Tag Archives: menghaipuerh

Championship Round: Ripe Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
20 Jun

The Championship Round of the Ripe Puerh Challenge commenced on 14th June ’24.  Three contestants performed and that day, followed by the last two on the 15th.  Parameters for the championship round differed from the initial round in that 1) contenders sat out for about five days, 2) only two rounds drunk for each, with the second pushed considerably.  Initial round and championship round differed considerably.  In retrospect, all of the contenders reached the championship round in the first place because they performed best straight from storage.  This is to say that no production performed better than straight from storage.  This serves to reason as they all expressed stellar qualities to get them to the championship round in the first place.  This is not to say, however, that the duration for airing was too long.  For example, airing Merlot for only about 18 hrs dramatically increased its performance, while a cake (Hailanghao’s ’05 Jinseming) with an especially innovative fermentation approach on hand for 14yrs performed best it ever has after sitting out for more than two weeks.

Second, a pushed infusion doesn’t necessarily make for the most enjoyable drinking experience, though it does get to the innate character of the production.  Under ordinary circumstances, diluting or stacking of shorter infusions would have been in order.  Still, apprehending the innate character reveals more about the underlying material of the production itself.  Here, there’s no mistaking Yiwu with Menghai.

55, Zhongcha #1  Champion.

Zhongcha’s ’06 “55” commemorative continues evolving along a path of deepening sophistication.  Curiously, Baidu states that it is part of the 7581 series, which either seems wrong or raises more questions than it answers about what precisely “7581 series” constitutes.   No other 7581 is as populated with gold buds as the “55.”  One would think that “series” signals some established standard of material, fermentation, and other processing variables, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.  A previous entry discusses this.

Highlights: Bitterness, piney camphor, incense, cream, balanced sweetness, mushroom, cocoa deliciousness, big qi, cuts phlegm

Ripe Participants

  • Yiwu Commission, DQZ
    Creamy sweet, bitter finish, smooth, chocolate milk–> the second round push exhibited that Yiwu smoove, zero humid notes.
  • BZ Peacock King, LME
    Bitter!  Crazy clarity, dark chocolate then cream, piques salivation, icy-hot camphor, cotton mouth, light incense, cheeky–> would definitely have diluted second round.
  • Operation Macau, XH commission
    High camphor cream aroma, dry newspaper hint, slate, cream aftertaste, piques salivation; cream forward, camphor finish w/ mineral accent, bittersweet cacao, touch of roast, late aftertaste slight sour–> sweetest expression from first to second infusion by far.
  • Silver Peacock, XH
    Malty cream and roast, glass smooth, pecan, vanilla, bittersweet aftertaste–> even-Steven from first to second.

Ripe participants are probably listed in the order in which they placed, though personal preference increasingly trumps quality as they’re all good. Here’s a link to try for yourself.  Scroll down for “champions” selection. It consists of 16g of each participant.  The link will remain active till about 14th Jul ’24.

Spring Ripe Puerh Taste Off V

Posted on by Yang-chu
24 May

The evening prior to Spring Ripe Puerh Taste Off IV major domos (or is that doma) Ruan, Zhang, and Du met up for an evening repast of crawfish hotpot with lots of pea greens and limitless enoki.  The following day featured Mme Zhang’s third or fourth performance, while it would be the first for Mmes Ruan, of 6FTM, and Du.  They chatted some about the old days at Menghai TF but mostly the deliciousness of the enoki, the freshness of the crawfish, and nuance of the Sichuan-style broth.  If Domo Zhang appeared more relaxed than her compatriots, if she found the crawfish just a smidge juicier, then it no doubt could be attributed to her already having Operation Macau advance to championship round earlier in the day.  Day V uncertainties weighted in the minds of Domos Du and Ruan.  Let’s get down to the day’s action.

Spring Ripe Puerh Taste Off IV

  • ’02 Purple Mark, 6FTM
    Light cocoa, Tootsie roll, slight camphor, strong qi, super velvet mouthfeel.
  • ’06 T8371, Zhongcha
    Light oud, balance, hint of red hots, astringency, bitterness, petrichor, big aroma, cocoa, camphor, brut.
  • ’05 Yiwu Commission, Du Qiong-zhi
    Magical aroma in dry pot, bright, buttery, camphor, medium to light body, pine, not so sweet, noticeable qi presence.
  • ’08 Golden Tribute, Xinghai
    Lively dry aroma, bittersweet, cocoa, oreo cookie.

Occupying opposite extremes of dark chocolate bitter punishment are the Purple Mark and Golden Tribute.  Purple Mark is one of the oldest contestants, second only to Drury Lane.  They perform similarly.  Airing considerably improves performance.  Straight from storage, it’s a lot like flat pop, silkiness aside.  Golden Tributes ferocity in no way detracted from it’s performance, contending strongly for the top spot.  It’s currently not listed, only three on hand.

This brings us to the two commissions.  The T8371 holds distinction as being a HK commission.  Judging from the recipe numbers, it’s a slight variant of the classic 7581, key being its light fermentation.  This was T8371‘s heftiest performance, entering a new fermentation stage.  Not to sound like a broken record, but it needed some airing.  The plug-n-playability of productions often depends upon the season.  Each production has it’s own personality.  Every production came straight from storage.  No babying allowed.  It’s more than plausible that results would differ in another season.  The red hots note is new exciting addition to an already excellent performer.

Process of elimination leads to the Yiwu Commission as the winner.  Spring has treated this contestant most generously.  The complexity of flavours with all-enveloping camphor pleased all drinkers.  It held up throughout the day, while the Golden Tribute settled into less distinctive expression.  Through the course of five days of mostly drinking Menghai productions, the buttery Yiwu not formed quite an extravagant contrast.  Major Domo Du will be advancing to the championship round.

 

Spring Ripe Puerh Taste Off III

Posted on by Yang-chu
22 May

Spring Ripe Puerh Taste Off III presents us with another four contenders chosen at random.  Needless to say, all stables are bristling with excitement to see just how the judges with regard their students.  Side-by-side battles provide the best contrast for assaying the performance of ripe puerh.  It provides a context for not only determining whether a student is better but also precisely why.  Of course, tastes vary but comparison provides deeper insight into the creator’s execution.  Let’s proceed. . .

Ripe Puerh Taste Off Day III

  • ’07 Boss Square, GPE (Wang Xia)
    Resolute aroma in warmed dry pot, camphor, vanilla, sweet, spectacular clarity, present aftertaste.
  • ’06 Peacock Country, Liming
    Sweetness, light bitter backend, light camphor more bold at cooler temp, wood, incense, slight sour, long aftertaste, red hots, blue cheese, light astringency.  Gorgeous.
  • ’06 BZ Peacock King, LME
    Aromatic in warmed dry pot, heavy essence, roast, camphor, drying, very strong qi, woody, oud.
  • ’10 Sweet Richness, Yangpinhao
    Petrichor, coco, vanilla, minerals, rich aroma, very sweet initially, smooth reaching throat, fast-arriving qi insanely aggressive, baby powder, dash of sour huigan.

Ripe Puerh Taste Off Day III featured some very heavy hitters.  The biggest surprise was definitely Liming’s Peacock Country, part of the Ripe Sampler Group 1.  It was acquired from a Henan seller and has taken better than two years to round into form.  There’s still some astringency deeper into the session suggesting about two more years of storage before becoming a high-ranking sumo.  Having it side-by-side among some award-winning productions shed deeper insights into just how good it is.

Sweet Richness is also no slouch.  Baby powder is a taste appearing at about 10 years in some higher quality ripes.  It’s so chock full of “stuff” that its oils have bled through to the wrapper.  Still, compared to its competitors, there’s an obvious immaturity.  Given the qi it’s all ready paralysing drinkers with, it’s frightening to imagine the future.  This brings us to the last two. . .

Both the Boss Square and the BZ Peacock King are excellent productions.  Tasting samples for the day are placed on the table and revisited toward the end of the day.  This ultimately tipped the scales in BZ Peacock King’s favour.  Experimentation has revealed that many productions respond remarkably well to sitting out for a few days.  During the current Taste Off, none of the ripes have sat out before the event, but a brewed cup sitting out over the course of the day may actually shed light into which productions would benefit most from sitting out.  What was found in the cup of the BZPK corroborates findings from having it out for about three days.

Spring Ripe Puerh Taste Off

Posted on by Yang-chu
19 May

In a fictitious land far away, Spring Ripe Taste Off takes place yearly at the time of the May sumo tournament.  This year the taste-off has been configured such that for four consecutive days four different ripe puerhs will be sampled side-by-side.  The winners from each of the four days will advance to the championship round.

Ripe Taste-Off Day 1

  • ’11 Peacock Gold, Fuhai
    Roasty.  Lustrous.  Minerally.  Cacao.  Solid intro to ripe puerh: not funky, not fruity, not requiring thought or effort.  Medium density.
  •  ’06 “55,” Zhongcha
    Camphor ( aka “minty”), petrichor, red-hots, incense, strong qi. Sweet.  Complex.
  • ’05 Haiwan Wild Mt, Haiwan
    Strawberries-n-cream, light body, moderate sweetness, no bitter, splendid clarity.  Nice qi. Neifei coolness.
  • ’14 Puerh Espresso
    Rich, chocolately, dense, heady.

Each pot contained 10.5g tea, but brew times were as seen fit.  No point system or anything, just drinking experience.  The 55 come out on top with two drinkers agreeing that it was best.  We were divided on all the rest.  The density of the Puer Espresso unquestionably was strongest and its qi frankly too extreme.  Haiwan was softest and of lightest body, while the Peacock Gold being most middle of the road.

It worth noting that 55 is a light-ferment production, most evidenced by its slow transformation, lack of sweetness, and wicked astringency, making it more like a black tea.  In many regards, it could be evaluated by the same standards of a raw puerh.  However, after turning 15 it started to show its promise.  The second buying of this production came from a Henan seller who had it stored under rather desiccated conditions.  After some LA lovin’ imparting petrichor depth, this dry layer has transformed to incense, also no doubt aided by the wealth of gold buds.

March ’24 Puerh Musings

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 Mar

March ’24 Puerh Musings must be prefaced by commentary upon the ventures of some individual(s) who thought it necessary to scrawl my personal FB postings to otherwise disaffect those who might be affected by my views on matters entirely unrelated to tea. I’d like to dedicate this post to them and hope whatever ventures upon which they engage beyond defamation do well.  For what it’s worth, I do not retract one scintilla of what I’ve posted.  At the same time, I do not care to belabour matters about which most have very little discernment, which has essentially been my life purpose.  I welcome any interlocutors who are of good faith, but it should be noted that were I a conventionalisto, then that which I’ve been able to offer would be off the radar because I’d be too busy adhering to “herdism,” that which is anathema to my being. . . eh?  (though I’m not Canadian)

We now resume with the third-person lens where we find the Puerh Junky moving from the kitchen of burping cabbage fermented concoctions to the front room alcove, where he crafts his “musings.”  He has designs to discuss the few Zhongcha/Chinatea offerings upon which he’s been sitting as well as some Xinghai and other productions that have been sitting in the cave for a while.  In particular, he feels that there have been some ripes deserving mention.  He’ll start there.

Leap Week LME Ripes

Leap Week LME Ripes occurred spontaneously.  For clarity’s sake, LME stands for the Laoman’e brand and not the terroir, per se, though all of their productions seem to come the three same terroir: Bulang, Nannuo, and Banzhang.  All LME ripe offerings can be characterized as rich and dense, having full fermentation.  There’s full mouthfeel and considerable bitter finish.  This bitterness is likely their most distinguishing feature.  They provide a range of entry points in terms of price.  Prices for widely available productions tend to hold steady, but the Arbor King and BZ Peacock have shown movement to the upside, the latter being a rather extraordinary offering.

The week started out with the ’12 Arbor King, which proved to be its poorest performance ever.  Typically, there’s a cherry note that accompanies its intensity but this time it could not be detected and it was definitely on the flat papery side.  It’s not likely the storage, at the same time AK has not been temperamental.  The best guess is the weather and I’ll be sure to revisit in the next month or two for latest developments.  Overall, I found the visit disappointing and a later visit in the week proved no better, even after airing a bit.

I recently picked up three more ’11 Orchid Vibe.  It’s a good price and I’ve enjoyed the vanilla, along with a fermentation that’s a bit lighter than the others, though by no means light.  I stored it in the ripe big box.  The taste is vastly different from the past with much more wood resin.  It seemed quite similar to the Langhe Ripe Tuo, though they’re stored in different places.  Overall quality and character are solid, but the personality differs greatly from any previous session in tasting for a number of years now.  Again, must be the rainy-season effects.

By this time, the Puerh Junky had a fancy to test a LCGC ripe acquired in Nov ’23.  A more exhaustive write-up on LCGC ripes will be in order some time this year ’24.  The year ’23 had Puerh Junky more curious about their ripes.  It proved a good change of pace, as it brought the LME ripe house style into greater relief.  The greatest difference?  Sweetness.  The LCGC possesses a light molasses and Wheat Chex quality.  The sweetness adds a layer of thickness, though it’s not sticky sweet.  Since Old Geezers which sold out to a local fiend, I haven’t found such a production.

Finally, there was the ’06 Nannuo, LME. It’s in the ripe sampler set #4. This was sampled straight from storage and twice thence in the same week.  Each time, totally blind, PJ’s wife made remarks whereas none of the others elicited a peep.  The Nannuo, of which, I’ve picked up three more in a most recent order (yet to be received), possesses a layer of Vienna Fingers vanilla cookie.  There’s a top layer of this with the LME house bitter finish.  Still is not remarkably sweet.

All were brewed in my ripe pot 10-12g about 3m to start at same or upward with about four infusions.  No vegetal at all.  Prices for these between in the $60s-110.  Samples avail in Sampler U or on respective page.

Zhongcha

Zhongcha is ChinaTea.  I’m trying to get use to using that name more frequently.  They’re a full-range outfit but most of that which Puerh Junky offers is in the “peoples” and midrange priced offerings.  There have been a few individuals who’ve examined the leaves and made critical remarks, then showing me Chenshenghao’s yedi.  I’ve not endevoured to portray my ZC’s on par with CSH’s, but when I look at such monochromatic leaves, I immediately suspect blow drying.  No bueno.  In any event, Zhongcha has presented itself as a volume seller of casual drinkers that “the people” can afford.  Until ’14 they adhered to strict processing methods that didn’t pander to quick-sweet tastes.  Furthermore, they’re iconic and worth visiting for a sense of classic puerh history.   Since ’07 the Zhongcha brand has been synonymous with Kunming TF, though there’s an out layer or two.  Initial forays into Zhongcha were with the ’07 offerings, with a few offered as late as ’16.  In ’23, I ventured into a few ’06 and ’08 with generally positive findings but much different from the ’07s that had served as a centerpiece of acquisition from between ’14-’20.  Astringency is much greater in the ’06 and ’08s.

During the leap week I visited two relatively recent productions, the ’12 Mangosteen and the ’13 Bulang Shengtai.  I had to sit the Mangosteen out for two weeks after first test.  There’s a very high-pitched camphor note that may only be detected by mouth cooling for newbies.  There a middle note of aged fruit, plum possibly, with a zing of erstwhile mangosteen, but a wicked astringency that is altogether not in comportment with the house style as I know it.  I’m still not offering, though I’ve had on hand since ’14, only offering to those confident about their storage.  Having tracked essentially since inception, two more years seems the minimum.  It has maximo classical processing and I’m optimistic given it innate character.  First batch, late March/early April.  It’s bona fide and taking it time.  At least three on hand.

The ’13 Bulang Shengtai has been more fudged in processing if the Mangosteen serves as any comparison  The sugars have already come in, an overall fruity character, having an element of bitterness.  Zen front, fruit second, not unfriendly.  Easy. Everyday drinker.  A good candidate for one unfamiliar with 10yr plus productions that have been only moderately fired.  The wrapper is iconic, but if I’m resorting to wrapper I cannot be all that taken.  It’s very possible that it’s just early.  The 10yr spot is just for starters, nothing negative, seasonal factors included.  Fine.  Much better than two years ago.  Again, the sugars are present but Zen needs some differentiation from bland.  A good conservative starter for testing your brewing method.  I’m expecting more with the the weather changes, say late Aug.  Hit me up.  I won’t raise price in next two years.  I plan to post on a Zhongcha page at the latest by May ’24.

Xinghai

Xinghai grabbing continued afoot in ’23.  Now is a time for proper testing the first stage.  We’ll visit the ’07 Oasis Odyssey, ’07 Paolo Santo, and the ”06 Treasured.  I also tried the ’06 Bulang GS, which is prolly issued under ’07, but I’m willing to give it some time.  Let’s start with the Oasis Odyssey.

Oasis Odyssey seems to have been acquired in May ’23, offered in Nov of the same year.   Over time, it has traversed from oily purple to the typical astringent XH personality with good salivation effect as opposed to drying.  Mostly in the Zen Class.  Compression is massive.  The purple has diminished in expression.  Balanced sweetness.  We’ll have to observe how it evolves in relation to the changes of the seasons.  I’m looking for more oil and purple as last year.

The ’07 Paolo Santo tuo has me rather excited.  It’s a second batch production that has lemon and wood attributes.  I can easily see how the first round would be much more expensive.  No smoke, high limonene wood expression, not too sweet. smattering of bitter.  It’s not available presently, as I only acquired in Nov ’23 but around May ’24 will be.  Bright wood bitter, lemonime, complex, nice.  It’s very promising.  Not sweet but quintessentially Xinghai.  Qi is overall warming and settling.

Finally, there is the Treasured, acquired in Jun ’23.  It has yet to be listed, but one of the projects for the Xinghai Raw page two.  Treasured is the second batch.  It’s in the Tobacco Class, possibly approaching tequila.  Not atomically pressed, with a nice balance of smoked wood, wood resin, sweetness, and astringency.  Probably the most notable element regards storage.  Most productions require the proper treatment that these LA environs provide.  Even then, it takes several months to bring them into a form that make them presentable.  It’s needed every bit of the nine months to come to form.  It’ll appear on the XH second page for certain.

Wrap up

March ’24 Puerh Musings have covered a range of raws and ripes.  The ripes were confined to Puerh Junky’s LME offerings, while raws involved Zhongcha and Xinghai productions.  LME ripes stand out for their bitter finish.  ZC’s ’12 Mangosteen is showing promise, but the astringency is a bit of a hair raiser presently, so it’ll sit at least till after the summer.  The ’13 Bulang Shengtai will be posted soon on a page with a few other others.  The Xinghai visits covered two productions that will also be listed soon.  If all goes well, at the latest mid-May.  Each has a distinctive profile and all being second batches are very reasonably priced:  Oasis Odyssey is Zen with balanced sweetness; Paolo Santo is as the name suggests with remarkable qi; Treasured offers wood complexity of Tobacco Class.  Paolo Santo is also Tobacco Class, but possesses a vastly different quality from Treasured, more closely resembling their Green Peacock.

Puerh Junky Under Dynamic Moon(cake)

Posted on by Yang-chu
02 Aug

Puerh Junky Under Dynamic Moon(cake) attempts to capture a Sunday-morning moment.  It involved the notorious Puerh Junky and a Menghai ripe in The Collection since ’16, the Mooncake.  Here the focus is on the word “dynamic.”  Much digital ink has been spilled over both this offering and its maker, Yangpinhao YPH.  No need to go there.  Today, it’s about “capturing”, “focusing”, and “dynamism.”  Nonetheless, a tale of the tape is in order.

The ’12 Mooncake is a 200g square, embossed with the fancy YPH logo.  As of ’23 it’s 13yo.  In light of the absence of any petrichor or other humid notes, it’s fair to call it dry-stored; but it’s not dry.  It’s hard to put a finger on how it’s evolved over time.  The silty mouthfeel for certain has diminished, as has the baby powder fragrance.  In its place, perhaps more incense and dark chocolate.  A perfume character has held steady throughout the years

It changes much during the session.  The huigan is the star.  Here is where a mélange of taste sensations come through.  Wood prevails, if that tends toward oak or sandalwood is going to depend upon the drinker.  There’s sourness, wood sour that lingers, but not sharply.  Everything about the experience is refined.  A glassy quality in the broth remains throughout, but as it cools more chocolate milk notes appear. At room temp, it’s pure squeeze bottle Hershey’s without the milk, drizzled over sandalwood powder, topped with half a cherry.  It’s not fruity, but there’s a dash in there to add to the artistry.  There’s quite a bit of vanilla.

This is not they type of ripe that is going for ripe thickness.  Pushing in the early infusions frankly will only ruin the refinement.  There’s certainly no need to push to get the feeling.  The qi is exceptional.  It’s a real nape-necker that spreads along the traps to the back of the arms, another wave up to the ears, eliciting stretches that advance to headrush, Ultraman hand gestures and imaginings, before the urge to seriously lay down, yawns, itchy eyes.  Super, duper relaxing.  No inkling of unsettled feeling in the chest.

Mooncake has entered its next stage of development.  Does this place it in company with the light-fermented ripes that age out over time to approximate raws?  Perhaps, but there’s no raw that I’ve ever tasted that is this dark.  For fun, the thought occurred to compare Mooncake with the Langhe Ripe Tuo, since both have pronounced wood notes.

  1. Mooncake is much more “floral” or “perfume.”  The perfume note of the Mooncake is its most distinguishing feature.
  2. Mooncake has a much fruitier nose in the late infusions, day two.
  3. LHT is sweeter.
  4. Mooncake is more bitter.
  5. Mooncake’s huigan is perfume and late infusions enter the baby powder zone.
  6. Both achieve best results when brewed as if raws, meaning extended infusion times at outset are not ideal.
  7. LHT is much more sour than the Mooncake.
  8. LHT has a smoky hickory finish that’s like bacon.
  9. Mooncake tastes heavier.

Instagram shots.

 

 

There Must Be a Bada Way 2023

Posted on by Yang-chu
28 Jun

There Must Be a Bada Way 2023 finds the Puerh Junky in unusually high spirits, as Los Angeles has been sunny and blue.  Soft trade winds blow in from the Pacific and the stash is blossoming.  It’s been a long cold spell and most of the Collection decided to hibernate through it.

One orphan that took advantage of the cold was the ’08 Orange Mark by Everlasting TF, based in Shenzhen.  They do an oft-mentioned production offered through an English-language vendor based in HK.  The storage so overwhelmed me, I thought to try one of Everlasting’s under their own label from a vendor I’d already gotten some very solid Xinghai ripes.  In Feb 23 the production was very, very humid but the taste was not rotten or green.  After three months it was spectacular: sweet and camphory with the storage not being flawlessly executed.

The ’05 Bulang Wild Big Tree seems virtually impervious to huge changes.  Another treasure with marvelous storage to go along with a smoky-mouthwash-y taste and nose.  This Fuhai production could possibly be crowned champion of Gloom ’23.

So much for the past when the present is much Bada?  Well, not so much, only two cakes left forever.  A different hydration scheme has been affect, which itself is affected by the weather.  The change is toward more hydration of the Zhongcha box.  It’s hard to say but the ’04 Orange Mark was much more aromatic and expressive of the “Circus Peanut” orange that had drawn me.

Today was Bada Peacock‘s turn.  I ended up a 12.5g chunk from the center of the cake which couldn’t be broken or needled any smaller without risking personal injury.  I threw it in my largest gaiwan, maybe 175ml.  The first infusion was about five minutes and the second about three 15m later.  A seriously compressed cake.  These first two had a muffled quality.  It’s stored in plastic.  By the third another 15m I could work it open into three slightly separated parts.

Of course, these specs are based purely upon density.  It would be insane to brew 12 plus grams under normal circumstances and brewing it for so long would require a great deal of diluting to salvage.  Not opening virtually guarantees that the full character will not come through.  At the same time, crumbling chunks apart goes overboard, especially with tuo which are meant to diffuse more slowly.

The full character comes through with the Bada.  The nose on the is vanilla and brown sugar and the texture velvet smooth with a layer of subtle yet extremely complex broth that coats the mouth in light-brown sugar and a subtle accent of wintergreen.

Earlier in the year Bada Peacock certainly didn’t have the dynamism it has now.  Now it’s the best it’s ever been.  There’s a puzzling metallic note that has never left but now it’s only in the huigan and several minutes later, but it lingers, making you think of what you just drank, adjusting your tongue in your mouth and detecting afternotes on the exhale.  The qi was noticeable in the first two infusions.  Stopped after 3 rounds in order to share, but the thought did cross my mind to tap out.

 

Puerh Junky Three Xinghai Naughts

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Mar

Puerh Junky Three Xinghai Naughts checks in on some rather recent Xinghai TF arrivals.  The year 2022 witnessed some earnest acquisition activity (EAA) in regards to both raw and ripe Xinghai productions.  About three weeks ago ole Puerh Junky‘s pc died and though most was backed up not all has been recovered, not to mention that the replacement is not outfitted with features that don’t require subscriptions, something he refuses to do, which means replacing the new operating system with Windows 7 or at the very least figuring out how to get the current system to read the cd player gutted from the old system.  All this to say, PJ is wading through technical difficulties both on the site and the system which prevents including a wealth of pics and requires the reader’s patients.

’06 BZ Wild King

The BZ Wild King is one of the latest Xinghai acquisitions.  It is high altitude material of over 2000m and is from the first batch, hence it has a date stamp.  BZWK possesses good dry storage and was pressed with moderate compression.  It’s hands down the creamiest of Xinghai ever tasted, possessing notes in the vicinity of the Stylin, Tiger (CMS), and Quincy.   Thick and sweet with no smoke, BZWK resides assuredly in the Fruit Class, possessing fermented tropical fruit character most evocative of jackfruit.  Sometimes this profile will pick up some baby powder or incense notes, but that’s not the case here.  I typically expect Xinghai productions to pose some sort of challenge, usually in the form of astringency and dryness.  With “wild” in its name, BZWK had me bracing, but in the end proves to be probably the friendliest XH production ever drunk, though there is a thread of funk to it that conjures Jame Brown.  $188/357g.  Instagram fotos here.

’07 HK Returns 10th

In a previous post, HK Returns 10th received distinction as a great entry-level Xinghai.  This may lead some to erroneously conclude that the production is inferior.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It’s just been offered at a surprising price.  HKR10th first came into Puerh Junky‘s clutches a year ago in Mar ’22, an order for a tong immediately placed thereafter.  The cake has the tight compression consistent with the era.  Initial infusions take about two min before opening up.  It lasts forever.

HKR10th‘s performance varies greatly by storage particulars.  What was previously described as “workhorse” describes the floral expression.  Original storage lacks any humidity but has been sufficiently moist to allow a camphor note to pervade the infusions, along with a very tasty geosmin note, a rocky minerality.  After leaving the cake out for a week, grapefruit/pumello makes a stunning entry reminiscent of the Dragon, CMS and a recent sample had of the ’03 Qingteng, Wistaria.  There’s a real sassy sour that tweaks the cheeks, leaving the mouth with eau de grapefruit and salivation.  Mouth smaking is an inevitability.  Deeper in the citrus floats to the top while peat, incense, and light geosmin assume a dominant role.  It’s a Russian novel with lots of characters, intrigue, and drama.  I’ve never been able to outlast this classic, typically drinking over two or three days.  Nice qi too.

’06 Bulang Old Tree

The Bulang Old Tree is the second batch of another tightly pressed production devoid of any humidity.  The tea, however, shaves easily from the cake with a proper tea knife.  Storage is consistent with its age, though the wrappers on this puppy are really not in the best condition, a bit tattered and quite stained.  A few were picked up mid ’22 and a few more at the end of the year.  The taste is most like the Daxueshan, MKRS, a production described as having a peanut brittle and soy sauce expression.  The notes are not as strong in the BOT, as it also some cryptic tropical fruit notes along lines of the Stylin and BZ Wild King, some woodiness.  After three years of storage, the MKRS’s DXS has evolved into a classic tasting dianhong/Yunnan Gold.

The BOT and the BZWK are quite similar.  The price of the first batch of the BOT runs about the same as the BZWK.  Letting the opened leaves of the BOT rest in the pot for little less than a half hour released some of the vanilla cream so prominent in the BZWT.  It’s good to keep in mind that BZ and Bulang are often interchangeable, whereas Menghai much less so as it incorporates a much larger area.  Having the BOT sit out overnight and brewing in clay, no soy sauce could be detected and the peanut brittle transformed to toffee.  An anise note is more apparent and even a hint of pumello.  In fact, this citrus not gets stronger and more bitter the deeper you dive,  expressing in the aroma as well.  There’s also a thin layer of a fine-quality incense in those layers.  Hence, given their similarities the difference in personality emergest during the session.

Wrap-up

Puerh Junky selflessly visited three recently acquired Xinghai productions from ’06 and ’07 in order to further appraise fellow puerh enthusiasts of Xinghai TF itself.  Xinghai formed in ’02 and the first decade of production constitutes what will likely be their best, largely because they had not fallen under the influence of sheisty processing.  Productions from ’14-16 bear signs of a processing shift and in ’18 XH changed ownership, being acquired by one of the vulture groups that capitalize upon brand distinction while invariably lowering standards.  There’s no point here in beating a dead horse and processing variation is in itself a fluid phenomenon.  The acquisitions from the mid-teens deserves a discussion of its own.

In Puerh Junky Three Xinghai Naughts the early period of processing comes under the microscope.  The BZ Wild King represents one of Xinghai’s friendliest early productions, creamy and sweet with a unique fermented jackfruit expression.  There is a great deal of similarity with it and the Bulang Old Tree, but deeper in the BOT turns more toward grapefruit with unabashed bitterness.  BOT in some regards represents some of the challenging qualities PJ associates with XH.  The Hong Kong Returns 10th ranges from floral to a grapefruit, with formidable durability.  All three productions possess the complexity of well-crafted recipes.  The qi of both the BOT and HKR10th are uplifting.  The BZWT‘s effect is more narcotic, and also warmest of the three.  BOT starts out warm but as the grapefruit builds it becomes more cooling.  Camphor notes are strongest in the HKR10th, while it can definitely can be detected in the aftertaste of the BOT.  No humidity can be found in the taste of any of them, though storage can be considered adequately warm and moist to facilitate the type of transformation reflective of treasures better than 15 years in age.

Puerh Junky Quelled by Hideout

Posted on by Yang-chu
13 Mar

Puerh Junky Quelled by Hideout poses an interesting tale, whereby a slinger from the American SE sent him some very bad shiiii… Shut cho mouf!  I know that fellow Junky’s be wanting it real, and it is such reality. . . realness, if you’ll indulge me, that brought about the circumstances.

Recently, the Puerh Junky has been inveigled into joining Discourse under no pseudonym.  It is under such conditions that I encountered the aforementioned individual.  It is from said individual that I tasted one of the top five productions ever tasted.  Cherry and leather ’03.  The ’05 Peacock Country Morning Light enters the leather range for those interested in the Liming Sampler.  The more recently sampled ’05 Twin Dragons, Jianmin also lands exceedingly well on the leather front, but lacks any fruit. Enter the Hideout.

This March ’23 makes it close to half a year since Hideout has been visited.  Toward the end of winter: cherry, leather, vanilla, cream, witch hazel, butterscotch.  The cherry is immediately at the front and vanishes in the presence of the other impressions, leather and vanilla being strongest in the aftertaste.

I used 12.5g in the bell pepper pot, which holds about 150ml.  True to ’07 form, Hideout has atomic compression, which lends itself to longer infusions and heavier leafing.

 

Another Puerh Blossom

Posted on by kevin@epikta.com
19 Nov

Another Puerh Blossom directs attention to a ’12 Laoman’e production acquired in ’14 and sat upon for a total of eight years.  The Puerh Junky’s wife and I first visited one of the maker’s shops in Kunming back in ’13.  She was floored by a Jingmai offering and for about the next five years PJ made some effort toward acquiring a few of their productions.  Their web presence has diminished considerably over the years, but their shop still flourished in ’17.

In ’14 acquired offerings included Laoman‘e, Xigui, and Huangye, all from ’12  They were all about the same degree of wtf.  I didn’t know what I was tasting.  A ’10 Bingdao snagged in ’16 was equally disappointing.  The only really tasty production was a hideous looking ’07 Wuliang.  At the time I’m certain I didn’t think, well that Wuliang has had considerably more time to develop.  The Wuliang leaf material appeared considerably more rustic than usual.  The tastiness was thus attributed rusticness not age.

’07 Wuliang Yapu TF

Two years ago the ’10 Bingdao blossomed.  It is outstanding.  This year 2022, the 2012s had come into form and the Xigui started to be offered through the Lincang Sampler set.  This mid Nov day occasioned trying the Laoman’e.  The richness and sweetness are noteworthy, particularly in contrast to previous years.  The colour shows that its just at the be first stage of readiness, but it is an extremely satisfying stage.

It’s as interesting to observe the evolution of Puerh Junky’s own understanding of puerh as it is the puerh itself.  These Yapu productions were taken for decidedly second-rate, when it more accurately reflected second-rate understanding.  We’re all learning.