14 August, 2011

2001 CNNP 8582

Poor Tearoma.  After the pasting that they suffered in my article concerning their 1999 CNNP 8582, perhaps this sample from two years later will redress the balance.  Perhaps.


2001 CNNP Nannuo 8582


I was wary of the 1999's green appearance and character, as if it were an incorrectly-sent sample.  Surely, this 2001 version will be better.


2001 CNNP Nannuo 8582


Hmm.  Problems are afoot once again.  Despite the red hint added by the colour-correction of my camera in the morning light, this cake does look, once again, rather green.  The blend looks like an 8582, and yet somehow it seems as if it has been aged for no more than four or so years.

Again, the buttery scent of the leaves gives me the feeling of very recent Yunnan Sourcing or Essence of Tea cakes, in which the wok may still be detected.


2001 CNNP Nannuo 8582


Woe betide: the brew is a flat yellow, as may come across in these images.  This has more guts than the empty and rather pointless 1999 version, but comes with a basis of uninteresting sour straw.  Where is the charm and the character of 8582?

If 7542 is a high-class escort, then this 8582 is a Bangkok ladyboy: trying hard to be pretty, but with an unpleasant surprise awaiting the unwary.


2001 CNNP Nannuo 8582


I am amazed at its lack of aging.  If this is truly ten years old, then it is more like a tight tuocha from Kunming (very dry) rather than a loose bingcha from Taiwan.  Even I have five-year-old cakes that I have aged which taste older than this.  Tearoma continues to perplex me.


2001 CNNP Nannuo 8582


I don't seem to have much luck with 8582, and Tearoma do not appear to be helping my cause with their strange cakes.  Perhaps the next sample will be better.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"If 7542 is a high-class escort, then this 8582 is a Bangkok ladyboy: trying hard to be pretty, but with an unpleasant surprise awaiting the unwary."

ROTFL this Sunday afternoon... now I know just how to explain the difference between 7542 and 8582 to my customers when they inquire!

- Scott

Petr Novák said...

If somebody will publish a book one day named „The Big Book of Hobbes Classic Bonmots “then the 7542-8582 escort one will be the top one. That’s for sure

Looking forward to hear about “one which was very good” you have mentioned before.

Anonymous said...

Enjoying these posts - informative & entertaining.

Any feedback from Tearoma?

Although....in fairness....it could be a pleasant surprise for some folks.... :-)

M

Hobbes said...

Hi chaps,

Thanks for the comments! Petr: the cake I enjoyed was the 2001 Xiaguan 8653 - woody and reasonably full, while very inexpensive. It appears to have sold out once, and has been restocked.

M - I had detailed correspondence with Tearoma before publishing the articles, giving them my conclusions, but nothing afterwards. As I mentioned before, they were very polite and happy to discuss their products. The bottom line from them was, as I wrote previously, "people have different opinions about pu'ercha". They do, but I refer you to my simile about the Lotus and the Ford Fiesta. :)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Squaretooth said...

And along comes tea classic with questionable pricing on 1998 8582 and 2003 7542. Reminiscent of the fiasco with tearoma it's a shame the consumer has little protection against fakes, other than word of mouth or blogs such as yours. Sigh...