Tag Archives: puerh tea

Visiting Grenouille and Aging

Posted on by Yang-chu
27 Jul

Visiting Grenouille and Aging tackles two subjects: the first is an update on the ’06 Grenouille, and the second compares Grenouille to the considerably younger ’16 Bulang Shengtai, Jindafu.  Let’s begin

Grenouille’s Developments

Grenouille hails from Wuliang Mt, in Simao.  The most famous of Simao mountains by far is Jingmai.  Wuliang Mt could well be the second most famous.  The terroir profiles of the two are distinctive. Where Jingmai are know for their florals, often described as orchid, Wuliang can be minerally or peppery.  The pepper profile is extremely common among Simaos that do not bear the appellation Jingmai.  These often hail from Jinggu.  There is also Ailao Mt possessing a pepper note.  Simao is synonymous with Lancang, cf Lincang, and Puer City.  Jingmai, Wuliang, Jinggu, and Ailao are the commonly recognized names of the productions associated with Simao.

There will be a quiz so pay attention.

Grenouille typifies the Simao essence.  Where Jingmai should sing in a high register, other Simao brood.  There’s nothing pitchy.  Rather, there’s a complex melange of medium to dark notes, notes that are difficult to identify beyond Simao itself.  Think of an attar of oud, vetiver, and vanilla, the hand of a fiendish perfumer.   This is not your mother’s Menghai.  It takes some sessions to get one’s head around what the terroir communicates.  Similar offerings in the the Collection include Buddha Impressions and Auspicious Dragon, both from Jinggu and the Cherry Blossom, also from Wuliang.

Grenouille came into the Puerh Junky’s possession in early ’19.  Up to that point, it had been conservatively dry stored, perhaps a bit warm.  Such conditions can give rise to a baby powder cum old church lady perfume quality that appeals to many drinkers.  The transition has been from subtle to insufferable to settled, where it is now this Jul 2022.  There’s a touch of bitter and an even smaller bit of sour.  Quite sophisticated it is.

By “settled,” the Puerh Junky means to convey something about that layer of baby powder.  At the insufferable stage, it is the prevailing note constituting an intensely sweet attar.  This is where increased humidity of LA conditions heighten the top layer of expression.  At the settled stage, that trait percolates into the overall character of the tea.  This indicates transformation beyond the top layer where the deeper layers have also had a chance to cook.

Aging: Grenouille vs Bulang Shengtai

Grenouille is from ’06 and Bulang Shengtai is from ’16.  Ten year difference.  I’ve been storing the latter since ’17 and the former, as mentioned above, since ’19.

Grenouille 2022 Foto

Shot two:

Bulang Shengtai 2022 Foto

Here’s another:

Bulang Shengtai 2017 Foto

Let’s let the pictures speak for themselves.  It’s clear that Grenouille is darker, but the question is whether it appears ten years darker.  The answer lies in understanding the relative nature of aging.  Obvious, right?  Still, it’s good to have a side-by-side gander to determine just how difficult it is to tell the age of a production by the leaves themselves.

The darker the leaves the older the tea.  Again obvious.  The darkness of the leaves relative the production date indicates storage conditions.  The difference is apparent in clearly humid versus dry stored productions.  However, there is a good deal of gray, especially among mainland offerings, so the colour provides an additional indicator of just how dry relative what’s being tasted.  This provides some clues regarding what to expect given one’s own storage conditions and transformation prospects for the production itself.   Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I snapped a shot of Grenouille‘s cashed leaves when first acquired.

 

 

 

Shocking Puerh Changes

Posted on by Yang-chu
17 Jul

Shocking Puerh Changes relates the on-going observations of the Puerh Junky with his pre-2016 purchases.  Specifically, it involves the dangers of classifying productions, which are wont to transform into an entirely different category.  It is also part of a saga of discovering erstwhile duds were nothing of the sort, but processed in such a way where they only have come into form after a great deal of time.  Let’s begin.

Shifting Puerh Class

The ’07 Prince of Vanilla came into the Puerh Junky’s possession in ’15.  It hails from the Longyuan TF, which produces an awful lot of tea, many with super fancy wrappers.  In the year of its incarnation, ’06, the PoV won some type of metal at some competition that was essentially ignored upon acquisition.  The wrapper captures a theme of a continued Dai/Thai tradition thus comprising a thematic “fit.”  Compression is one of the most noticeable features of the cake.  Whereas most Menghai productions from this era have been machine pressed with serious zeal, the PoV is quite moderately pressed.

Nothing impresses more than the ability of competition tasters.  Over the years, it is hard to say any thing had particularly stood out about the PoV and for copetition tasters to detect award-winning traits hot off the press boggles the mind.  In one missive, I mentioned that Prince of Vanilla made for good bowl drinking and that the qi was stout, a great firm drink in the Tobacco Class for the morning.  At one time, there was a vanilla note, which earned it its name, but after some time faded residing rather humbly in the Tobacco Class most distinguished by its wrapper.

As such, it never garnered any special storage attention and could said to have been relegated to quasi-purgatory treatment.  Special attention means more humidity and purgatory means getting whatever humidity possible, which isn’t a whole lot.  This could prove positively disastrous in the desert, but Los Angeles isn’t exactly a desert climate given the famous marine layer that adds a bit of humidity to the air for about three of the four seasons.

As of the summer of ’22, the Prince of Vanilla’s Tobacco Class days are very behind it.  It is now a Fruit Class bomb.  It’s not like the Thick Zen where there are just fruit notes.  No, it is screaming blueberry, a taste which lingers and lingers long after done drinking.  It’s as though this is the material from which the mercurial Merlot was taken.  Merlot is a ripe which was originally going to be called Crunch Berries because it was so fruity but then settled into something more like Merlot before shifting back into to a voluble fruity expression. . . with more qi.  It seems sometimes that consistent dry storage will develop this fruit character, instead of strong camphor and tree roots.  The storage is certifiably dry but it isn’t in the least dry tasting.  That occurs when storage is too dry and too hot, which in any event result in different notes.  Here, nothing about the PoV is dry.  It’s super summer fun.

Jingmai Puerh Awakens

Another ’15 acquisition was a Jingmai with a stunning wrapper from a now either defunct or reorganized outfit called Mountain Top TF.  The fate of such a factory is quite telling.  To wit: the ’09 Jingmai is only now starting to show signs of promise in ’22.  A new factory faces a serious uphill batter for survival if their processing required waiting a good 15 years before coming into form.  This is a battle that Mountain Top appears to have lost, but there’s still its offerings for evaluation and enjoyment.

Perhaps most surprising about this Jingmai was its utter absence of the signature Jingmai florality.  Youth and processing notwithstanding, Jingmai are still expected to possess a floral character.  Without any particular character or floral expression, this production was nothing short of a major dud, especially given its exquisite wrapper and very careful pressing.  As such, it was set aside and essentially given the purgatory treatment: dry and given little if any fuss.

The July ’22 tasting proved surprising.  There is a hint of flowers starting to emerge amidst a very sweet broth.  It’s hard to imagine how such tastes and aromas age into a production, but this is what makes puerh aging so interesting.  Also shocking is the virtual absence of colour in such an old production.  By all accounts, I would have guessed that this was a ’20 Lincang processed for young consumption, the exact opposite of the facts.

The caste of the broth stays this colour throughout.  There may be a hint of pink in there which is supposed to a mark of the absolute best.  It could also be from the time of day the photo was taken.  I paid more attention to whether the floral note would express more strongly, how long the sugariness would continue, and whether the broth would darken up or go through a cloudy stage than the nature of the hue itself.  It never went through a cloudy stage nor did it get darker.  The richness and sugar start to fade in the 6th and 7th infusions.  Clearly its most humbling feature involves the colour, as a typical barometer of age.  Curve balls of this sore make the Puerh Junky all the more apprehensive in doubting some age claims.

The remaining cakes were resting in more humid climes for a few months, but there’s a measure of storage orchestration with which I’m currently contending, so they’re back to purgatory for at least the next week. The Jingmai will be sampled again at the end of the summer.  I’ll be particularly interested in how long it lasts and whether the floral note continues to develop, as I’m finding with the Bulang Shengtai.

 

Raw Puerh Summer: OG Gangsta

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Jun

Raw Puerh Summer: OG Gangsta is the unceremonious title for a blog update on the eponymously referenced object of attention: ’05 OG Gangsta.  In some regards, it appears our pirate of Puerhia is getting “sof”, as they say back in Philly.

I broke off a fleck of a little over 8.6327g, placing in my 150ml gaiwan.  The whole fleck went in, and I gave it a good two minutes to brew.  From Palookaville to Plum Village, if I had to tell ya.  No smoke, no toe-curling astringency, something you’d give to the gramma of the girl you started dating to get on her good side.

“What’s this, Joey?  Ya sayin’ da OG done gawn straight on us?”

“Hold ya hawses, Milton.  I’m just tawkin’ about the first few passes like four or somethin’.  Ah ain’t done tellin’ ya about da nex day.”

Each of those subsequent infusions were about a minute, surprisingly sweet and entirely unexpected.  The next day wouldda made the gang back in Philly proud, lemme tell ya.  By that time all the leaves had loosened up real nice, ya see.  Then, they got yer normal flash action.  The first one was a real doozy, a blast of camphor right in the kissa with some vanilla on top.  It then settles in to something more familiar, though softer, with the smoke greatly attenuated.  The sweetness and the texture are also much more developed and the huigan confidently redolent.

 

Liming Puerh Lamentations

Posted on by Yang-chu
08 Feb

Liming Puerh Lamentations is an intentional biblical reference.  There’s a book in the Bible called Lamentations and the Puerh Junky’s lament is nothing short of biblical.

“How now, Horatio?” sayest thou if you’re of the king James, Shakespearean bent.  I’m quick to note that my name is not Horatio, but that I get what you mean.  The problem is that you don’t get the Puerh Junky’s meaning.

Repent!  Liming is here now.  There is no need to await the second coming.  The Puerh Junky is the true messenger.  Seek ye now no longer.  Those with tongues to taste, taste ye now.

Yeah verily, this is a jeremiad.  Behold the 2017 musings of the Wisconsonian Cwyn.   It’s a solid appraisal.  It’s actually glowing from one who is most begrudging and her assessments.  She’s a solid source with a demanding standard.  I sent her something that she tried to source on her own, but I had already told her that I couldn’t get more and that I bought when in KM in ’13.  She certainly has head strength.  Anyway, that was years ago.

That said, she likes the ’07 Golden Peacock, LM.  I purchased that production in ’16, about a year before she posted.  That’s because I’m a peacock kinda Puerh Junky.  As early as ’15, I had come into contact with the Peacock Brick.  Aye, I lament, because those with the slightest clue would instantly beat their breast for neglecting this treasure.

’06 Peacock Brick, LM

I recently read where the Hobbes character had commented upon a Liming brick of unbelievable pleasure.   I cannot speak to this, but this Peacock brick is unbelievable.  It defeats any other brick of the Tobacco Class, but to speak of it in the light of a brick is to do it no justice.  It is a positively sick production.  Sick, I say.

This week I drank the ’07 OG Square.  The production is flawless.  It actually tastes aged, but not in the sense of being rushed and lifeless.  In fact, this production is full of life.  It gets overlooked because it’s so cheap and doesn’t have a fancy peacock with it.  However, it’s fantastic.  The material and age make it a stellar price performer.  The deathly compression does require some practice but with 100g one should be able to get up to speed in terms of how it responds to varying approaches.

Liming Square: Power compression!

Even the Liming productions I hate, at least at this point, I can recognize as being real quality.  I just visited the ’07 Golden Peacock and it was seriously flawed by storage.  I’ve had it since ’16, so I consider it all my fault.  It tastes of cardboard even though it’s never been in it.  Ayei-fie! I’ve entered into yet another zone of uncertainty.  Tinning seems in order, we could also say bagging.  The Water Blue Mark, KMTF from the same year comes to mind. (Note: the next the the experience was more up to standard.)

Water Blue Mark

The Water Blue Mark is an imposing KMTF production that was too smoky for drinking when first received it in ’19, but as it emerged from its slowly aged coma, remarkable colours emerged.  I served it to a pair of gypsies en route to Las Vegas in the summer of ’21.  Both positively adored the bagged version I served up.

Recently, I reached for the ’05 Peacock Country

Not all peacocks bear a peacock

Acquired in ’15, its taste was nothing short of sonorous until Jan ’22.  Here “sonorous” refers to a caustic floral racket, bitterness, and general bad manners.  No amount of fiddling in terms of brewing parameters could tame it.  It’s the type of expression that those who like Earl Grey go for, I suppose.  In any event the most surprising thing about the most recent tasting was the absence of any brashness.  It also lasted for four days, never bottoming out.

I recently ran across a Liming lament of another sort, where the drinker complained of how horrible it was.  However, it was a ’18 production and as the case of the ’05 somewhat illustrates, Liming isn’t cutting corners that would make young productions instantly appealing.

 

 

Visiting Silver Pekoe Tuo

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Jun

Visiting Silver Pekoe Tuo is in reference to an ’06 Tulin raw tuo.  I first purchased a number of these in ’14 and then they reappeared around ’18 at around 3X the price and completely different storage conditions.  I’ll designate the first purchasing date as FP and the one in ’18 as LP.  They’re both the same ’06 production.

For starters FP was much more humidly stored.  Camphor aroma emanated from its pores.  In the early days sometimes the camphor taste was more obvious than others.  There was noticeable bitterness and there was a distinctive orange juice finish.  It went over a rocky path till reaching root beer perfection.

The LP is, how shall you say, fuzzy.  The aroma is something akin to laundry powder or drier sheets, that fresh perfume scent common among soaps.  Maybe that’s lavender.  Sometimes it blends in with a vanilla, as with the sold out Vanilla Palace.   It’s definitely a perfume which could classify as floral but the notes are much deeper.  It’s the difference between striking a sound on wine glass or upon a hide or a gut string.  LP is like the erhu, the stringed instrument that sounds like a stringed instrument imitating an oboe or a duck.

People complain there aren’t enough pictures, so that’s an erhu.  There’s a pervasive sentiment that pictures of ducks are humourous.  I beg to differ.

The taste of the LP is three words: bubble gum tobacco.  It would be four words if I added an “and.”  I’ve learned long ago to not overleaf this production, so I went with five grams in my slow-pouring 150ml zisha for florals.  It’s noticeably thick and dense, an intense wave of the perfume lady at church before your mind grabs hold of the bubble gum and tobacco.

I cannot recall any smokiness or tobacco from the FP.  There isn’t any smokiness in the aroma that I can detect through the church lady perfume in the LP, though it could be perceived as incense or potpourri depending on how much you like that smell.  This is the smoke that some productions take on as they age and what makes them classed as tobacco. These tend to be tastier in fall.

Now the Puerh Junky doesn’t go around listening to such stuff, unless pining over a previous incarnation.  In honest assessment, the LP is a Fruit Monster on steroids.  The material overall is fantastic.  That said, knowing what it was makes me hate it.  I can appreciate the LP for what it is but only to a certain extent, sorta like the Sean Connery people with James Bond.

Le Yinhao Originale

To be fair, the FP was stored four years before arriving, and the LP has been sitting in the very same deep storage for better than two years at least.  My sample notes are from items in the batting lineup.  These are stored these are stored for convenient access.  Humidity and temp are less concentrated.  It’s reasonable to conclude that the deep stored LP are considerably different from the one in the lineup.

Alas dear readers, to share a comparison sampler, if you will, would be an achievement of positive no significance beyond demonstrating the ginormous differences that storage expresses upon the same production.  There is some FP stash but as part of the collection, it indisposed.  Aye, between cataloging and tweaking storage of an ever-growing puerh junkstrosity, an item or two has known to get misplaced.

 

Five Star Puerh Factories

Posted on by Yang-chu

This is a feeble attempt to introduce five bling Chinese factories that you find on the Puerh Junky site.  These factories came into the fold less as a result of their reputation than how they fit around a thematic imperative, peacocks.  This ended up making Fujin a rather obvious choice.  Similarly, there’s a curious fascination with the Yang family.  Therefore, Yang Pin Hao is another obvious choice.  The iconic prehistoric entity of Lancang Ancient TF would certainly fit the bill.  Shujian is not a factory but a vendor.  Their dragon pearls from ’14 are fascinating.  They capture the bougie terroir focus among the boutiques of the current era.  Finally, Chamasi which fell into the lunar category with altogether killer wrappers.

Here’s the Fujin icons.

Here’s a page to their Chinese site.  What’s so interesting is the factory is stated to have started in ’06 but they are clearly listing their productions from as early as ’02.  The number of high-level factories that produced under the ZC label boggles the mind.  Such totally generic wrappers.

The site states that the factory founder is responsible for developing the Big Cabbage production and Peacock series.  Fujin is quintessentially Bulang/Menghai raw material.  The Puerh Junky frequently replaces “Banzhang” for “Bulang” in an effort to evade claims of exaggeration.  The puerh from this terroir has less of a black tea (i.e., dianhong) taste as in some Lincang.  There’s less of an aggressiveness than Simao/Lancang.  If a younger Bulang is confused for an Yiwu then it might be too young.  Bulang shouldn’t be Zen, fruity or floral will depend much on the picking.  Bulangs keep it real.  It’s the Midwesterner of terroirs.  There is a stratosphere where differences elude me.  Fujin comes with a clear sense of what it offers and doesn’t stray.

Yangpin Hao is a brand going back to the early Republican era but traversing a number of historic, ownership, and administrative changes since its founding.  There are quite a few very obvious fakes of this brand on the market.  The obvious reason is that the brand goes back to the Republican Era.  So, YPH evokes nostalgia.  Most of their productions originate from Yiwu and tend to be very slow bloomers.  Prices for modern YPH are outrageous.  Their older ones? Some have fallen between the cracks or I was able to acquire before the craze.

Yang Pin Hao in traditional characters flanked by two dolphinlike serpents.

Although their raw productions are most famous, they possess a distinctive ripe puerh processing craft that is far better than average.  Their ripes definitely improve with age.

Lancang Ancient Tea was established as its current brand in ’98 but with a legacy back to ’66.  The primarily produce caustic Jingmai.  They have been known to print Lunar series productions, more with regularity the past four years.  Their Ox and Tiger tuo are comprised of material from five villages.

Lancang Ancient Tea (LCGC)

Shujian is a vendor that sells under its own label, similar to most Western vendors. It does raise some concerns around the consistency of productions from one year to the next.  I’ve been storing a few of their dragon pearls of ’14.  Those puppies are a good way to get one’s head around the hallmark tastes of each terroir.

Puerh Tea Cake

Shujian Logo. Shujian means Book and Sword.

Chamasi has the absolute best wrappers.  They’ve been around since ’06.  They’re an Yiwu, specifically Yibang, operation but it’s likely that they have other offerings.  Full disclosure, Chamasi has produced unquestionably the best puerh I’ve ever tasted, if only by distinctiveness.  Their offerings have a consistent and pervasive Zen vibe.  Their gargantuan 500g Dragon is offered in the Puerh Junky collection.

CMS neipiao w/ logo

The scholar dude is one of their logos.  They also have one featuring with a horse and dragon as below.

Little need to belabour how cool the wrapper is.

And speaking of wrappers, that just about ends this chapter in the chronicles of puerh factory lore.  Fujin is Menghai, Lancang is Simao, Shujian is just a vendor, Yangpinhao and Chamasi are basically Yiwu, the YPH does have at least one Menghai production from Nannuo.  Some of these outfits have become extremely popular, with mind-boggling prices.  Occasionally one falls through the cracks and the Puerh Junky is able to snatch it up.

 

One Good Puerh

Posted on by Yang-chu
31 May

One Good Puerh deserves another.  hahahaha. Yesterday’s experience with the Bada had me promptly decide to check on the ’12 Dragon, CMS.  There’s a whole five-year difference between the two.  Still, they bear some similar qualities, referenced in the missive linked above.  Amidst the welter of the past year, the Puerh Junky seems to recall that the Dragon has been in his possession for a year now, perhaps slightly less.

I guess One Good Puerh is about being able to make calls about where a production is going as much as where it is.  At 500g the Dragon is a decent value provided one’s in storing and aging.  It’s certainly getting better, thicker and sweeter.  It’s lasting longer too.  Over the three days, there are moments where vanilla is starting to express.  It maintains its sweetness even as it pushes into more astringent territory.  The storage on it is very good with no detracting notes to be detected.

Then there’s that grapefruit.  It’s a certifiable Yiwu sensation, but Bada is Menghai so it’s not confined to Yiwu.  Furthermore, certainly not all Yiwu is grapefruit, thank God.  I went to the Dragon because the Bada started going grapefruit in later infusions.  I wanted to compare the two.  It’s an interesting comparison, not off mark.  There are clear differences of course.  These may be mostly attributable to age, but there’s not even a hint of copper in the Dragon.  Furthermore, the Dragon is pure Zen whereas the Bada Peacock expresses an aged Zen like a vanilla confection.

The Dragon has bling factor.  It comes from a bling factory.  In some sense I reckon it to be in league with YPH.  They’re both highly regarded Yiwu factories.  This is not contradicted in my own findings.  The best production that I’ve ever tasted is CMS. That tea is perfection, though the thought of it turns my stomach.  It’s just plain weird and perfection.  A horrible aroma, not wet-stored.  It smells as it would taste horrible, but it doesn’t.  I digress. .  .

I’m quite pleased with the development of the Dragon, CMS at its one-year mark and posted in Feb of 2021.  It certainly lives up to the brand reputation.  Now that the sweetness is really starting to express, it is drinkable now.  At such a huge size, you can also stash a good amount for aging.  Those serious about Yiwu should give this serious consideration.

 

Curses, Puerh Junky!

Posted on by Yang-chu
14 May

Curses, Puerh Junky!  Your collection of mid-aged puerhs has ruined my tastes.  I can’t drink my young puerhs anymore.  You’ve ruined me!  You’re a villain, an apostle of unspeakable foulness, a criminal of the first order.  You’ll pay, you. . . you. . . Puerh Junky you!

Alack!  Alack!  What’s a Puerh Junky to do but sound fair warning to stand clear of the collection lest you too should fall prey to the wiles of mid-aged puerh.

Seems like the Puerh Junky isn’t the only one offering advice these days.  One piece went something like, “only buy and drink the stuff you like now, because. . . ”  I can’t remember the rationale because I fell from my chair hitting my head upon the glockenspiel and went unconscious.

Many have neither the patience nor conditions for storing puerh.  Nonetheless, it is very hard to believe that one could possibly gain any real sense of what puerh is actually about by drinking offerings under ten years old.  Actually, there’s considerable banter about a offerings with fewer than five years age.  The perception, based almost wholly on ignorance, is that puerh and aging is some type of marketing ploy.  I used to think the same, especially when it came to Yiwus.  Then I tasted some older ones and realized I wasn’t having my leg pulled.

The best way to not have that bubble shattered is to heed the Puerh Junky’s warning.  I want you to continue to cherish that 2017 you’re drinking.  The Puerh Junky is just bad news for any young collection.

 

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 Tinned Three Years

Posted on by Yang-chu
19 Feb

Puerh Tinned Three Years is about putting to test tin storage in controlled conditions.  The verdict so far is an emphatic “INNOCENT.”  The general advice is to not break up one’s cake/brick/tuo till say a week or two before drinking.  Only then, a drinking portion should be broken endeavoring to keep the cake in form as much as possible.

The Puerh Tinned Three Years in this case is ’12 Fu, ZC.  Upon last tasting from a cake sample stored in the container, I figured that it had gone into hibernation.  This third week of February 2021, the Puerh Junky was gobsmacked by the tin version of Fu.  It was bright and lively.  Furthermore, over the three days in which it was drunk it maintained an intensity and brightness that impressed me as being tea from the very highest quality of leaves coming from Bingdao.  It’s dreadfully good.  It’s as bright as I first got it but the brightness and sweetness continue beyond the superficial infusions.

To test the rectitude of the conclusions regarding tinning, proper junky etiquette (PJE) requires revisiting the cake version.  At least one posting from blog recently has reported problems with cardboard storage.  Results with the tin are the exact opposite.  The direction of cardboard is outward and draining, whereas the tin is inward and boosting.  The metal imparts nothing on the tea’s taste, while doing a stupendous job of cooking the leaves.  Instead of like the container which can be like a roast the tin is slow steam.  The difference is huge.

At least with the tin in the refrigerator, we’re getting neither dryness nor inordinate oxidation.   The leaves are cooking, moreover fairly evenly compared to a cake.  Of course, compression of Fu is quite moderate, so it broke up fairly evenly.