Lonely Days takes up the baffling disregard for Fuhai’s 7536 recipe.  On the one hand, that’s a relatively good thing because the price hasn’t exploded for still relatively aged material from a well-recognized brand.  On the other hand, it seems a same that it doesn’t get the love it deserves.

I’ve only tasted the ’07 version of the 7536 but have purchased or sampled a few of their other offerings.  The 7536 is their benchmark raw recipe, as they’re known for raws and ripes.  I read somewhere that it was supposed to be Fuhai’s take on the 7542 (maybe the writer meant the 7532), but their 7536 is decidedly less floral, which might account for its tepid reception among Western drinkers in particular.  This Fuhai has considerably less petrol than the standard, with more sweet roots and aromatic pods.  Cardamom and bay laurel  also come to mind.

I took it out on Sunday (31 Jan ’21) and had a very enjoyable session with it for two days.  I left it out and now is much bolder aromatically, with a waft of smoke as it’s taken from the plastic.  The cake smells like smoke-cured wood, deep.  From the dry heated clay comes a burst of fruitiness, the bay laurel.

Even the rinse is ready and tastes sweet.  The aroma from the leaves is rich, sugary, spiked with light spices.  There is NO hint of any floral.  A lot of sugar cane, brown sugar with top notes of sandalwood that just fade away into the sugar.  The smoke is evident in the broth, but it is a nice complement.  The aroma in the cup is also of incense.

The second and third infusions are visibly frothy, which carries over into mouthfeel.  The wood starts to make a considerable presence along with the smoke and you start to ask yourself whether you hang with the hounds or piss with the pups.  The sweetness is very addictive; it coats the mouth, lips, and throat, such that all questions of philosophy are lost.  The astringency has never been an issue with this production and now is quite lubricious on the lips and teeth.

No matter how many years drunk, this production still evokes a sense of Christmas.  It’s very warming and cheery, like Christmas.  It exudes the smell of a fire and Christmas spices, hence its name Mincemeat, visions of Tiny Tim and Tchaikovsky all in one.  It forms an interesting contrast to the Water Blue Mark, which is also sweet and woody, but with strong plum notes, whereas 7536 is more incense and spice.  Neither are remotely floral.