Tag Archives: Pu erh Junky

Puerh Junkosophy: Camphor

Posted on by Yang-chu
05 May

Some will undoubtedly question whether camphor is truly a subject for Puerh Junkosophy.  Such concerns are warranted, but the Puerh Junky has noticed a prevailing confusion about camphor and so some measure of junkosophy is necessary.

There are complex chemo descriptions for camphor that prove utterly elusive to a simple junky like myself. Camphor is simply a sensation.  This sensation can appear in the aroma and taste but it is primarily an aromatic sensation.  Just as chilies impart a sensation that unifies varying types of chilies by their shape and sensation of heat, so too does camphor unify varying profiles by the sensation of cooling.

When but a lad my mother would rub Vicks Vaporub on my chest when I came down with something. Vicks is camphor.  If you don’t know Vicks, then peppermint also qualifies.  I know that chemically camphor and menthol differ but the cooling effect is the same.  Camphor is also present in freshly ground cardamom.  Some others are eucalyptus, tea tree, and pine.  Camphor is that fresca, chilly feeling.

Interestingly, in Chinese medicine camphor is considered so hot it’s cold.  Technically, the camphor you buy as a bug repellant comes from cinnamon.  It’s the crystalized form, a “crackification” of the cinnamon bark.  It’s more pure than frankincense, which also possesses some camphor compounds though in a less concentrated form.  That faint thrilling aspect of chrysanthemum is also camphor.  Now let’s talk about camphor in terms of puerh.

Puerh and Camphor

There’s a book that I caught wind of documenting over 100 camphor attributes in puerh.  In sum, every taste or close to it is a type of camphor.  However, such a declaration clearly only muddies the water.

First, it should be remarked that certifiable medicinal camphor notes express more resolutely in productions with some years under their belt.  This is not to say that camphor is absent in young productions.  Tips, for example, tend to be aggressively camphorous but are of a less medicinal and more minty quality.  This tippy camphor pop may just be a stage in development.  For example, a tinned version of Mangosteen developed an explosive camphor sensation at one stage before transitioning into a creamy, fruity, citric acidy creation.

Mangosteen

Raw camphor notes are familiar to most puerh drinkers.  The bright finish of tippy productions is exemplary of floral camphor.  The Jingmai “003” is a case in point, so are the Rat tuo and the LME Spring.  Here, the camphor is a zing that strikes like a whistle, hands down the most popular variety of puerh.

A more obvious expression of camphor resides further down the register.  Here, tastes are often referred to as medicinal, like cough drops.   For this to emerge the camphor notes age along the backdrop of the raw material to sound a crystal note.  Again, the note is impossible to distinguish from menthol because the effect is essentially the same.  The king of medicinal in the Puerh Junky collection is Quincy, the name taken from the TV show.

Incense, pencil shavings, and to a lesser degree wood evocations are shades of camphor less associated with camphor.  Incense is made from wood or wood sap.  Similarly, incense, petrol, pencil shavings aren’t going to manifest till the raw material gets more woody.  More dry-stored puerhs of this variety can take on perfume and talcum properties, while the slightly wetter-stored and older exhibit sandalwood and other bark type fragrances.  A nice representation of of the former profile is Grenouille, possessing a light incense expression and the jaw-droppingly precocious Jade Rabbit, which has a lot of gasoline going for it.

Jade Rabbit

Root beer is also a camphor expression, particularly raw puerh.  Root beer, the beverage, is a complex recipe containing more than just sasparilla.  Vanilla, ginger, even star anise also contribute.  This is the melange of nuance in the delightful root beer puerhs.  Examples include, Thick Zen, Vanilla Palace, and Poison.  These are easily the favs for the Puerh Junky.

Closing Remarks on Puerh and Camphor

Camphor is a familiar sensation that in the context of puerh has two connotations.  One is nothing short of minty medicine, like Vick’s Vaporub or the inhaler.  The second refers to a broad range of flavor expressions, evident in both raw and ripe puerh.  Attention has been directed solely to raws in this communication as the nuances are more stark in raws than ripes.  Floral, graphite, petrol, and root beer are all unique camphor profiles, some associated less with camphor than others.  On the whole, camphor is as much a sensation as a taste.  This sensation and aroma is cooling, refreshing, and expansive.  Let the Puerh Junkosophy conclude here.

Puerh Junky’s Spring 2021 Report

Posted on by Yang-chu
20 Apr

Puerh Junky’s Spring 2021 Report

I was chatting with a friend the other day and he informed me that the Western vendors are all offering free shipping till the new tea arrives.  I guess that’s a pretty big deal if you’re shipping from Mainland.  My offerings are here in Los Angeles, so that’s not much of an issue for American buyers who get free shipping on orders larger than $75.

I guess it’s some way to stir excitement over offerings from the spring picking.  New tea is really not the Puerh Junky’s thing.  There’s so much older tea that hasn’t been hoarded to discover that not only meets the standard but also still presents comparatively greater value.  But, these gems are disappearing apace.

Over the past five years factories have progressively been restricting their sales to preferred vendors.  Some factories, like the maker of the Jingmai “003”, have already disappeared, except for their flagship site.  The same has essentially happened with GPE.  Many of the Puerh Junky’s preferred vendors have vanished or moved into more obscure brands from famous regions and greatly scaled back their offerings.

Observing this trend, the Puerh Junky has also had to adapt.  Since Nov ’20, I’ve primarily focused on re-upping on exceptional treasures while they’re still available.  Along the way, unfamiliar productions from well-known factories have been acquired, in addition to virtual unknowns from trusted vendors.  As this project has evolved, thematic productions have taken a back burner, though I continue to be tempted by a sexy wrapper.  I still love a good wrapper, but focus has mostly settled into familiar productions and factories.

’06 Old Geezers Ripe  

As far as themes go, it is clear that 6FTM is becoming a theme unto itself.  Productions from their early years are particularly interesting from a collecting point of view, especially before their brand identity solidified.  Some of these will be listed in the coming year.

Breaking the Mold

“Breaking the Mold” is probably not the best turn of phrase when talking about puerh, but alas I’m breaking from my standard practice of holding offerings for six months before listing.  Some productions are ready now and there’s little point in having them lazing about in LA when there’s work to be done in Brockton, Bethesda, and Boise.  There’s a bevy of ripes that are already quite good.  Many have already been snatched up by insiders who rely upon his junkifiedness for the hook up.  Still, some of these have yet to be spoken for.

’06 Nannuo, LME

Here’s were a digression into the junkisophical must be indulged: price is no reflection of quality.  Quality factors less than reputation and collectability.  Naturally, these are not altogether independent variables.  The Puerh Junky provides a range of reputations and collectability, while never sacrificing quality.  Sometimes quality is difficult to discern, but where it’s immediately apparent, fellow junk… er enthusiasts should not be deprived.

Puerh Junky’s Collection and Stash

Let’s call the Collection that which is listed and the Stash that which is not.  As for the Collection, most treasures number but a few.  Chances of re-upping depend on availability and price.  If you need to score a tong then you need to contact me directly.  Otherwise, if something strikes your fancy, it’s best not to dally.

The Stash consists of productions that have yet to graduate.  They are “aging.”  The Stash also has treasures that sold out or sky rocketed in price.  These were trial purchases, testing either vendor or production.  Sometimes prices jump even before arriving.  This especially happens around the lunar new year.  Be it availability or price, these treasures end up orphans until lightening strikes or, in a fit of junkydom, I break down and pay what they’re asking.  This process can take years.  How sublime it would be for these orphans to join the Collection, but for most this simply will not happen.

Hoping and Praying

Puerh Orphan Sample Annie

If you think I’m breaking up these cakes, then you’ve been drinking to much!  In a grand gesture of junkaciousness, however, I can part with a few samples from my own cake.  We’ll call these Orphan Samples.  They’ll be arranged in interesting sets unified by a theme like year, factory, or region; I’ll confabulate something.  If a treasure from the set appeals to you, you may directly inquire further about availability.  Orphan Samples are identical to regular samples, i.e., 15g, except very few are being offered, and the specific intent is to find a home for orphan cakes, as opposed to providing general edification and enjoyment.  Since you’ll have sampled for yourself, there is zero need to leave anything to question about quality or personal appeal.

Final Word

A final word of thanks for reading and enjoying these missives, however epi- and rhapsodic.  In the coming weeks, beyond new listings, be on the lookout for blog postings on the back story of some of the more vaunted factories offering these treasures.  I understand that the world of Chinese puerh factories is enigmatic for those with limited access to Chinese. Nonetheless, arming yourself with a bit of context provides at least of modicum of rationale for being the Puerh Junky that you are.

Puerh Junky’s Floral Hypocrisy Exposed!

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Mar

Puerh Junky’s Floral Hypocrisy Exposed!  Our sources have uncovered gross Puerh Junky hypocrisy.  These are grave offenses in eyes the puerh faithful.  He has been running an ostensible root beer racket with brazen aplomb, but we have discovered that aside from his ripe forays in placation of his wife’s morning pleasures, that he actually isn’t as averse to florality as commonly presented.

Our unnamed sources have reported to us today on the 24th Mar that he has been dallying with floral Yiwus, CMS (Chamasi) to be exact.  We’re talking about the Dragon, CMS to be exact, which this morning pulled off a stunning performance.

Our sources have revealed that his Puer Junkyness was tasked to unveil Yiwu and resorted to introducing the recently listed Dragon, CMS.  Little did he know that his tasker was our undercover agent.  All of his feigned humility and uncertainty vanished from the very first infusion.  The Puerh Junky himself acted surprised.  He noted a sublime florality, and then started making excuses stating nonsense about Shanghai refinement and the absence of rough edged that the upper crust of China seek out.

For his part, our agent endeavored to keep his wits about him, despite was was an obvious full-body qi effect.  He reported, to his credit, that PJ’s floral recriminations needed to be balanced against Zen.  These are matters that our agent is just learning about, though his atunement to cha-qi is keen and her did his best to remain skeptical through his inebriation.

Puerh Tin Report

Posted on by Yang-chu
06 Mar

The Puerh Tin Report takes the reader deep into the doings the Puerh Junky.  This time it involves testing the effects of tinning of two productions after only two weeks.  Well, more precisely one after a week and the other after two.  They are both 6FTM productions: week one ’06 Fohai and week two ’07 Pig.  Sooner or later the the Fohai will be offered, whereas the Pig is part of the Lunar Series.

Recently yours truly raved about the findings from tinning the raw puerh cake Fu for three years. Would it be necessary to tin for such a long time to obtain the same results?  The Fohai and the Pig struck me as good candidates for different reasons.  The former didn’t possess the same zing as when originally purchased, and the latter has always struck the Puerh Junky as too zingy.

I tried the Fohai after a week.  The tin above is one that I found on a dock in the marina after returning from a three-day sailing trip about eight years ago.  I figured it must have been a gift from the gods and it contained chun-mee that I’ve possibly had three times.  The tin has double-lid action.  Something might have to be done about that.

The first thing this Puerh Tin Reporter noted was a storagey aroma that also affected the taste of the first two infusions.  This will have to be watched.  Nonetheless, the liveliness initially found had returned much to my delight.  Preliminary findings are cautiously optimistic and remarkable after only one week.

Week two featured the Pig from a Folger’s tin from the 60s.  I got this from my since-passed 90 something neighbor, who was storing some black tea in it also from the 60s.  You can tell this tin is old and actual tin because of the visible seam.  Would it impart a metallic taste?  Kazaaa!

For the first time the Pig was spectacular.  I used a conservative 4.5g in my slow pour, florally designated zisha.  The piercing edginess was not only no longer there but the same lively tangerinesque attributes also present in the Fohai.

Puerh Tinned Report tentatively reports overall very positive findings from the tinning of two raw puerh cakes from 6FTM.  These are two floral offerings, but it is doubtful that tinning in anyway is better for one type of expression over another, say tobacco vs Zen vs floral.  We’ll have to wait and see.

Yeah, I still have that black tea from the 60s, in case you were wondering.

Puerh Junky’s Lincang Lament

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Feb

The Puerh Junky’s Lincang Lament may arouse giggles, perhaps even guffaws among readers.  Don’t.  No giggles or guffaws allowed.  The Puerh Junky in me needs your commiseration.  Regard  (that’s French for “check it”)!  The perils of hanky-panky processing have proliferated and no region is more guilty of such crimes than Lincang.

“Oh, you’re just a strung out Puerh Junky,” retorts the skeptic in you.  Perhaps, but that has nill to do with hanky-panky processing (HPP).  By this I mean the so-called “new processing.”  This sleight-of-hand affords vendors and farmers to sell “gushu” to enthusiastic buyers many with no intention of storing long term.  Still, some do think they can take their sugary prizes and store them for some later date.

What sugar cereal is this?

This won’t happen.  They’re not “gushu.”  They’re oolong processed.  They’re that sugary breakfast cereal that you can eat a box of, only filling up on the milk.  They are a scourge to the real puerh drinker.  That’s right, I have drawn that line in the sand between the real and the faux puerh drinker, and more than a handful fall into the latter category.

But we’re talking about Lincang. . . There are two types of Lincang roughly speaking, western which is floral and eastern which is fruity.  It’s the eastern, with names like Qianjiazhai, Bingdao, and Bangdong being some of the frequently listed offerings.  Oh, let’s not forget Xigui!

Come to think of it, many Kunming TF’s productions are western Lincang blends. Thing is they can never be accused of HPP, certainly not before ’15, when I stopped buying them because their prices started exploding.  I got burned once by a very high-end vendor in ’15, whom I surmise were themselves burned; they’ve never offered from that village since.  Around the same time, I found another Lincang vendor that went belly up last in 2020, as far as I can tell.  I’ll have to collaborate more closely with my buyer with this one if there’s any hope, as they have a Bingdao Huangpian that after two years settling is spot on.

However, there’s still one of their Dahuzhai available in the shop.  I’ll admit I went through a stint of serious anxiety around that offering.  Still another caused even greater angst and turmoil because it was from the same village that had burned el-fancy vendor.  In this last week of Feb of 2021, your trusty Puerh Junky is happy to announce that although that little treasure did go through some adjustment period where it started to fall off, it has entered a phase where it is picking up.  More importantly, it can be drunk through.

What is drinking through?  It’s that your puerh never starts to taste of sencha after two or three infusions.  Excessive sweetness with a back end of sencha is a dead giveaway that you’re drinking an HPP offering.  A flat taste isn’t the clearest giveaway because that could just as easily be poor storage.  I had started to suspect the worse, as this sparkling cake started to express some bitterness, not astringency but bitterness.  The progression struck me as strange, but each offering has its own personality that’s going to evolve.  Throughout its brief life, however, it has never EVER expressed sencha notes.  Any of these sweet productions that leave that sencha impression (ahem), are gross offenders.

So, sometime before the cake of non-mention (because none are available anymore) took its turn, I picked up that vendor’s Xigui, a Lincang village that I’ve followed probably more than any other.  That one was about twice the price of the other village.  Well, it is Xigui.  What could I expect?

What a dud it was.  I started to reflect upon my furtive readings of discussion boards about so-and-so’s one or two year production being “so delicious”, utterly amazed by people’s ability to score such fantastic productions at such young ages.  Had I been foundering in a puerh-addled Chinese factory hell?  And what with all this talk about good for aging?  I mean a puerh that doesn’t age isn’t a puerh, right? RIGHT?!!  Where had I gone wrong? Whom should I blame: politicians? parenting? that English teacher in 10th-grade?  Clearly, I was loosing my mooring, and there was only Lincang to blame.

Btw, you ever had a real Bingdao?  But, I digress.  I was talking about that dud of a Xigui, which has actually turned out to be fantastic.  That vendor, which I suspect was a maker of sorts, is now defunct, as I said.  I fear I won’t find another like it given the prevalence of HPP these days.  Such are the travails of the Puerh Junky.  I’m going to talk to my buyer, maybe he can help a Junky out.

Water Blue Mark: The Woolly Sweater

Posted on by Yang-chu
29 Jan

The Water Blue Mark is a Woolly sweater.  The level of complexity with this raw puerh cake cannot be overstated.  It it is reasonable to call it in the the tobacco class but it is not that simple.  Tobacco class productions although darker by nature aren’t necessarily woody.  There is a real woodsiness to this.

When the Water Blue Mark first posted, it was primarily aggressive and smoky.  It was evident that it was strong but difficult to gain a full sense of its attributes.  This brings us to the obvious fruitiness.  In fact, when the Puerh Junky’s better half smelled the dry leaves she blurted out “fruity.”  It is very fruity.  When she smelled the wet leaves, her eyes brightened in surprise exclaiming, “plums and prunes.”  Yes, it is a very fruity production, but. . .

The fruit so evident in the aroma must contend with wood and smoke.  For being a 2007 production, the material is beyond its age by around three years.  It resides in the low end of the scale, hanging with the bad crowd of the Puerh Junky’s collection, Joey White Tips, Mugsy Dragon, and OG Baby Face Square.  Let’s put it this way, it’s as far from Zen as absolutely possible.  It is very much NOT in the Zhongcha/KMTF house style.

A natural question to ask is whether the cake is coming or going.  That is to ask, “Is it getting stronger or is it fading?”  That is difficult to answer.  The usual thing is to expect the smoke to dissipate.  However, this is not overwhelmingly smoky.  From the time of listing in thsummer of 2020 it has become better.  The fruit note combined with the wood and smoke make it unique.  An obvious association with XG’s Forever Love might be made but the Water Blue Mark is is darker and woodier.  Its not just fruit and ash lie FL.  In fact, there is little ash.  The sense of oak aged liquors comes to mind.

Brandy? Whiskey? These are all too dry given WBM’s sweetness.  Did I mention sweet?  At least for the first four infusions it is very sweet and thick with a bit of frothiness thrown in.  At the same time, it has a warming quality like some kind of spirit.  It’s warming and surprisingly relaxing.  It hangs heavy on the body like a woolen sweater, absolutely appropriate for cold winter nights, eliciting a counterintuitive power that welcomes curling up in the bed with some cozy Beethoven sonata in the background.

After the sixth infusion, it loses most of the woodiness and in contrast to Forever Love, loses all of the smoke.  The production takes on a more characteristic KMTF Zen tone, sweet yet always with a hint of bitterness.

 

 

Puerh Rating: Cultural Revolution Series

Posted on by Yang-chu
14 Jan

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

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

After three rounds the totals were as follows:

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

Reflections on Cultural Revolution Series

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

63/105, C

 

2020 Top Tastes

Posted on by Yang-chu
17 Dec

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

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

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

 

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

Puerh Rating: Red Star

Posted on by Yang-chu
20 Sep

The Puerh Junky Rating System (PJRS) takes on the ’11 Red Star Iron Cake.  It’s one of a few Xiaguan TF (XG) productions offered.  There are so many XG productions available that I tend to venture elsewhere.  When I do venture into the XG terrain, I’m looking for something aesthetically captivating.  The Red Star certainly captivates.

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma            6
  • Clarity            9
  • Sweetness     7
  • Viscosity       10
  • Astringency  14
  • Huigan           9
  • Qi                  8

Reflections

Ancient Shot

I wrote “peat” in my notes.  It comes up in reference to puerhs on occasion.  Is there any relationship to astringency?  The Red Star performs outstandingly in the astringency category.  Is “peat” the same thing I associate with soda?  Not what right-minded folks call pop.  I mean soda as in baking soda, sorta salty.

In a fairly recent post I wrote about how the Red Star Iron Cake has transformed.  One of their more popular productions is the Gold Ribbon.  What accounts for its popularity eludes me.  It doesn’t possess the smoke of some of their other Crane icon productions, I suspect.  Smoke will usually be some aspect of their offerings.  The Red Star is no exception but it doesn’t adversely affect the taste in the least.  It also transforms in a way that marks a dynamic process in the leaves.  It’s not about tastes softening but actually cooking into something unrecognizable from the outset.

Conclusions

In reviewing the results, I felt I might have been a bit overly critical on the aroma score.  This is probably because when I first got it, the aroma was at least twice as strong.  Whatever is left in my stores has been here since May of ’16.  I’ve never felt it needed punishment.

XG is an immensely interesting operation.  I’ve previously mentioned that they are still about 1/2 state owned.  Last I heard 50% of production is still reserved for Tibet.  At the time of writing here in 2020, it is a sold everyday drinker in the tobacco class, with strong soda/peat notes.  Classic XG expression, 5000X more than the Gold Ribbon.  Puerh Rating Red Star

63/105, B