Puerh Junky

I can finally say with confidence that my teas have adjusted to the mountain, and I (perhaps have also adjusted, and so) can taste them again. Hallelujah, amen.

This is especially true with the sheng I have been babying in my crocks, and this little firecracker came out of one of them yesterday. Gong fu’d last night, then Western steeped 10g all day today (I think I’m on infusion 5… I definitely left steeps in the tank last night, based on these numbers).

This is perhaps not my favorite bouquet of flavors, but holy mother, does it have a story to tell. This may be the most distinct sheng I’ve had the pleasure of drinking. PJ’s assessment on his blog holds true, insofar as there is camphor and soooome smoke, but my little piece has transformed right past the minty hint of Crest toothpaste into herbaceous screaming and horehound bittersweetness. This 5th steep has some chamomile that is threatening to send everyone home to bed. It’s glorious and jarring and not subtle or really even balanced in any proper sense of the word. The mouthfeel is round, my guts are warm, and I had a great time, I swear, but no, I will not marry you because I can’t live like this every night, but also I hope you have the best life, you Wild Big Tree. Muah.

Rinsed. The initial aroma coming off of this rinse is somewhat smoky with dark woods. Tasting at 10 seconds. Hot. T_T How do they taste when it’s so hot? Tastes like burning. But with smoky notes and olf 1800s house. The longer it is steeped the more astringent twiggy notes come out. It is full of smoky notes but also has some sweet undertones. Sweet wood. I lost count of what steep I am on. Six maybe? The flavors have mellowed out a bit.
Second session. It’s hot out and I am finding trouble breathing while outside. Me thinks volunteering will be short today. But I was feeling some tea and decided I should sip down this sample. Still plenty of wood notes. Dry wood. And old 1800s house notes. Makes me want to get back to ancestry searching. I tell you guys it’s so addicting. First steep: Vegetal note to begin, green beans, and spinach perhaps. Wood notes follow and then the astringency. I wish I could say I am finding a palate for the ripe pu ers but mostly I am just not a huge fan. I will gladly try whatever I can to expand my palate but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to buy said pu ers. Which is wy I am not leaving a rating.

Thank you to beerandbeancurd for this sample!!!

This is the second time I’ve sessioned this tea — sending some off to a friend and wanted to touch base with it. I talked to PJ about old wood/resin/furniture notes, and this was his first recommendation. He described it as “wicker,” and I do concur with that assessment. It has a lighter, sweeter quality to it than the aged, heavy, lacquered temple wood/antique furniture I’m chasing, but it’s tasty nonetheless. It reminds me a bit of sweet tea, in the way the sugar tends to dominate and blanket over some of the more delicate nuances.

I am almost ashamed to admit it, but this reminds me of a hella cheap cake I threw into an Amazon cart when I needed to get over the minimum for next-day delivery a few months ago. It was super funky when it showed up, and I was mad at myself for doing that. I took a big chunk of it to work to air out and abuse — and I’ll be goddamned, that swill is better every time I drink it. It’s nigh on delightful right now.

I don’t know what the point is here. I probably wouldn’t repurchase James Brown at its price point, though it’s nice (like sugar and spice, da-na-na na-na na-na!). I probably would repurchase that stupid-cheap funkmaster wannabe, though.

Last of the samples from PJ. This one is sold out in cake form. Definitely a nice tea I’m glad I got to try. Will enjoy drinking the rest of the sample for sure, but I probably wouldn’t have caked it even if there were any left.

Smooth drinker with no bitterness and medium-low astringency, but flavor is fairly weak and hard to decipher. My palate may have been having an off-day, though. Tea seemed to peter out after 8-9 infusions. Mouthfeel is at least very full, creamy, and intriguing. Don’t get any dulce de leche notes as PJ lists on his website, but certainly some cream flavors and hints of vanilla. Will certainly enjoy drinking the rest of the sample.

My experience with this PJ sampler was fun and certainly worth it. It has been interesting to try teas from a boutique factory. I plan to order more from him in the future.

Another one from PJ sampler. This one hasn’t had any Botox treatments or used any anti-aging creams, unlike the other samples. The leaves still have some green to them, and the liquor doesn’t look any darker, but flavors have definitely shifted darker.

Smooth tea with muted flavors and nice mouthfeel. An enjoyable, easy drinker. Mild sweetness with no bitterness or astringency. Can take boiling water and longer steeps; perhaps more leaf, too.

Main issue is that the flavors are milder than most shous, which makes me nervous about the further aging potential of a cake.

Another PJ sample. This one starts out quite nice, but flavor mellows out a good bit by infusion 6 and never seems to climax. What flavor there is is quite nice and fruity, but fairly simple.

Mouthfeel is low-decent. No bitterness and mild astringency.

A bit disappointed with this one after loving the first couple of steeps.

Now THIS is a sheng! Another sample from PJ and loving it! Very similar to his 2009 Forever Zen, but better flavor.

Wonderful mouthfeel from square one. Very heavy like you have to suck the tea out of the pinming. Then the tea presses on the sides of your tongue and sits like my under-hit putts sit feet from the hole (lol). No bitterness and medium-low astringency. 12+ infusions easily. Aftertaste is sweet. Can even use boiling temps with this one, although it (as expected) increases the astringency a bit. Perhaps try a bit more leaf next time?

There are some fascinating, distinct aromas to the dry and wet leaf that I still can’t place. The wet leaf aroma is unique as far as teas go and not particularly reminiscent of anything. The dry leaf aroma has a component similar to vanilla, but it’s more than that.

This one is another from the Banzhang Zhengshan TF, but PJ doesn’t provide us with any more info on this tea than that. I haven’t gotten the hype about gushu/ancient trees from the few samples I’ve tried, but this tea gives me new hope for this sought-after category of tea. Unfortunately, this tea isn’t listed for sale separate from the sampler on his website, but fingers crossed it becomes available :). I can’t find it via Google search elsewhere.

Another one from Banzhang Zhengshan TF. Very, very different from the last sample. This tea is from Manzhuan, one of the six famous tea mountains.

This one also doesn’t show it’s age, but doesn’t need to. The liquor is light, but artfully restrained with no bitterness to speak of. Mouthfeel and sweet aftertaste are wonderful, especially if letting the tea cool as recommended by the Puerh Junky himself. The viscosity of the tea is as if I’m eating jello.

An understated tea that is very calming to drink, as implied by the name. However, there is not much flavor, so I enjoy this mostly for the mouthfeel/experience. I will reserve my final judgment, however, until further experimentation. Despite PJ’s recommendations, more leaf and time might better suit my tastes.

Order of the Banzhang Zhengshan TF sampler from PJ just arrived yesterday and I’m super excited to try all these teas out. Supposedly, this is a newer, boutique factory that started in 2006.

This tea is pretty bitter for a 15 yo tea. Bitterness is medium with medium-low astringency. Bitterness does ameliorate starting at infusion 6, but the flavor that’s left isn’t phenomenal. Leaves smell of vanilla. Mouthfeel is nothing special.

Not a bad tea, but not very impressed with it either. Not super complex to my palate and tastes more like a 5 yo sheng than a 15 yo one. Perhaps that would make it good for aging, but if I’m not loving the undernotes, I don’t plan on caking it. On to the next sample…

2011 Serve the people brick by puerh junky. Review.

One for display, one for drinking

Engraved dragon yixing teapot gongfucha.

Dry leaf: musty, earthy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLgnZJnBAtm/

Wet leaf: earth, fermentation, musty, autumn leaf pile.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLgnWZ0hZPd/

1x medium steep

Light steep: I taste/smell; light
—> fermentation, camphor medium -→ earth, autumn leaf pile, old books, mud.
(Note: forgot to get a photo of this. It was quite dark though)

Medium steep: I taste/smell; light
—> fermentation. medium -→ earth, autumn leaf pile, old books, mud, camphor. (Weird)

Heavy steep: I taste/smell; light fermentation. medium camphor. Medium to strong —→ earth, autumn leaf pile, old books, mud.

All in all an amazing tea! Lovely tastes, aromas, and cha qi. i rate a 100

I love the wrapper design!: https://www.instagram.com/p/BLYlHmljLn0/

interesting info about the tea: “Whereas the big-time puerh tea factories invest in spectacular packaging, a few outliers have preserved the ole PRC tradition of aesthetic mayhem. 2010 Serve the People brick is one such production. Overall, the taste is more full-bodied than most ripes. It is distinctive too, with notes of chocolate and dried fruit. However, there is a hint of sourness most evident in the first few infusions and in the aftertaste. Beware! It is also not uncommon to find a stray hair or two as an added bonus. Hey, what did Mao say anyway? “Revolution isn’t a dinner party.” This version of revolution’s two most outstanding traits are the long lasting huigan, which is full of dark chocolate and camphor. The mouth zings a bit. First and lasting impressions are of cherry liqueur chocolates. Rich and satisfying stimulates the appetite. Should be best with bacon and eggs or roasted lamb and potatoes.”

2011 bulang green brick xinghai tea co. By puerh junky. Review.

Ru Yao dragon teapot gongfucha

Dry leaf: musty, spices, honey.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLWZw7AjIWj/

Wet leaf: same but intensified.
Smokey when wet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLWZuA7jdBv/

1x medium rinse.

Light steep: I taste/smell; light—→ honey, spices, fruit (peaches), metallic (iron). Medium smoke.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLWZ3ZyDBXu/

Medium steep: I taste/smell; light—→ fruit (peaches), metallic (iron). Medium honey. Strong—> spices, smoke.

Heavy steep: I taste/smell: light
—→ honey, spices. Overpowering smoke! (Note this steep was quite unpleasant!)

All in all a wonderful tea. I rate a 99 due to the last steep being a nasty one. I do recommend this to those who want to experiment! :D Nice cha qi though.

The warning rings true:

“Bulang junkies beware! Lapsang suchong fans forewarned.”

additional info:

“’11 Bulang Green Brick is a smoky monstrosity, thick long-lasting, and sweet with a thick mouth-feel. This is must for a fan of lapsang suchong and husky Bulangs. The brick is densely formed, flakes off with a bit of umph. There is little transformation, but the smoke is so strong that it effectively balances any immature tastes that might exist. Hoorah!”

Engraved dragon yixing teapot gongfucha.

Dry leaf : plain smelling
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLUTTDijG7B/

Wet leaf: earthy, autumn leaf pile
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLUTf9jjweY/

1x long rinse.

Light steep: I taste/smell; slight
—> old books, camphor, autumn leaf pile, mushrooms. Light -→ cream, earth, smoke, fermentation funk.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLUTbeajRnI/

Medium steep: I taste/smell; light
—→ earth, fermentation funk, cream, old books, mushrooms, camphor, autumn leaf pile. Medium smoke.

Heavy steep: I taste/smell; light
—→ earth, fermentation funk, cream, old books, mushrooms, camphor, autumn leaf pile. Medium smoke

All in all an amazing tea! I rate a 99, only because it did not have as much smoke as I thought it would.

Lovely cha qi and aromas and taste.

bonus photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/BLUTX7iD80r/

2014 wan gong raw puerh. By puerh junky review.

Ru yao dragon teapot gongfucha:

Dry leaf : musty.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLRFwU9g9jK/

Wet leaf: grassy, fruity
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLRFyy3gJvg/

1x long rinse

Light steep: I taste/smell; little to no smoke. light —→ honey, cream, spices, grass, fruit (grapes/peaches?).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLRF2G7A2f8/

Medium steep: I taste/smell; light
—→ smoke, honey, spices, cream, grass, fruit (same as light steep.)

Heavy steep: (be forewarned, this ones a dusie) I taste/smell; light honey, spices, cream. (Not too sure because I taste heavy heavy metallic and smoke so take this heavy steep as guess )

Although the last steep confused me, this sheng has a lovely mellow taste and cha qi. But as said so I must rate a 90. Even though this was a free sample; I won’t be ordering this in the future unless it has aged since this is under 3 years. (i hope i don’t get acid re-flux from this)

An amazing tea:

Review via iPod specs

12g
Temp: just under boiling.
10 seconds rinse and then steep 10 seconds
250ml cup

When I smell the leaves dry, I smell mustyness.

When I smell the leaves wet, I smell earth, mud and slight camphor.

When I smell the brewed tea, I smell earth and slight camphor.

When I taste the brewed tea, I taste sweetness, earth, mud and slight camphor.

The colour of the brewed tea is a brownish amber.

I rate this a 100 because it is very yummy.

i great tea:

when i smell the leaves dry, they smell musty.

when i smell the leaves wet, they smell nice like honey.

when i smell the brewed tea, i smell honey.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste honey and spices.

the color of the brewed tea is amber.

i rate this a 90 because there is no smokeyness in it.

an ok tea:

when i smell the leaves dry, i smell a musty smell.

when i smell the leaves wet, they have a very heavy Earth/mud smell.

when i smell the brewed tea, i smell heavy earth/mud smell.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste sweetness and heavy earth/mud taste

the color of the brewed tea is a dark brownish orange.

i don’t recommend this tea and rate it a 50 because the earth/mud taste/aroma is too much for me (or for anyone)

I recently discovered something that might prove to be very dangerous. A beautiful little thing called Hero Forge, a site where you can design and then have created, a miniature based on your creation. This of course is geared towards people with RPG characters that just do not fit the various other minis out there, or for my purposes, creating a miniature of something that already exists but not in mini form. I have spent the better part of a year trying to find a miniature I can tweak into Prince Elien from Summoner Wars board game. Because Ben and I are total dorks we started with this as a competitive game, and very quickly weaved it into a massive story and RPG, His Royal Grumpiness as I affectionately call him, is one of the main players in this RPG and I wanted a mini, so soon I will finally have one.

Since the weather is getting cooler, my desire to drink Shou is stronger, I want that warming Qi to cuddle my insides like a fuzzy blanket, so today we are looking at Puerh Junky’s 2013 Sweet Brick, Shancheng Tea Co. a Shou that is apparently an economy brand by Langhe Tea Factory. So far I have enjoyed the Shous I have had from Langhe Tea Factory because they blend sweetness with loamy notes, and they get me crazy tea drunk, but that could be because I was using my monster sized Elephant Duanni for Shou. The aroma of these tightly compressed leaves is very sweet, bordering on caramel and molasses, with sharp dry oak wood, and a touch of well loved leather. This Shou smells dry, not at all like a loamy forest floor, more like a cabin during summer.

So, introducing my newest friend, a teeny tiny micro pot, perfect for doing a ton of steeps of Shou, The liquid is thick, notes of molasses and malt, caramel, a touch of wet leather, and a tiny hint of wet slate waft from the still pretty compressed leaves. The liquid is sweet and woody, with a touch of loam, a nice burst of caramelized sugar, and a finish of slate and leather.

This tea starts thick and sweet, strong notes of molasses which almost makes me think of molasses with the texture. The initial sweetness moves to woodiness blending wet wood, dry wood, and a touch of loam. The finish is wet leather and lingers.

And right on to the second steep! The aroma is woody and sweet, and I can swear there is a cocoa note alone with the caramelized sugar and a hint of loam. The taste starts loamy and sweet, still a thick mouthfeel and thick Qi, I have that great sinking into my chair feeling I get when drinking a Shou, always makes me think of sinking into a pile of loam on a summer day. The finish is oak wood and a touch of wet leather which lingers.

Third steep! The aroma is woody and malty, with a nice burst of cocoa and caramelized sugar. The mouthfeel is still thick but it takes on a creaminess this time as well, the taste starts with loam and molasses and moves to an even stronger loam note with a touch of cocoa and woodiness. No leather this time, just loam, cocoa and a finish of sweet woodiness that lingers. I got many more steeps out of this before it fades to nothing.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/09/puerh-junky-2013-sweet-brick-shancheng.html

another amazing tea!

when i smell the leaves dry, there is not much of a smell to them.

when i smell the leaves wet, they smell like green tea.

when i smell the brewed tea, it smells like a green tea.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste strong spices and mild honey.

the brewed tea is a light golden color.

i rate this a 95 because it has strong spices but not too many aromas and little honey taste

an awesome tea!

when i smell the leaves dry, they smell green and musty.

when i smell the leaves wet, they smell like honey and spices with slight smokeyness.

when i smell the brewed tea, it smells like honey and spices with slight smokeyness.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste strong honey and spices with mild smokeyness.

the brewed tea is a golden yellow color.

i rate this a 100 because it is the right amount of flavors and aromas. :)

a decent tea,

when i smell the leaves dry, they have a green aroma to them.

when i smell the leaves wet, they smell green and like honey.

when i smell the brewed tea, i smell honey.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste strong honey.

the color of the tea is a slight golden green.

i rate this tea a 75 because the honey is too strong for me