Tag Archives: woodypuerh

Winter Tasting 2024

Posted on by Yang-chu
18 Jan

Winter Tasting 2024 finds “Peej”, as he’s known on the streets, back to the arduous task of sampling.  His focus goes back to Xinghai factory, in the dispassionate manner of any hoarder.  He recently acquired an edition of the ’06 Bulang GS without the “special” stamp.  I guess this would make it the 3rd or late 2nd batch.  It you drink it like most teas, it’s hideous; if drunk like cognac or ouzo, then at least you’re prepared.

Bulang Old Tree (no stamp)

There’s that hella fennel, star anise, bitter grasses, like golden rod. . . white oak.  I’m using my slow pour floral zisha, 150ml at 6.7g, which I feel is far too much really, but I’m giving this intensity a go.  It’s deathly astringent and drying, but less so in the throat.  I think the easiest thing to call it would be black tea, dianhong, but this species of star anise is particular to Mt Bulang in Banzhang.  It’s a recuring theme in many Xinghai productions and is evident in the LME Quincy, and the Tiger, CMS.

The Bulang Old Tree “Special” ostensibly is the second batch, as the neifei bears no timestamp.  Presumably, there is a Bulang GS “Select”, identical but for the designating stamp on the wrapper as well as the date stamp on the neifei.  The Special strikes me as having notes similar to the MKRS Daxueshan, a Lincang production.  Such are the hazzards of getting too hung up on terroir.  Daxueshan, nonetheless is on the “black tea” side of Lincang in contrast to Bingdao, which tends toward round and fruity, white grapey, pear.   Daxueshan area has a taste like Fengqing, in Simao, home to the largest and most famous producer of dianhong in all Yunnan.  There’s two cakes of this no-stamp version and price is quite modest, under $70usd.

Dianhong also goes by the name Yunnan Gold, or just black tea from Yunnan.  Oxidized productions are a specialty in itself.  The area of Fengqing is thought to be ideal for making black tea.  The puerh from this area tastes the same, with a distinctive rose nose and taste.  The 6FTM Lunar New Year Series possesses at least 30% Fengqing material.

BZ Wild King

The nose on the ’06 BZ Wild King evokes a sense of a spicy Smurfberry Crunch, lots of vanilla and blueberry, some nutmeg.  It hearkens to an era in the 80s, when Post cereals still existed.  While that opens up, should mention the run in I had with the ’07 Imperial Tuo, 250g raw.  It may get posted soon for a short spell.  It’s a very recent acquisition and has now entered a tasting rotation of sorts.  It has a personality akin to the Tiger Tuo.  A citrus pine vibe presents in the nose and liquor, some characteristic Xinghai apple and moderate sweetness with big astringency. Quite similar to the Green Peacock come to think of it.  The Green Peacock is a dreadfully good buy, more oiling, and one of the most well-received of ’23.

Goodness!  The ’07 BZ Wild King is nice in this ceramic shot glass.  It was just as good in the porcelain cup.  Smoke and wood, sweet then red-fleshed plum, super-intense Juicy Fruit factor on back end.  As usual, possesses that bracing astringency characteristic of Xinghai factory particularly before ’07.  There’s that distinctive medicinal note also found in the Bulang Old Tree.  BZWK has a top end note of swiss chard with vanilla, but turning more fully vanilla with spices like ginger and clove.  It’s on par with ’07 Mincemeat in terms of spiciness.  The sweetness is greater than usual for XH, but that’s definitely balanced out by the bold astringency, which is instant and reaching into the throat.  It may be testament to the “wild” in the title.

Stylin

The smoke evident in the first two infusions forms more of an accent than theme in the overall construction of the batch.  Smoke is much more evident in Stylin, from the same year.  Stylin’s leaves seem to be fairly small and expectations are that it will be intense.  The 6.7g used in the second case of BZWK proved more appropriate than for the Bulang Old Tree (special).  The nose is floral and fruity, sweet and the rinse is sudsy.  A definite aroma of honeysuckle and backdrop of smoke in the pitcher.  The smoke hits first followed by creamy and ferment-y butterscotch and then smoky, fruity, mineral-y.  Very nice sweetness.

The brew is lightest and longest-stored of the three sampled.  Intense smoked dryer sheet essence. Definitely more bitter than the BZWK.  The incense/dryer sheet essence fades to Juicy Fruit.  Stylin is first batch with a timestamp on the neifei.  A florid aroma coats the pitcher, there’s that “pissiness” of certain flowers, like magnolias.  The pissiness is disguised by the smoked wood in the broth.  It may be a puerh, but it’s tequila-identified. Puerh Junky knows next to nothing about tequila, but there is one type that is sweet and palatable like amaretto.  They call it “anejo.”

The third infusion appears slightly more coppery with some lasting suds befitting its dish-soap fragrance.  The really perfume-y puerhs are disgusting.  The flowers here are sultry and oppressive.  It’s pure perfume and the smoke is fighting a losing battle.  A bit of wintergreen and bitter grasses.  Astringent.  Cloying, like a woman seeking attention by wearing very loud perfume.  Although the perfume is evident in the nose, the taste is of ginseng, unapologetically bitter, spinach minerals, and a bittersweetness of Sweet-n-Low.  Feels now more like the cheap tequila that you’re just drinking for the hangover the next day.  Feels like it’s at least five years off for the lightweight Junky.

I just made that five-years bit up to make myself sound like a knowledgeable soothsayer.  Stylin‘, despite its cunning that sounds lower on the register, still possesses a rambunctiousness that belies youth.  Right now, it’s quite dreadful.  The smoke and perfume are hideous and punishing, then the bitterness.  Experienced drinkers may enjoy this or prefer to sit this one out till it gets a few more years under its belt.  It might end up being for the ages if you can store on your own for a couple years.

Instagram shots here.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Junky

Posted on by Yang-chu
09 Nov

Crouching Tiger Hidden Junky finds our hero cum villain engaged in a bit of an autumn reverie.  The occasion is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, a ’19 production comprised of Guogan material.  Guogan is the Mandarin name for a Burmese border town known for high quality material that can be acquired at rat-killing prices compared to Yunnan side of the border.  Crouching Tiger is a Chinese idiom here meaning “diamond in the rough.”

Our censors have informed that the polite crowd now refers to “Burma” as “Myanmar.”  No one says French Indo-China, Siam, or Rhodesia anymore either. For the record, it’s also now called “Myanmar Shave.”   Anyway, we see that the peevish Puerh Junky is far into his session with Crouching Tiger.  He remarks to the narrator that the autumn weather suits the musky, cologne character.  We zoom in:

“This isn’t one of those piercing perfume productions.  The oils have real earth tones to them, making it one of those appealing unisex type scents not a “church lady” horror. There’s a nice ensemble of vetiver, vanilla, a touch of black pepper, possibly cumin and definitely oak.  The ferment adds a cantaloupe finish that is far better in autumn than summer to this Junky’s palate.  Ferment is to be expected for a production of nearly five year (autumn ’23) and moderate density.  Whether the new processing style exhibits such a characteristic is an open question.”

Mister Junky, that’s all very interesting but when do we get to the kung-fu, some flying kicks, a romantic interest or something?

“I think you’re talking about the movie and not the tea.”

Ripe Puerh Report Spring 2023

Posted on by Yang-chu
30 Jun

The Ripe Puerh Report Spring 2023 covers ripes in the Puerh Junky Collection.  Just offering some updated notes on ripes listed and unlisted as they evolve.

Let’s start with the ’04 Golden Sail, which is no longer dry and has taken on quite a bit of sweetness and humidity.  The changes after two year’s storage are rewarding, but there are but two of these left.  These tuo were picked up because they represented an interesting Guangdong angle on the marketing of Zhongcha productions.  Golden Sail in particular seems to have circulation in HK and is marketed as an export item similar to their Lucky brand.  This tuo is for the dedicated Zhongcha follower.

The YPH ’10 Sweet Richness lives up to its name.  That said, there is the matter of greater than normal bitterness.  For some, this is a good thing.  It’s quite noticeable.  No tartness.  Yangpinhao is a venture that strikes me as providing an excellent product but struggling for identity.  This situation is in no way remedied by changes of ownership. They do both ripe and raw, but more known for their raws some of which get faked.  Ripes seem to be given to a heavy fermentation style that nevertheless benefits from generous aging.  The blend of tannins with sweetness strike a good balance at this time. . . if you’re in for bitter.  About three fabulous heavy infusions of a dark, dark chocolate like brownies with a bit of baby powder perfume and slate.

Haixintang is the factory providing Grenouille.  This is a factory I’ve known from the early days and their star seems to be rising.  In ’22 the decision to delve a bit deeper had the ole Puerh Junky acquiring a few of their offerings, among them their ’18 Yiwu Ripe.  It captures the essence of Yiwu, smooth, creamy, sweet, banana.  Total extravagance. Nice price stored in nice conditions for a young, ready now offering.  It’s good.  If your conditions will allow for the fermentation zing, then it’ll be better.  Not expensive.  Send an email or hit me on Insta if interested.

The ’06 Langhe Ripe Tuo and I go back a long ways.  The first batch was Guangdong heavily stored and this is also from Guangdong but likely acquired from Kunming.  Right now, this tuo is on the cusp of something unimagined.  Having the fortune to compare the two storage differences provides a fascinating vantagepoint.  Right now, it’s verging toward the ’05 Yiwu Laoshu raw from 6FTM, petrol .  It’s baffling to say the least.  Langhe ripes are stellar but storage and timing is crucial.  Naught-era Langhe provides insight into the a stage of production that strongly oriented to old raw.  Storage factors tremendously.

The ’12 Arbor King, LME is extremely balanced.: sweet fruit, bitterness, moon pie.  I’d call it plush.

Each of these productions offers distinctive ripe puerh profiles.  The most surprising is the Golden Sail because its transformation has been most dramatic.  Second is the Langhe Ripe Tuo.  Its qi is serious and this petrol profile represents something I don’t think I’ve previously had a ripe.

cheers!

 

A Night Visit with BZ Peacock

Posted on by Yang-chu
26 Oct

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

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

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

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

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

p.s. BZ Peacock sale till Sun.

Puerh Junky Visits Twin Dragons

Posted on by Yang-chu
11 Aug

Puerh Junky Visits Twin Dragons offers a quick review of an ’05 production from a factory listed in the Puerh Yearbook, Jianmin.  This is the first of Jianmin’s productions tried and was offered by a seller from whom I’d been buying since about ’18.  Their pickin’s have grown rather slim now and April ’21 was about the tail end of buying from them.  They tend to favour heavier storage but nothing ever requiring tuicang, 退仓.  Overall, Puerh Junky considers their storage consistently excellent, but definitely on the heavier side.

The feature foto was taken in Jun ’21.  Aug ’22 constitutes my second tasting.  Twin Dragons forms part of the cast included in the Menghai Terroir sampler set over at Sampler U.  It is in the dark register, not altogether dissimilar to the BZ Peacock in taste but even more complex.

Infusion 15?

I cannot recall which infusion that was.  Around 5.3g went into my tiny tomato pot, 90ml.  Each round stacked three infusions, all flashed.  Twin Dragon is durable, in other words.  There’s a bit of camphor that sneaks here and there in the mouth.  The overriding taste is wood, with compliments of incense and pencil shavings.  There’s a hint of bitterness but all the notes hit perfectly.

This is the same infusion along a different backdrop with the tiny pot I used.  Yes.  The clarity on this is excellent between 4 and 5 outta five through every infusion.  The texture is rich and coating.  Many people pick up on a mushroom note when drinking puerhs, which I usually don’t notice.  I’m not sure if it’s the humidity, those microbes, that they’re associating with mushrooms or something else.  In any case, the huigan and moments in the broth are extremely mushroomy.  This is definitely the mushroomiest production ever tasted.  It’s not the humidity either or the humidity is hitting perfectly with the wood.  It’s certainly not a dry production but there aren’t humid notes really jumping out either.  Like previously stated, that seller chooses the very best form of storage, also evident in the Yiwu Princess, Marquis du Green Mark, and Drury Lane.

Infusion 11?

One of the things with these woody productions is that they tend to be on the non-sweet side.  Twin Dragon is pleasantly sweet in such a way to balance the heavier notes.  It’s a really nice touch to such a complex offering.

First-rate clarity. Infusion 11?

I didn’t pick up much on the qi tip but while I type this, I’m still tasting the mushroom, oh yeah and there’s a cinnamon note too.  It’s so next-level complex that it’s actually a relief to not have to deal with the additional burden of a buzz.

Cashed leaves

That it for ’05 Twin Dragons and its fabulous turquois wrapper from Jianmin.