Tag Archives: Xinghai Tea Factory

Xinghai Tea Factory Aiyaaa

Posted on by Yang-chu
15 Nov

Xinghai Tea Factory Aiyaaa momentarily gripes about food stamps.  Well, technically date stamps or the lack thereof.  Liming is bad with stamping but Xinghai is the worst.  By ’08 the problem seems to have been remedied, but between ’04-’07 the stamp situation is a disaster.

It’s not uncommon for wrappers to indicate checking either the neipiao or neifei for time stamp.  It may say check neipiao but the stamp will be on the neifei.  Quite often there is no stamp at all. On top of that is a situation where the neifei isn’t really even a part of the cake.

Well, after watching this video where the stamp was clearly absent from a neifei that looked to me as though it should have been stamped, a rant was in order.  You’re witnessing that now.  The Puerh Junky’s wife did as well.  The quandary was clear: why aren’t they stamped?  The easy response is they’re fakes.  But if it’s fake, why not go the whole nine to ensure you’re pulling one over?  Enough has already been made of just how much the fake card is overplayed.  I suspected, perhaps pilfering at the place of employ.  Ambitious employees may opt to try their hand at entrepreneurship.  Possible, but perhaps not likely.  Finally, the heavens opened.

Puerh Dating Quandary Solved

If dateless productions are not fake or the result of sly employees’ pilfering, what would dateless offerings be communicating to buyers?  “IT’S THE BATCH STUPID,” to quote a famous politician.  With some of the big time factories where collecting constitutes a significant part of the market, the first batch is that which is coveted.  Batches of the same production must be differentiated from the first in order to maintain the first’s “rarity” and value, thus the absence of a date stamp and presence of quirky anomalies with the wrapper.

What kind of quirks?  Well, for example, the first batch (pictured above) of what Puerh Junky calls the ’05 Xinghai Green Mark (the real name is just too generic, no wait is Menghai Qizibingcha generic?) bears a faded green seal, whereas the second batch seal is much more vivid. . . and lacks a date stamp.

In another example, the second batch of the Bulang Old Tree has the identical wrapper but is stamped “特制青饼” and lists with a different Xinghai production name on the reverse specs.  One vendor actually had all three versions of the wrapper, one having simplified characters, but only the first batch bearing the time stamp and being twice the price of the other two.

Stamped Second Batch

Xinghai Not So Chaotic

So Xinghai Tea Factory is not so chaotic.  It like Liming and a few others have a method to their date-stamp-free madness.  There’s a measure of coolness to such a practice.  It reflects just how seriously the factory takes itself, the exact opposite of chaos.

 

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.

Sweet Mesquite: BZ Peacock Autumn 2022

Posted on by Yang-chu
06 Oct

Sweet Mesquite: BZ Peacock Autumn 2022 comes with yet another enigmatically titled blog entry about the ’06 BZ Peacock, XH.  Quite a bit has been blogged about this.  As of autumn 2022, it earns another entry to chronicle the results of the summer.  Autumn is harvest time.  In Los Angeles it’s the peak time for capturing the results of summer storage.

BZ Peacock is now noticeably sweet.  It’s not entirely the sobering whiskey/tequilla of even a few months back.  The sweetness commingles with a bitter/dry mesquite and fleeting fruit notes.  A few infusions in, this fruit takes on the character of apple pie from slightly sweet and sour apples baked in a wood-fired oven.  The sour detected in couple previous sessions hides less now, though it doesn’t overpower the overall composition.  Altogether, it an impressive combination of dish detergent and laundry after a hike that included a campfire.

It’s not ashy or sooty.  Furthermore, it’s fair to make associations with kerosene and pencil shavings along with lemonene.  It’s still a little bit jagged, but that is how many people prefer their tea.  Comparing it to the Green Mark A, Wang Xia it is still a shade clumsy, like a tequila or whiskey you can tell that’s good but just needs a little more time.

The qi is still notably aggressive, particularly in the head.  It is very heady.  As far as other Xinghai productions go, the BZ Peacock is highly representative, though it may be a factor more intense.  It’s hard to say because all Xinghai productions around this time are burly and complex.  It’s price is certainly intense. . . presumably because of its qi and direct Peacock lineage.

 

Puerh Junky Visits: Fujin Green

Posted on by Yang-chu
08 Aug

Puerh Junky Visits: Fujin Green is an update post regarding the ’09 offering from Fujin.  Puerh Junky has issued at least two missives about both this production in particular and the factory in general.   It’s hard to not roll one’s eyes when it comes to the expense of some of these boutique offerings, but so it is.  At the height of summer and humidity-plus storage, the thought occurred “why not dust off the ole PJRS for a serious evaluation.”

Fujin Green prompted a bit of thinking about the seasonality involved with natural storage.  Performance ebbs and flows in accordance with the seasons.  Right now, FG is at its best.  The aura surrounding Fujin factory becomes somewhat understandable upon opening the wrapper: strong waft of fruity and floral notes fill the nostrils.  The Henan storage gives the impression that the production is still young, five-years old at the most.  This youthfulness is evident throughout and there is a particular green note that is, putting it diplomatically, highly unusual in puerhs and certainly puerhs processed through traditional methods.  Fujin productions are processed by Xinghai factory so there’s little cause for suspicion about shiesty processing.

Infusion #1

At this age and given the general conditions, puerhs should have a bit of ferment to them.  This is not the case with the Fujin Green, also highly anomalous.  It fair to guess that it will go through such a stage but is still off by a year or two.  At its current stage in Aug ’22, it is the closest expression to a two-year-old puerh in the collection. . . ostensibly.  One of the features possibly distinguishing it from a young production, however, is that it drinks all the way through.  In other words, it never reaches a raw stage where it bottoms out indicating that it needs more curing time.  This happened in previous sessions.

Brewing

I decided on using 6.5g in my 150ml workhorse zisha pot.  The pot pours quickly and doesn’t clog easily.  Older and more tightly compressed cakes may take as much as eight grams, but that’s rare.  The usual amount is 7g for this pot, but judging from the smell, 7g seemed excessive.  I don’t like overleafing because it smashes the notes.  In retrospect, even 6.5g may have been too much.  Fujin Green overall pushes to the very edge of being too much.  Stunt drinkers, of which there seems no short supply, will definitely delight in drinking this.  I administered no rinse and flash infused each round.

Rating

After three rounds the total was as follows:

  • Aroma          13
  • Clarity          11
  • Sweetness   15
  • Viscosity      13
  • Astringency  14
  • Huigan         15
  • Qi                 15

Reflections on Fujin Green

Fujin Green is intense.  It lives up to the reputation of the factory.  Each infusion differs a mite.  The character is certifiably Bulang/Banzhang, with an unapologetic bitterness.  The first infusion releases a high floral aroma, which could be easily associated with Jingmai material.  The taste in the the first infusion begins with citrus at the front of the tongue, then proceeds to vanilla mid tongue before finishing with vetiver.  For those unfamiliar with vetiver, it is a dark resinous essential oil with strong baby powder notes.

Infusion #2

The second infusion is much more intense and complex with prevailing notes of grapefruit seed and vanilla.  The liquor coats the mouth leaving the huigan of citrus, then vanilla, and finally that eau de Lick-a-Stix taste.  Pronounced piercing perfume (not vetiver but much higher) and vegetal green notes make their presence known, both quite hideous by the Puerh Junky’s reckoning.  The citrus fruit sourness and a balanced sweetness, offset those figurative flaws.

Second infusion was totally murky.  Both the first and third infusions were crystal clear. By the second infusion the ferocity of the qi became an issue.  The first pot went strait to the head but the second stirred raucously in the chest.

The citrus vibe continues into the third infusion, with the dreaded dry-sheet note making its presence known in the huigan.  Throughout each session the vaunted houyun resounds.  In other words, it’s throaty.  By this round, I was ready to tap out.  The qi has a character not altogether dissimilar from the BZ Peacock, despite being in totally different classes, FG being Floral Class and BZP being Tobacco Class.

Infusion #3

I also had suspicions about FG being a gut buster, which proved to be true.  I served up infusions 4-6 to a visitor who, drenched in sweat from the power, complained of this, stating that such was her experience with tea most of the time.  It was the first among our many sessions.  Gut-busting adds to the stunt-tea appeal. <<ahem>>

Conclusions

Fujin Green is an intense raw puerh most appropriate for the stunt tea drinker seeking young expression in a puerh well over 10 years old.  The huigan and qi are exceptional, and the sweetness is perfectly balanced in the context of the overall treasure itself.  It’s an outstanding production that lives up to the reputation that the factory projects.

96/105 A

Puerh Junky Visits BZ Peacock

Posted on by Yang-chu
04 Mar

Before going into a Xinghai rant, Puerh Junky Visits BZ Peacock, the ’06 red ring version.   There is also a “coffee” ring version, referencing the colour of the ring on the wrapper.  Its name is taken partially from the wrapper design, though it’s actual name is BZ Old Tree.

Sometime in the early naughts, Tobacco Class puerhs started to gain steam among enthusiasts.  Among them, it seems that two stood out above the others, the Big Cabbage and the Peacock.  The former is recognizable by a big green bok choi that is also synonymous with being organic and the latter is not recognizable at all given the popularity of the peacock as an enduring totem among the hill tribes of the region.  These both seemed to be first innovated by the Fujin TF, which at the outset worked and wrapped through Dayi/MHTF before moving onto Xinghai.  The wrapper of the Big Cabbage is not discernible from any other Bazhong wrapper from the era, but the price commanded would leave one truly agog.

Puerh Junky has only been gathering peacocks for wrapper appeal.  The BZ Peacock had been in his sites for some time for this reason, totally ignorant of the buzz around the peacock of the tobacco class.  I picked up my first round as a test in ’19 and when I went to get more the price more than trebled.  The search was on.

I personally pay very little attention to the names of productions.  I’m in it for the wrappers, as already stated, and factories.  Xinghai happened to be a factory with a peacock logo or name, so that’s how I happened upon them.  It started out with mostly ripes, but I slowly started exploring some of their raws.  Xinghai set sail in ’02 and in ’18 they were bought by some entity that I haven’t cared to do any research on.  Right now, that’s not so important, as the BZ Peacock is the object of discussion.

Tobacco Class productions range due largely to house and production conception.  I previously offered an unrelenting Xinghai brick for the price of dirt, which I called Lapsang Bulang.  That brick holds the distinction of being THE smokiest and most carefully crafted brick ever encountered.  The leaves were big and whole.  The brick broke apart easily with the leaves in tact.

That’s a Jul 2000 shot, which the program won’t let me caption without creating mayhem in the layout.  In any event, Lapsang Bulang is serving as a foil to demonstrate what the BZ Peacock is not.  BZ Peacock’s smoke is more like incense.  There is a whiskey, tequila oak-stored quality about it.

Before getting more into the drinking, something should be said about how remarkably unrefined this production is.  It’s really the quintessence of the old-school factory style: hard pressed, ugly, and chunky.  Prying leaves is a joke.  This is a Menghai/Bulang creation and elegance in pressing at this time did not figure.  Don’t look for that Yiwu elegance here.

This rougueness carries over into the presentation, sorta.  Thoughts of drinking this makes me cringe a bit.  It doesn’t have that in-your-face smoke.  In fact, it’s not the smoke at all that elicits the fear.  It’s the qi.  Maybe it was “one of those days,” but even from the second cup of the first infusion earlier this week absolute oppression occurred.  I guess you could say like whiskey or tequila.

Below is what it looks like from the rinse.  There’s zero humidity.  There’s no Guangdong.  There’s positively no humidity.  The rinse, yeah I’ll drink the rinse, has a bit of sour and smoke, and surprising sweetness.  Already, I feel it and a sense of dread comes over me.  Only one cup. The pic show’s crystal clear now.  It instantly gets my throat.  Must be the day, as I have no prior recollection of that.  The sour note in taste and aroma are the most interesting traits.

Rinse

After the leaves have woken, the pot has a sour, mesquite, and Redman Tobacco sweetness aroma, in that order.  I toss the rinse, as I want to last and upon standing am already feeling it. Only one cup!  I decide on 10s in the bell pepper pot, even though earlier in the week I flash infused infused in gaiwan to proper results.  I’ll modify later but am going for a more forceful experience this time, though am using less leafage, 6.7g in 150ml.

I don’t think I’ll last more than four rounds.  I keep thinking of the Simao “A”, which I’ve learned was crafted by another tea meistra Wang Xia.  The BZP has the taste is of pure tequila without the volatile distraction of the alcohol.  There’s an exquisite note of vanilla which finishes the sip.  The taste is smooth in the mouth.  Surprisingly sweet.  It’s not too much time, an appropriate first infusion. The vanilla is definitely winning major points.  The brew is not in the least crude, at least at this point. With devil may care attitude I have another cup and pour another, but now I’m definitely feeling it in my head and chest.

Infusion 1

I’m not sure I can go on.  I think there’s a feeling of anxiety coming on, though I’m not the anxious type.  The sensation in the chest and head aren’t fun.  I feel dread.  I honestly can’t go on.  My hands are on the shaky side.  My body tells me that’s enough.

I tap out after three cups from two infusions.  I’m going to brew a little “7588” Fuhai to settle down.

Portrait “7588”

Earlier in the week while sitting in the sun I was able to power through to about six, with gaps interspersed.  That’s when the the incense to center stage.  Also, the huigan is floral.  The smoke-fade-to-flowers sensation may be quite common, but I cannot think of any off-hand.  The floral presence in the huigan builds with each infusion.  It’s quite nice.  Cask-type productions usually carry with them a measure of bitterness and the BZ Peacock is no exception.  I went two days with this and it never bottomed out.  The incense carries throughout.  It’s a cross between these two pieces, Sylvian and Black Sabbath.  Like I said, not for lightweights.

 

 

Two Puerh Heavyweights from ’06

Posted on by Yang-chu
30 Nov

I’m finally ready to release Two Puerh Heavyweights from ’06.  They reside at opposite extremes of the puerh spectrum, mid-aged to be precise.  One is the Fohai, 6FTM and the other is Xinghai’s BZ Peacock.  I’ve had the former better part of 18 mths and the latter over a year though began tasting in April.

The Fohai is old name of Menghai city and the famous tea factory.  Since a great many of 6FTM’s productions are region specific, perhaps the choice of Fohai is a creative nod to the past.  Perhaps this formulation hearkens back to a much earlier formula than but similar to the 7532. The reference might be to the Menghai factory itself but I cannot recall any direct MHTF linage as is the case with many notable others, e.g., Xinghai, Haiwan, and Du Qiongzhi to name a few.

The citrus and floral attributes sound with resolute clarity and joy.  I’ve been tinning it since Feb ’21 and the honey notes and viscosity increased considerably.  Being stored in conservatively cool conditions, it’s definitely on the younger side of ’06 by six years.  This is more or less the case with most 6FTM productions between ’04 and ’09, the compression years.

Interestingly, tighter compression is less an index of quality than it is for how the treasure should be extracted from the whole and brewed.  As far as the Fohai is concerned, larger pieces with a bit of shake is superior to any form breaking into smaller or individual leaves.  This is not that type of production and tea bits invariably brew up more bitter and abrasive.  Allowing the leaves to unfurl naturally through the course of several infusions yields a superior experience to the nuance of the tea itself.

The Fohai is stunningly elegant as far as most 6FTM productions I’ve encountered.  It has a citrus note reminiscent of the Jade Mark but utterly foreign to any of their other 6FTM productions in the stash or collection.

The BZ Peacock is not for light weights.  It’s in the Spirits Class of productions.  Mesquite pervades the character of this Xinghai puerh cake.  It possesses nearly all of the hideous notes: petrol, ash, wood, leather, and smoke but includes a most unexpected tartness.  Without having experienced their ’06 Delta Peacock, I would have considered this sourness a bit of a flaw.

The cakes were magnificently stored on the drier warm side.  The wood note thrives in such dryness.  Others might discern mushrooms.  Since being in my possession from Nov ’20, the BZ Peacock has only now reached a level of sweetness where it can be considered at drinking weight.  It’s the sweetness amidst a welter of contrasting tastes that likely accounts for its precipitous appreciation of three fold since ’19.

If there’s any consolation, the BZ Peacock will be classified under Tobacco, since no Spirit category exists.  Though banzhang is a part of the production’s name, it plays zero part in why it became part of the Collection.  Name of terroir is only incidental to factory and wrapper.  Mid-aged Xinghais with fancy wrappers command a great deal of the Puerh Junky’s attention.  Offerings with the name BZ may command the attention from a great many others.

These two treasures will be offered by the 5th of Dec ’21.

 

Merlot Puerh Update

Posted on by Yang-chu
29 Nov

This is a quick Merlot Puerh Update.  It’s good drinkin’.  It strikes me as being a bit of XG Love Forever in its ripe version.  Many heicha have this fruity note but can be rather hit or miss with ripe puerhs.

Although the berry note seemed to have been making an exit, perhaps the expression varies based upon the season.  The berry is back in any event.  Merlot doesn’t strike me as being a grandpa style production.  There are layers of nuance better appreciated through proper gong-fu brewing.  This includes an ever so delicate hint of sourness that fascinates the edges of the tongue.  There’s also an element of minerality, no doubt due to the water I use, that only becomes evident in later infusions.

Merlot should be brewed hot but drunk at moderate temp, as with most ripes.

Finally, Merlot is among a number of Xinghai TF ripe puerhs in offered at one time or another.  Their ripes are categorically satisfying with some like the Operation Macau Tuo being nothing short of amazing.  There’s intention behind each production, as no two taste alike.  Merlot takes the berry crown. The wrapper’s official title translates to “Restoring Tradition”.  This might be why it is evocative of heicha.

Black Brew– Xinghai’s MO

Posted on by Yang-chu
25 Jan

A brief interlude into Black Brew and Xinghai’s MO, if you will.  The other day, the Puerh Junky ran across a query from someone in Turkey who asked about a particular ripe puerh cake that was under the Xinghai label.  Interesting thing about Turkey is that Turks drink more tea per capita than any  other, more than Russians, Indians, or Chinese.  However, Puerh tea still seems a relative unknown there, but the things I know about Turkey could fit on the back of a dime so…

Someone helped the inquisitor out by telling him that the cake was Xinghai and that they had a solid reputation for both raw and ripes.  Someone chimed in stating that Xinghai was NOT a very good brand and then cited a twitter-like ap called Discord as evidence.  Quick to gather information, in my junkiness I ran over to Discord to assess these views.  Maybe all five of them.

Absurd.

Xinghai, just like all the other major second generation factories, descends from one of the big three.  In this case, Xinghai is effectively known as Dayi/Menghai TF junior or Dayi #2.  Xinghai’s ripe puerh production may vary from Dayi.  The number of Dayi ripes the Puerh Junky has sampled is extremely small.  On the other hand, Xinghai’s hand in ripes is extremely consistent and well executed.  Theirs is not the stout type ripe so popular among many shou drinkers.  Rather it is a light style that seeks to highlight qualities one might find in aged raws, qualities like minerality, sweetness, and camphor.  The makers are NOT going for the syrupy, chocolately effect that screams shu but something closer to an actual aged raw.

Black Brew remains true to the Xinghai MO, though it is darker than most.  In terms of clarity, it is is a four of five lasting about six plus infusions.  It is very sweet, but the sweetness is like rock sugar not molasses.  There is no breadiness, rather minerals and camphor throughout.  The taste remains consistent from one infusion to the next, the ratios of sweet, mineral, and camphor remaining the same to the very end.

Black Brew is a shade richer than the Silver Peacock and without any of the humidity of Operation Macau.  None of these express any dried fruit notes.  It is clear that the same hand was involved in the production of all three.  None of these treasures are recommended for brewing grampa style.  You’ll otherwise miss the beauty of their clarity and the skill with which they were produced.