 7542 in ’05.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          12
  • Clarity            8
  • Sweetness     9
  • Viscosity        9
  • Astringency  15
  • Huigan         15
  • Qi                 12

Reflections

Stacked infusions 7, 8, 9. Less than 10 sec.

There’s no getting around the wetness of this storage.  Du Qiongzhi’s 7542 received perfect scores in astringency and huigan, as the dank humidity smothered the sharp green notes.  At the same time, this puerh cake did not lose much of its punch in terms of qi or aroma.  The picture above shows intense copper at a phase where typical productions either fade in colour or intensity.  This kept going, but never in a ferocious or discourteous manner.

Old Taste and Funk make this puerh reminiscent of an older style of puerh storage, when HK and others of the Chinese diaspora comprised the overwhelming share of the puerh market.  The dank style is not agreeable to the big bucks in Beijing and Shanghai, but is highly favoured among a handful of old-school puerh drinkers in the non-Chinese world.

The Puerh Junky associates “old taste” with musty books and newspapers.  It bears no resemblance to root beer because there is no fizz and little sweetness.  In the few days of drinking this production, couldn’t come away not feeling that the storage ruined the tea.  Nevertheless, the PJRS allowed my to focus squarely on the relevant parameters and not my taste preferences.  As far as humid storage is concerned, this.

Conclusions

There’s no doubt that the ’05 Du Qiong-zhi 7542 is a serious tea.  The dank storage has not damaged its qi while greatly throttling the astringency, making this a very smooth, some would say “earthy” experience.  It bears old taste traits similar to Taiwan stored productions of a roughly similar age.  It’s currently not for sale, but you can hit me up for a sample.  Puerh Rating: Female Teamaster

79/105, B

 

Puerh Rating: AMT

Posted on by Yang-chu
20 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the ’07 AMT, TL 100g tuo.  In my puerh junkocity, “one Tulin rating deserves another.”  The Acutal Mushroom Taste (hence AMT) tuo has been on hand since at the latest early ’16.  In contrast to the other two tuo from Tulin offered, it stands out for the absence of floral notes.  Though its notes are lower in the range, it has shown nothing of the transformative capacity of the White Tips.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          10
  • Clarity            8
  • Sweetness     7
  • Viscosity         9
  • Astringency   11
  • Huigan          11
  • Qi                    7

Reflections

The words I wrote were “bitter, vegetal, floral.”  I clearly hated this experience.  It performs well in terms of viscosity and astringency, and there is no single category in which it doesn’t perform solidly.  Hence, it is a very well rounded everyday drinker. But I didn’t taste any mushroom.

The following day I had three very solid rounds from AMT and tasted the mushroom.  Interesting.  My reaction from a day earlier contradicts the introduction regarding lack of floral taste.  I generally do not associate the AMT with being floral.  Obviously, tastes change by the day affected by diet, climate, and context.  That’s why several sessions afford a much more accurate assessment than just one or two.

Conclusions

The PJRS surprises me.  By weighing the seven variables evenly, productions with a better all around performance will score higher relative much “better” puerh productions.  Such is the case for the AMT.  “Better” might be something purely subjective, so the rating scale helps to strip away subjective preferences around taste to simply see how the tea performs in terms of attributes that have some objective basis.

The AMT is a low risk, high reward introduction to semi-aged, semi-humid raw puerh tea.  Some have found its “qi-appeal” much higher than myself.  Puerh Rating RMT:

73/105, B

Puerh Rating: Silver Pekoe

Posted on by Yang-chu
18 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the 06 Silver Pekoe Tuo.   The Silver Pekoe is one of the most ferocious of the Puerh Junky offerings.  It also happens to be one of the oldest.  It is a Tulin TF production, which carries a solid reputation for their puerh tuos.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          12
  • Clarity           11
  • Sweetness     8
  • Viscosity         7
  • Astringency   10
  • Huigan          14
  • Qi                  10

Reflections

2020 Shot of the ’19 Purchase

Ferocious describes the Silver Pekoe, even after 14 years.  Needless to say, if you like a big bite in the mouth, then this is the tuo for you.  In terms of qi, it is also no slouch.  Now a matter of disclosure. . .

I originally purchased the SP in 2015.  At the time, it struck me as “interesting” but with a pronounced orange-juice finish that make me feel there was something wrong with the storage.  It always struck me as dynamic and sometimes the aroma was plain wicked, so I sampled it frequently, while stashing the store away in the container with extra heat and humidity to get the sour out.  The end result was nothing short of spectacular. . . after 3.5 yrs.

In 2019 I was able to source it again.  There is a considerable difference between the ’19 and ’15 that can only be attributed to differences in storage.  The most alarming difference to my sensibility is the degree of bitterness that can be detected in the ’19.  I find it a major put-off.  Second, the ’19 tastes much more petrolly and feels hotter.  This also the taste of dry wood, like in a wood shop or the taste of tequilas and whiskeys.

The outstanding huigan  of the ’19 stored is brashly floral, present instantaneously and demanding of your attention.  The ’15 stored is damp moist forest, expressing cooling and commingling alchemy.  There’s no wood or fire, just mint and roots.

Conclusions

The differences in storage are stunning, sufficient for me not recognize the same production.  It’s not just a muting of notes that occurs with the variance of conditions, so the process cannot be analogized to Davis’ use of the muffler tin or plastic when creating a mood.  This is because Davis will still hit all the notes, but storage determines largely where in the range tastes will develop.  Nothing has made this more apparently clear than the ’06 White Tips.

Whether subsequent heat and humidity deepen the range remains to be seen.  The ’19 version was reviewed and is presently the item offered.  The Puerh Junky Rating: Silver Pekoe

72/105, B

Puerh Rating: Top-Notch Tuo

Posted on by Yang-chu
10 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the ’07 Top-Notch Tuo, ZC.  This 100g raw puerh “bird’s nest” (tuo) is the first of any identically named productions.  “Top-notch” is translated from “jia–ji.”  Late 90 and early naught jia-ji are appears to be a fairly famous formulation.  Dunno whether this KMTF tuo is true to that original formulation.

Up until Jan of 2020, this tuo cha was stored in Kunming.  The outer wrapper is crisp as if it were last year’s production but the noticeable dry aroma is not in the least youthful.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          11
  • Clarity          14
  • Sweetness     9
  • Viscosity       11
  • Astringency  12
  • Huigan           6
  • Qi                   5

Reflections

The Top-Notch Tuo was only posted last month, Aug 2020.  According to the PJRS this tuo possesses exceptional clarity.  This tends to be a trademark of KMTF productions, something they take pride in.  It is also excels at being thick, smooth, and aromatic.

The tuo shape is synonymous with Xia Guan.  Those tend to be macho puerhs, smoky, minerally.  The tiny Puerh Junky stash of tuo offerings is from reputable factories, sometimes which also captured something thematically captivating.  Among them, the Top-Notch Tuo is definitely the fruitiest, next to its sister HK Returns.

68/105, B

Puerh Rating: Dragon, HM

Posted on by Yang-chu
08 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the ’12 Dragon, HM.  The “dragon” theme features somewhat more prominently than other lunar creatures.  The Dragon features a snazzy wrapper and an even snazzier price.  Coincidentally, 2012 was the year of the Golden Dragon, an occasion once every 60 years, so it’s considered particularly lucky.

Without consulting what has been previously written, I remember this raw puerh for being sweet and spicy in the vein of the 7536.  It is easily that one could pay three times the price for it just given the complexity and richness.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          10
  • Clarity            9
  • Sweetness   11
  • Viscosity        9
  • Astringency   8*
  • Huigan         10
  • Qi                  –

The asterisk reflects an earlier working of astringency.

Reflections

This Dragon is extremely pleasant.  Vanilla, light spice, a little smoke.  Excellent daily drinker that’s sweet and produces lots of saliva.  At the time of this sampling, there was zero detectable qi, which greatly affects its final score.

There is no need to over think this raw puerh cake.  It is right around average in every category, with well better than average sweetness.  Since this assessment was when I was just beginning to work out the PJRS, it’s probably good for another five points.

57/105, C