A few years back, Chen Zhitong and his brand, Chen Guanghe Tang, used to get a lot of press - primarily from Houde and The Art of Tea magazine in the Western-oriented market, if memory serves. We don't read much about it any more, and I wonder what changed. Presumably he's still out there. He gets a lot of press in Chinese literature!
Chen's teas have a reputation for being (i) nice, and (ii) expensive. The second point has put me off buying any cakes (for reasons of personal ethics, more than anything), but I've enjoyed several samples of his productions.
Chen's teas have a reputation for being (i) nice, and (ii) expensive. The second point has put me off buying any cakes (for reasons of personal ethics, more than anything), but I've enjoyed several samples of his productions.
Little leaves
Thanks to KCJ for providing this sample, which is Chen's best guess at the blend of the famous 1950s Hongyin [red mark]. As pictured above, he's chosen little leaves for this recreation.
From the first infusion, the soup is yellow with hints of orange:
From the first infusion, the soup is yellow with hints of orange:
The long, chunky scent of Yiwu sweet leather reminds me that Chen knows his tea. As ever, it is satisfyingly thick. This particularly variety is almost creamy, and finishes well in the mouth. It's well-crafted.
Notes of fruitiness exist, mixed with the Yiwu. Alongside these, obvious tones of standard "Menghai". The individual components of the blend are quite distinct, and it's clear where one ends and the next begins.
Notes of fruitiness exist, mixed with the Yiwu. Alongside these, obvious tones of standard "Menghai". The individual components of the blend are quite distinct, and it's clear where one ends and the next begins.
This tea is a Picasso: its quality and workmanship are obvious and to be applauded, but it is not to my taste, and does not captivate my attention.
The world outdoors calls...
The world outdoors calls...
13 comments:
I agree with your over all opinion of this cake. But I take it one step further, Chen Guanghe Tang,s teas in general dont appeal to me. Ive never really been able to pinpoint what exactly it is that leaves me so un-interested. They are obviously well made teas. All the aspects of a good tea are present but somehow come off as rather flat and lifeless.
I've enjoyed most of his teas that I've tried. Some of it is pretty expensive, but this particular one is ~ $45/cake even at Hou De (cheaper if you buy in quantity), which doesn't strike me as that out of the realm of reason price-wise, especially compared to some other tea you've reviewed / purchased.
I actually find this one quite pleasant for a young tea, but time will tell.
Dear Bret,
I do like some of them - but the prices at which they're sold obstruct me in various ways.
Dear Will,
You are fortunate indeed to have a cake you like at a lowish price.
I've not reached that stage with this producer yet - though they are available on Taobao.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
I have actually liked the (relatively) cheaper stuff of his better than the samples of the really expensive stuff I've tried.
Dear Will,
Would you mind recommending a few of your favourites? I'm always open to good ideas!
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Your wife is completely beautiful, and so is that photograph! I particularly love the way her hand and scarf are doubling the gesture, and I love it that she's noticing a common little buttercup. Sorry to be all gushy about it, but it's really a fine and gorgeous shot.
Dear Carla,
I passed your compliment on to Lei, who was happy for the rest of the evening :)
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
I tried the 2000 "Yu Wu Yieh Sheng" brick that Hou De had; don't remember the exact price but I think it was fairly reasonable. I've also had samples of the relatively expensive (for their age) late 90s / early 00s cakes. I think they are good, but as to whether they're worth the price, I couldn't venture to speculate. Certainly more famous cakes from the same era are already in the same ballpark or are more expensive, even on the Asian market (Green Big Tree, Yesheng Qiao Mu, Yuan Ye Xiang (to a lesser extent)).
I tried a sample of the 2005 "Menghai Yieh sheng" (also from Hou De, which sells the full cake for $120!!), and it really didn't blow my mind - if anything, I might prefer the Hong Yin at 1/3-1/4 the cost, and a couple of years younger. But what do I know... and who knows how these cakes will age. I certainly don't claim to be an expert at judging the quality of young raw pu'er, and for the most part, I find it difficult to drink... I only drink as much as I need to to guess (based on relative lack of unpleasantness) which teas might age well.
Guang attributes the price to the rarity and the blending of banzhang tea with it.
I'm not sure if his earlier productions were pressed back then, or if he pressed stuff later with maocha from that time period.
Dear Will,
Many thanks for the reply, and for the recommendations.
I remember the 2005 Yesheng being called "bottom of the pile tea" by MarshalN, VL/Tealogic, and AH/Phyll Sheng. I liked the 2000 Yesheng and the 2001 Mengsa, however.
My problem is that they're a whole league away from actual classics like the BGT and YYX, but sell for approximately the same amount of money (at the one Western-oriented vendor that sells them). On Taobao, there are very few vendors that sell Chen Guanghe Tang, but you can get BGT and YYX less rarely.
Is it worth it? I guess that's down to the individual to decide.
For me, I think that older CGHT is certainly nice tea, but I believe it's not available at a realistic price to the West, simply because of the vendor monopoly. Modern CGHT tea doesn't impress me, as the processing is not to my taste. Just a personal opinion, for sure.
Thankfully the world of tea is vast enough to contain enough cakes, prices, and vendor combinations to keep us all happy. :)
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
As far as the processing, do you think it's too oxidized, or what?
Dear Will,
I think so, yes - a touch of red added to make it complex. Did you notice the same?
I'm finding more enjoyment in the pure and "honest" yellow shengpu of late, but that's because I'm just really looking for aging candidates, having come to the conclusion that I probably have too much "drink-it-now" pu'er.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
No - didn't notice that especially. It's just usually the thing people complain about in terms of processing.
Aye - I'm trying to steer away from excessive examples of it these days, and focus instead on aging candidates.
Best wishes,
Hobbes
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