Aww man!  The ’08 Dali Tuo used to be so good, one of my favs.  Now it shaping up, or should I say “shaping out”, into being a potential major bummer.  It is turning out to being neither as rich nor as tasty as it once was.  “DLT, what went wrong?”

This is not a good sign and no, it’s not the storage.  Other productions like the LM Square puerh and Tippy Puerh Tuo have been aged in the same container to spectacular results.  It’s not Xia Guan per se.  The Nanzhao productions, both tuo and cake, have been stored differently but they are getting better.

I’ve recently sampled this production on three separate occasions with different vessels, so I’m not making the proverbial “hot take.” I don’t know what’s become of the sweetness.  Furthermore, a certain savory quality it once possess seems to be getting pushed out by hair-raising astringency.

’08 Dali Tuo 8th Infusion

One thing I noticed is that the brew isn’t particularly frothy.  I generally take froth as a sign of nutrient density, which is reflected in the richness of taste.  What I originally liked about this production was its richness.

’08 Dalituo Soup Soup Shot from ’16

Even though this shot is likely from an earlier infusion, it’s interesting to note just how much the production seems to have not changed.  Here’s another angle from a most recent shot, 26 Mar ’19.

’08 Dali Tuo Puerh 26 Mar ’19

The color is quite inviting, but it seems to be clearly fading as it ages.  This is not a good sign.