Tag Archives: Bulang puerh

Autumn ’23 Clusters

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Oct

Autumn ’23 Clusters chronicles the surreptitious dealings of a Puerh Junky, aka “PJ”, also with the street name “Peej”.  Over the past few months he has been found to be “clustering.”  Evidently this is the new hipster term that users are employing to describe groupings of puerhs strongly resembling gangs.  This cast of clustering characters can be found under curious headings, but not too curious to puerh users.  The following report provides an easy list for those on the lookout.  Expect the list of each of the clusterings to shrink and grow depending on circumstances.  This tracking is up-to-date as of Autumn ’23.

’03 Award Winning Ripes

  • Boss Square
  • Langhe Brick

’04 Fruity Ripes

  • Merlot
  • Golden Sail
  • Haiwan Wild Mt
  • Lucky 7572

’05 DQZ Series

  • Bulang Impressions
  • Spring Arbor Tribute
  • Blue Mark Bulang Big Tree
  • Big Cabbage
  • Yiwu Ripe Private Commission

’05 Jinglong Yiwu Series

  • Yiwu Prince
  • Luoshuidong (LSD)
  • Red Ribbon Mountain Melody

’05 Xinghai Raws

  • Xinghai Green Mark
  • Oasis Odyssey
  • Green Peacock
  • HK Returns 10th Anniversary
  • LBZ

’06 Fuhai Raw Series

  • Bulang Wild Big Tree
  • Fuhai Melody
  • Mincemeat

’06 Haixintang Raw & Ripe

  • Grenouille
  • Wuliang Longevity Ripe Cake
  • Jingmai Old Tree Raw 60g
  • Yiwu 7 Sons Ripe

’06 Humid Ripes

  • Banzhang Ripe King, Fuhai
  • 7262, Xinghai

’06 Lightly Fermented Ripes

  • Silver Peacock, Xinghai
  • T8371, Zhongcha
  • Langhe Tuo
  • Macau Brick

’06 LME Brand Ripe Series

  • Nannuo
  • BZ Peacock King
  • Orchid Vanilla
  • Arbor King

Cluster categories clump conspiring characters for purposes of easy identification despite a measure of inconspicuousness.  Efforts have been made to confine clusters on the first two pages.

Clusters are by no means exhaustive of profile types.  There’s some overlap among the lists and other offerings in The Collection may fall into one of the clusters despite listing.  For example “55” is lightly fermented but isn’t under that cluster.  Descriptions tend to specify offering profiles, while clusters highlight certain characters that may be overlooked or are hidden from the menu but might be found through a search.

Clusters are a work-in-progress, so be on the lookout.

Xinghai Releases 2023

Posted on by Yang-chu
06 Jan

Xinghai Releases is a rather prosaic arising from an incident already shared among a few of you.  A snafu arose with the shop pics that only happens if something new is posted.  Instead of the headache of trying to fix that, already attempted with “the fixor“, items will be posted behind the scenes.  A simple word search for item will suffice and missives of this sort will be issued replete with links as well.

The Puerh Junky project is more a study than curation.  This is mentioned because evidently a large catalogue suggests haphazard buying.  That’s never the case, and as mentioned previously, usually only a few items are acquired and those are sat upon till they’re fit for immediate drinking by the buyer. . . unless otherwise notified.  In any event, having items off page so to speak keeps the shop in the moderately overwhelming zone, as opposed to causing outright apoplexy.

As a study, focus is narrowly centered about specific factories and many only within themes encompassing usually Chinesey stuff like the Lunar New Year and peacocks.  Xinghai is a rather convenient factory of attention, as their logo often includes a peacock and the founder has a solid reputation.  That said, in a recent post on top puerh purveyors from various sites, they didn’t appear once, in contrast to say Fuhai, Zhongcha, and Liming, which are also included in the shop.  Below are links to the current Xinghai raw additions for the first part of 2023:

  • ’14 Xinghai LBZ— Have a whole tong arriving this Jan ’23 (OSTENSIBY), but have one or two now.  Recent price check on this shows it’s doubled and I won’t be getting more.

  • ’05 Xinghai Green Mark— This is the second batch.  Prototypical XH offering.

  • ’07 HK Returns 10th— Low risk intro to Xinghai TF, also second batch.  Well stored.

  • ’06 Bulang Old Tree—  Second batch with first more than twice the price.  Extremely interesting production in the vein of Quincy and Tiger.

  • ’05 Bulang Shengtai Tribute— Requires time and attention.
  • ’06 Stylin‘– I forgot to add talcum in the description.
  • ’07 Green Peacock— The perfect juncture of character and economy.

Xinghai’s practice is to not date stamp their second-batch productions, which are priced about half of the first run.  As a whole, their productions are not especially sweet.  This could be because they’ve adhered to a very traditional processing and the sweetness has yet to arrive.  Stylin‘ and Green Peacock are on the sweet side.  HK Returns is in the most advanced stage of maturation, while the others are in varying stages of wood and usually apple.  The real outlier is the LBZ which differs greatly by virtue of its Guangdong storage and in all likelihood quasi-Lincang processing.

Xinghai Tea Factory Aiyaaa

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Nov

Xinghai Tea Factory Aiyaaa momentarily gripes about food stamps.  Well, technically date stamps or the lack thereof.  Liming is bad with stamping but Xinghai is the worst.  By ’08 the problem seems to have been remedied, but between ’04-’07 the stamp situation is a disaster.

It’s not uncommon for wrappers to indicate checking either the neipiao or neifei for time stamp.  It may say check neipiao but the stamp will be on the neifei.  Quite often there is no stamp at all. On top of that is a situation where the neifei isn’t really even a part of the cake.

Well, after watching this video where the stamp was clearly absent from a neifei that looked to me as though it should have been stamped, a rant was in order.  You’re witnessing that now.  The Puerh Junky’s wife did as well.  The quandary was clear: why aren’t they stamped?  The easy response is they’re fakes.  But if it’s fake, why not go the whole nine to ensure you’re pulling one over?  Enough has already been made of just how much the fake card is overplayed.  I suspected, perhaps pilfering at the place of employ.  Ambitious employees may opt to try their hand at entrepreneurship.  Possible, but perhaps not likely.  Finally, the heavens opened.

Puerh Dating Quandary Solved

If dateless productions are not fake or the result of sly employees’ pilfering, what would dateless offerings be communicating to buyers?  “IT’S THE BATCH STUPID,” to quote a famous politician.  With some of the big time factories where collecting constitutes a significant part of the market, the first batch is that which is coveted.  Batches of the same production must be differentiated from the first in order to maintain the first’s “rarity” and value, thus the absence of a date stamp and presence of quirky anomalies with the wrapper.

What kind of quirks?  Well, for example, the first batch (pictured above) of what Puerh Junky calls the ’05 Xinghai Green Mark (the real name is just too generic, no wait is Menghai Qizibingcha generic?) bears a faded green seal, whereas the second batch seal is much more vivid. . . and lacks a date stamp.

In another example, the second batch of the Bulang Old Tree has the identical wrapper but is stamped “特制青饼” and lists with a different Xinghai production name on the reverse specs.  One vendor actually had all three versions of the wrapper, one having simplified characters, but only the first batch bearing the time stamp and being twice the price of the other two.

Stamped Second Batch

Xinghai Not So Chaotic

So Xinghai Tea Factory is not so chaotic.  It like Liming and a few others have a method to their date-stamp-free madness.  There’s a measure of coolness to such a practice.  It reflects just how seriously the factory takes itself, the exact opposite of chaos.

 

A Night Visit with BZ Peacock

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Oct

A Night Visit with BZ Peacock finds the Puerh Junky searching for an appropriate night cap, something with more bite and less dirt than the ’01 Yiwu Chashan.  He grabs the caddie about 1/8th full of Buddha Impressions, when he finds the gaiwan of BZ Peacock opened the previous day staring at him.

There’s no doubt that the BZ Peacock is now the best its ever been, this Oct 2022.  The two days of sitting have produced excellent results.  It’s very much on par with Wang Xia’s ’01 Green Mark A, which I’ve mentioned several times by different names.  It tastes like really good leather that’s been cured with the best of tallow and fragrances, like oud, sandalwood, and myrrh.  It’s bitter on the finish with an interesting yet characteristic apple sweetness and sourness of many fancier Xinghai productions.  This time it lurks amidst a a strong layer of smoked hickory.

The Buddha Impressions isn’t this woody, but like Grenouille and Zou Binlang’s Cinnamon, they all are of a similar profile.  Buddha Impression is more peppery and ferment-y, with amaretto notes.  Fuhai’s ’07 7536 can be added to the mix, but its notes are more commonly found in any kitchen cupboard, namely bay leaf and clove.  The ’07 iteration is reported to be unique, to which I can attest to only from an ’04 in the stash, which is decidedly heavier stored and perhaps more in the vein of the 7542.

Certainly, one of the more curious aspects of all these productions is absence of a punctuated camphor note.  Perhaps this will emerge, is only a product of storage, or its absences is particular to these productions.  The ’05 Silver Pekoe, Tulin seems to demonstrate that storage plays a significant role in the camphor note.  Its first iteration received heavy storage, expressing strong sour notes on the back end during the first four years of possession.  The second iteration had that baby powder note but after a year of good heat and humidity transitioned into camphor.  In the first, the camphor deepened, while the sour waned winding up with a dense camphor explosiveness.  The second, has settled into the Grenouille and Buddha Impression neighbourhood.  The second definitely stored under much drier conditions.  In the final assessment, there’s no doubt that explosive camphor is closely correlated with humidity and warmth.

Finally, BZP lasts forever.  It isn’t a quaffer, so a gaiwan is likely to last up to 5 sessions of 450ml each. I’ll relate something from my days in Beijing to this end.  There was a retired Frenchman with whom I drank cognac on a couple occasions.  We only had one teacup’s worth each time, sipping.  Contrast this from the HK context, where they were drinking XO in tumblers as a “classy” sign of extravagance.  Yeah, you can quaff BZP if you like, but it doesn’t feel like that type of tea to the Puerh Junky. . . but what does he really know anyway?

p.s. BZ Peacock sale till Sun.

Tuo for Two

Posted on by Yang-chu
28 Sep

Tuo for Two is a modern-day reverie.  Don’t laugh.  You should be crying.  The three tuo consumed over the past two days are a cryin’ shame.  Before the gory details, a pressing grammatical question should first be laid to rest.  The plural form of “tuo” is tuo.  If you see “tuos” written somewhere, try to be kind.  Even the “your/you’re” dragon has resisted the slings and arrows of correction.  What chances does tuo, much further down on the list of grammatical grievances, actually have?  Now that we dispensed with that there’s something else. .

Given the title of this missive, chances are good that many readers are harboring suspicions that the Puerh Junky considers cornball allusions to Cole Porter cutting edge.   If you don’t know who Cole Porter is, you still might harbor suspicions but of a different sort.  Mind you, I have it on good authority that one should never let a Cole Porter allusion slip by, even if he didn’t write the lyrics.

Two Days of Tuo-ture

Recently the Puerh Junky posted an easy-listing page.  No, you won’t find Christopher Cross or Steely Dan, but there’s a slew of raw tuo.  One is the T861, Tulin which has been in the Collection since ’15.  There are two remaining.  At one time it bore the name AMT.   Comments there are interestingly honest however aberrant that sesh was.

Dry T861 gives off limestone, honey, and a slight hint of newspaper.  Brewed in red clay, the mineral notes stand out, while in the gaiwan it is sweet and smooth with a hint of humidity.  The astringency attacks the blade of the tongue, lips, and deep in the throat.  The Chinese call this “ghost pinching the throat,” 鬼掐喉咙。 Overall, the taste is what is associated with peat.  The huigan is nicely complex with light humidity, honey, and minerals chatting on in unison.  The seriously sweet broth possesses complimentary thickness.  Beware!  There’s lotsa camphor to this.  Upon exhalation even a hint of something floral can be caught.  As one progresses in gaiwan this floral element becomes more pronounced.  Zero smoke, even a bit of sour.  Deeply satisfying, really the epitome of what a recipe puerh should be: cured with character.

Infusions 2 and 3

I accidentally left the 6.3g of the Red Mark Tuo in the same 100ml red clay pot too long.  Out poured a syrupy decoction.  I was certain that it was going to be horrible but ended up horrified.  I’ve been drinking this since Jan ’20 but in Sept ’22 it is not just the best its been but a serious contender for one of the best offerings in the collection.

Foto from early 2022

It’s so smooth and balanced.  Dense petrol, wood, and incense characterize the broth.  It’s not remotely pencil shavings, caustic, or for want of any additional note.  There is a subtle camphor note tying everything together keeping it from becoming oppressive, excessively unctuous.  The summer has been very good to the Red Mark Tuo.

First acquiring the Tiger Tuo sometime in early ’16, it ended up aging quickly into a root beer-y delight.  I decided to reup on the order in the ’20 and then found it at a better price later in the year.  There’s something to be said for slow storage.  In this case, the sharpness has receded while the interesting pineapple and other fruit notes have been preserved.

Summer has also been very good to the Tiger Tuo.  It’s super sweet, thick, and fruity, with a thread of pine sap that makes it distinctive.  A fellow drinker called it the best she’s ever had like “paint thinner”.  What a compliment.  Tiger is light years from the treasures mentioned above.  It hasn’t entered into the transformed state where the camphor comes in and the liquor turns reddish, but it’s transformed sufficiently to allow the sap and sugars to emerge.  There’s no telling how long it will remain in this state.   V. slight smoke and comprised of about five terroir including a Jingmai backbone, along with Bangwei, Bingdao, and others.

 

Puerh Junky Visits: Fujin Green

Posted on by Yang-chu
08 Aug

Puerh Junky Visits: Fujin Green is an update post regarding the ’09 offering from Fujin.  Puerh Junky has issued at least two missives about both this production in particular and the factory in general.   It’s hard to not roll one’s eyes when it comes to the expense of some of these boutique offerings, but so it is.  At the height of summer and humidity-plus storage, the thought occurred “why not dust off the ole PJRS for a serious evaluation.”

Fujin Green prompted a bit of thinking about the seasonality involved with natural storage.  Performance ebbs and flows in accordance with the seasons.  Right now, FG is at its best.  The aura surrounding Fujin factory becomes somewhat understandable upon opening the wrapper: strong waft of fruity and floral notes fill the nostrils.  The Henan storage gives the impression that the production is still young, five-years old at the most.  This youthfulness is evident throughout and there is a particular green note that is, putting it diplomatically, highly unusual in puerhs and certainly puerhs processed through traditional methods.  Fujin productions are processed by Xinghai factory so there’s little cause for suspicion about shiesty processing.

Infusion #1

At this age and given the general conditions, puerhs should have a bit of ferment to them.  This is not the case with the Fujin Green, also highly anomalous.  It fair to guess that it will go through such a stage but is still off by a year or two.  At its current stage in Aug ’22, it is the closest expression to a two-year-old puerh in the collection. . . ostensibly.  One of the features possibly distinguishing it from a young production, however, is that it drinks all the way through.  In other words, it never reaches a raw stage where it bottoms out indicating that it needs more curing time.  This happened in previous sessions.

Brewing

I decided on using 6.5g in my 150ml workhorse zisha pot.  The pot pours quickly and doesn’t clog easily.  Older and more tightly compressed cakes may take as much as eight grams, but that’s rare.  The usual amount is 7g for this pot, but judging from the smell, 7g seemed excessive.  I don’t like overleafing because it smashes the notes.  In retrospect, even 6.5g may have been too much.  Fujin Green overall pushes to the very edge of being too much.  Stunt drinkers, of which there seems no short supply, will definitely delight in drinking this.  I administered no rinse and flash infused each round.

Rating

After three rounds the total was as follows:

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

Reflections on Fujin Green

Fujin Green is intense.  It lives up to the reputation of the factory.  Each infusion differs a mite.  The character is certifiably Bulang/Banzhang, with an unapologetic bitterness.  The first infusion releases a high floral aroma, which could be easily associated with Jingmai material.  The taste in the the first infusion begins with citrus at the front of the tongue, then proceeds to vanilla mid tongue before finishing with vetiver.  For those unfamiliar with vetiver, it is a dark resinous essential oil with strong baby powder notes.

Infusion #2

The second infusion is much more intense and complex with prevailing notes of grapefruit seed and vanilla.  The liquor coats the mouth leaving the huigan of citrus, then vanilla, and finally that eau de Lick-a-Stix taste.  Pronounced piercing perfume (not vetiver but much higher) and vegetal green notes make their presence known, both quite hideous by the Puerh Junky’s reckoning.  The citrus fruit sourness and a balanced sweetness, offset those figurative flaws.

Second infusion was totally murky.  Both the first and third infusions were crystal clear. By the second infusion the ferocity of the qi became an issue.  The first pot went strait to the head but the second stirred raucously in the chest.

The citrus vibe continues into the third infusion, with the dreaded dry-sheet note making its presence known in the huigan.  Throughout each session the vaunted houyun resounds.  In other words, it’s throaty.  By this round, I was ready to tap out.  The qi has a character not altogether dissimilar from the BZ Peacock, despite being in totally different classes, FG being Floral Class and BZP being Tobacco Class.

Infusion #3

I also had suspicions about FG being a gut buster, which proved to be true.  I served up infusions 4-6 to a visitor who, drenched in sweat from the power, complained of this, stating that such was her experience with tea most of the time.  It was the first among our many sessions.  Gut-busting adds to the stunt-tea appeal. <<ahem>>

Conclusions

Fujin Green is an intense raw puerh most appropriate for the stunt tea drinker seeking young expression in a puerh well over 10 years old.  The huigan and qi are exceptional, and the sweetness is perfectly balanced in the context of the overall treasure itself.  It’s an outstanding production that lives up to the reputation that the factory projects.

96/105 A

Bada Peacock: Hot to Trot

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Feb

This just in: As of February 2022, the Bada Peacock is Hot to Trot.  Some time ago, the Puerh Junky did a side-by-side with Hideout.  Well, the Bada has left the Hideout in the dust.  At the time of that review, the Bada had a copper twang.  It’s no longer there.

Kunming TF productions aim for Zen.  The Bada Peacock is no exception.  There’s no bitterness here, nor any astringency.  Giving the leaves a good 15m soak and there is still zero of either.

In all its Zen, one thing distinguishing the BP from some of the other KMTF/Zhongcha offerings is its complete deviation from that fruit undertone so easily associated with the flagship jiaji (甲级), i.e., Top Notch Tuo, but also evident in the HK Returns, Water Blue Mark, and emerging in the Thick Zen, and presumably to appear in the Beijing Olympics and the still very young Mangosteen, a rough customer despite being from ’07 leaves before being pressed in ’12 (As an aside, it should be noted that HK Returns cake is still in a burly phase.).

Most ZC productions from ’06-’14 do not specify region or village, as the emphasis during this era was still on recipes, mostly some combo of eastern Lincang and Menghai/Bulang.  In this regard, BP is unique. The taste is pure rock sugar.  It’s very, very, sweet and this sweetness never wanes.

Ephemeral and ineffable.  You could drink and drink the Bada Peacock trying to figure it out.  The light floral note offers a nice accent to an sugary treat that doesn’t require much thought for an offering’s that’s hot to trot.

Puerh Rating: Fu

Posted on by Yang-chu
09 Oct

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on Fu.  This is a ’12 Zhongcha/KMTF raw cake that has been storing in Los Angeles since ’15.  This cake harkens back to a simpler time in purchasing puerh.  Then Zhongcha offerings sold for easily one-third what they do now.  The “Fu” character on the wrapper is not the new year “fu” (福) but conveys a similar sense of fullness and richness through fragrance (香).

After three rounds the results were as follows:

  • Aroma        7
  • Clarity         9
  • Sweetness  8
  • Viscosity
  • Astringency 12
  • Huigan         10
  • Qi

Reflections

April 2016

Zhongcha‘s Fu rates highly in terms of viscosity and straight average in terms of sweetness and clarity.  The sweetness holds steady from one infusion to the next.  Clarity increases while viscosity wanes slightly.

Conversely, there isn’t much of a huigan.  This proves a poor trade-off because the astringency is fierce and greatly displeasing to the Puerh Junky.  It does have a noticeable qi that is steady and smooth.

The Kunming Tea Factory (KMTF) productions after ’11 seem to fall into the category of too young and undrinkable or young and soon-to-be undrinkable.  This is all in the evolution of raw puerh.  It is an unfolding mystery.  With Fu an interesting progression is noted in the lack of clarity of the broth at the third infusion.

Infusion #3

This lack of clarity is neither indicative of processing or material flaws, but rather of the tea itself being in the midst of cooking.  At an earlier stage, factors had yet coalesced to enter the cooking stage.  Now Fu is cooking and it tastes raw as raw can be.  It’s not exactly like a “recipe” formula but has many nods to the concept.

All attributes considered, this tastes its primarily comprised of Bulang material.

Conclusions

In 2020 Fu has entered it 8th year.  It is not the same joyous production that it was initially.  There is lots of fruit and sweetness in the liquor but a pronounced bitterness on top of astringency make this puerh cake enter the “too young” for drinking stage.  This is not a Zen category production but an anti-Zen.  I is not macho.  The tastes are too playful, the aroma floral and fruity.  There is no hint of smoke, petrol, or darker notes to suggest macho.  No.  Fu is that brat that needs to go to “time-out” (for five years).  Some people like bratty: bitter and astringent.  Those constantly drinking young tea might find appealing.  The Puerh Junky on this account must graciously defer and consider it nothing better than a gut buster.  At a minimum three years TTP.  Puerh Rating: Fu

56/105, C

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

 

Gongting Sheng Puerh?

Posted on by Yang-chu
20 Aug

I picked up this ’08 Gongting Sheng puerh back in ’17 when in Kunming, even though I’d never heard of gongting sheng. “Gongting” translates into “palace” and is a designation for the smallest leaf size and highest grade (ostensibly) of ripe puerhs. This is the second organic production I’ve encountered from this no-name factory that I’ve been following since the time that I started my puerh project.  I wrote something about a 250g tuo of theirs that I’ve been sitting on since about ’15.

Until the spring of this year, ’19, the Gongting sheng puerh was simply not ready.  I’d been baby storing it in conditions between 60-73% rh with temps ranging from 13-25c based purely on conditions here in the heart of Los Angeles.  The conditions proved sufficient to allow it to transform into it next stage, seemingly forgoing the awkward teenage years characterized by a displeasing measure of sourness.

Tiny Leaves

Puerh Transformation

There’s much to be said for mid-aged puerh that gets the austere treatment of Kunming before landing in the impressive conditions of coastal SoCal.  To be honest, tasting puerhs in Kunming is by and large a gut-wrenching experience– literally.  Even the older productions are too dry get beyond the astringency.  The thing is however, that these conditions do a great job of preserving the essential personality of the tea itself, which when livened up with humidity is still present.  I’m noticing that with wet-stored productions these essential elements are cooked out of the cake, making the predominating taste essentially that of dirt, not bad dirt but dirt nonetheless.

The Gongting has all of its complexity.  As it has transformed, it is quite evident that it is comprised of superior raw material.  There are tastes of root beer, toasted honey, Chinese licorice, fennel, melon, and explosive camphor.  There’s some bitterness in there as well.

One thing possibly related to transformation, or the lack thereof, is just how murky this puerh cake is. . .

Infusion #3

I think the murkiness might relate to a stage.  In the case of ripe puerhs, murkiness often indicates that the microbes and enzymes responsible for transforming the production have not finished eating.  It’s possible that the same logic applies to some raws.

Puerh Class

Our ’08 Gongting puerh cake is decidedly in the Root Beer class.  For the next few years the camphor and root beer will only get stronger.  It seems as though the ’08 and ’07 cakes are starting to come into their own.  I also wonder how much the leaf size and the chopping factors into this progression.

Cashed Chopped Leaves

The appearance of these cashed leaves greatly resembles the cashed material of the ’07 Beijing Olympics, which I also recently reviewed.   The Gongting, however, is not nearly as tightly pressed as the Beijing Olympics, however.