2010 Defeng "Pangxiejiao"

It's not every day that a cake from Dehong comes your way, which is a prefecture far north of Xishuangbanna, beyond Simao, beyond Lincang, beyond even Baoshan.  It sticks out to the west, poking Burma / Myanmar in the ribs.

Various merchants selling via Taobao observe that the Luxi Defeng Tea Company, to give it its full name, has its own dedicated tea gardens, which cover some 30 acres, yielding some 2,600 tons of tea each year.

Amusingly, it describes the company as having 160 staff, 15 of which are "specialised technical personnel": 2 engineerings, 3 QA, 5 blenders, 3 technicians, 1 accountant, 1 economist (?!), and... lo and behold... 1 statistician.  Despite the fact that this comes to 16 personnel (unless they are discounting the accountant as being specialist, which would be natural), I am superdoublechuffed to read that Defeng undertake some sort of statistical analysis.  I'd love to know what it is.  I'm assuming it's something process related, in the traditional manner much beloved of undergraduate courses.  You never know, though... perhaps they're using extreme value statistics to determine optimal aging and character profiles...

Happily, the local Luxi government has given the Defeng company a further 10,000 acres of land, which it uses for maocha.  This is encouraging, as it demonstrates the recognisably significant effect (p < 10^-6) of the pu'ercha industry on local commerce, and on local livelihoods.

"Pangxiejiao" [pung sh'yeah jee'ao, crab's feet] cakes supposedly contain some of the vine that grows around the trunk of the pu'ercha tree.  The only other example of this genre in our collection was, as with this cake, generously provided by Keng of Singapore - it is the 2003 Jingmai version, by Changtai.  I couldn't discern any noticeably alien contribution to that tea - it simply tasted like a good, well-aged cake.

As you can see, the leaves are large and quite dark: every now and again, the pengxiejiao may be seen as a section of thin creeper.  The aroma is light and sweet.  So far, so good.

Its rinse is a heartening yellow colour, with a hint of brown that is often a surprisingly accurate predictor of "savoury" character.  The scent is sweet, yet dry, like arable crops, with a fruity edge.

This seems to be a very decent tea: it has a heavy sweetness that pushes its way into every corner of the mouth.  The body is quite thick, and the huigan is significant.  Its remote provenance grants it subtleties of character that are welcome: low tobacco, sweet grain.  It reminds me of Dali-area Xiaguan leaves, which are, after all, closer to Dehong than 'Banna.

This sells for a most 65-100 RMB on Taobao, which makes it worth a look, if you, like me, enjoy these cakes from remote regions.  The price also lands you a 500g cake, rather than the usual 375g.  Thanks once again to Keng.

The probability of me enjoying this cake asymptotically approaches 1 on a short lengthscale.