Tag Archives: aged ripe puerh

Brutal Ripe Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Jul

Langhe is one of the factories I follow, primarily for ripes.  Their fermentation style in producing ripe puerhs is lighter, ostensibly making them better for long-term storage and little rankness.  In 2013 I acquired acquired their ’06 Peacock Tribute cake.   At that time, it was brutal.  It still is.  Too dry.  Fairly astringent.

’06 Peacock Tribute

Maybe over the years some of the astringency has dissipated, but not much.  True to the Langhe fermentation style, there isn’t any wet pile taste.  It’s just the taste that it does have bears a closer relationship with your typical Indian black Assam.  The aftertaste is much like baker’s chocolate, especially the astringency, not a good taste on the tongue.  They’ve got 25g samples over at YS if interested.

Speaking of YS, they’ve got a bone dry offering that I’ve been punishing since ’12 to no avail.  It’s the ’05 Jin Se Zhen Ming.  This one is gorgeous in color but so astringent, it could easily be confused for a black tea.  It’s been processed in small batches, which is supposed to up its overall profile.  It is a most exceptional production… exceptionally brutal.  None of the seven years of storage have done anything to round this bugger out.

’06 East is Red

The ’06 East is Red, also by Langhe, is a decidedly superior production that started out a bit dry but is now pleasingly sweet with a pleasantly gentle camphor finish.  Its aroma is stronger than most ripes, giving off some faint peachy notes, like the Dianxiu.  There’s some astringency there, goes all the way down the throat.  The finish is quite similar to the 55, but 55 has a coffee character whereas the East is Red is a rare ripe Zen production.  Both had that baby powder quality.

Infusion #1 East is Red

It’s interesting to notice the variations that a factory can produce.  The sweetness and camphor of the East is Red, for example, reaches another level with the Boss Tuo from the same year.  Being humid stored, the Boss Tuo possesses some lower notes.  Instead of Zen, it is medicinal, if peppermint candy can be considered medicine.  That one has never been brutal.

 

Coming of Age: ’12 Cultural Revolution Series

Posted on by Yang-chu
13 Jun

Finally.  The Cultural Revolution Series 100g ripe puerh mini-bricks are ready to be enjoyed.  Until now, this production hasn’t done much for me.  Not bad, just nothing to write home about.  I know the general sense that most ripes are pretty much ready for drinking after a year or two.  That gives it sufficient time for the wodui, i.e., the fermentation smell and taste to wear off.  Wodui, however, is not the only consideration with the aging of ripes.

Some say clarity of the brew offers some indication of whether the ripe is ready.  The cloudiness seems to be an indication that microbes are still at work transforming the stuff that comes from the fermentation.  That seems plausible.  There is also the matter of tannins, which is indication of how much the oxidizing needs to happen.  Aging sweetens, softens, and develops tastes.

The Cultural Revolution Series wasn’t so clear earlier, perhaps more tannic than desirable, and definitely lacking a certain roundness.  That’s no longer the case.  You remember “moonpies” or the “choco pie,” the chocolate coated marshmallow cookie?  There you have it.  Lot’s of vanilla with a thin layer of chocolate.  It’s reminiscent of the ’12 Moon Cake by YPH without the talc and 1/2 the price.