2006 Xingshunxiang Yiwu Zhengshan

Today's subject: a few cakes bought for me by proxy (thanks MarshalN), also covered here and here. The first issue with this cake is, of course, its name. It doesn't really have one. The wrapper:



The title, just clipped off the top of the frame, is the usual "Yiwu Zhengshan Qizi Bingcha", [Yiwu Proper-Mountain Seven-sons Cake-tea]. The name of the manufacturing company is a little tortuous, in the traditional manner: "Zhongguo Yunnan Yiwu Xingshunxiang Chachupin" [China Yunnan Yiwu Prosper-Good-Luck Tea Factory Export Products]. Hmm. In the absence of a "real" factory name, as you can see from the title of this article, I've plumped for "Xingshunxiang".

Interestingly enough, the main wrapper is in Simplified Chinese, while the producer's name is written in Traditional Chinese, presumably for the traditional handwritten effect. Small factors like this prove to be obstacles to my poor abilities in Chinese.

~10cl Caledonian Springs @ 100C in 20cl shengpu pot; ~6-7g leaf; 1 rinse

Dry leaf:
Fairly tippy, quite dark, with a good number of whole leaves. The two bing have been sitting on the dining table for an hour, and the room is filled with a sweet, rich aroma. It has a slight hint of smoke to it.

3s, 3s, 5s, 5s, 5s:
Good, clear soup. The initial infusion's beidixiang is startling: solid, low, roasted beans - quite unique. It then gives way to a long lengxiang of Yiwu sweetness. This complexity of aroma lasts only for the first two infusions: it then becomes just gently sweet. Does this have a parallel effect in the flavour?

Thankfully not. The flavour is low and fascinating, - genuinely very interesting. It is definitely "tea", but it has a rich, low surround that is quite unusual. It is almost food-like, being something of roasted grain. There is a hint in the nose of a smokey hint that could develop if the infusions were not kept short.

Keeping the infusions to the lengths above almost completely avoids ku [bitter astringency]. Just to see if any was present in the tea at all, I brewed one a little longer, and sure enough it appeared - but it can be completely avoided, and the tea kept excellently flavoursome, by keeping to such short infusions.

The texture is thick, being smooth on the lips and coating the mouth. The patience is moderately slow. The key feature to this tea is that remarkably rich flavour: so "foodlike", but also so clearly straight "tea".

Some green character starts to show around the fourth infusion, in which it becomes a little rougher.

Wet leaves:
Strong, healthy, with representation from all grades. Quite whole and appealing.

Overall:
The Yiwu flavour is definitely present, sweet and enjoyable, but there it is accompanied by that rich, sub-Yiwu flavour that makes this cake quite unique. Time can, I trust, knock out the corners of this cake, most noteably the green that stepped up around the fourth infusion, and the hint of smoke in the aroma (the development of which can be avoided with care).

It is infuriating that such cakes are unavailable outside China.

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Addendum
August, 2009

You've got to be really careful with cakes from Taobao. While searching for this, one of my old favourites from MarshalN, I found many other cakes that used the same wrapper, but with a few characters changed to represent a different factory. I very nearly bought a big pile of tea that happened to look 95% similar to my old favourite.

This is a very desirable tea. MarshalN once gave it the praise "I can't find anything wrong with this cake", which is, as his many readers will know, high praise indeed! MarshalN is not one to suffer fools gladly, nor bad pu'er. So, I had great confidence in his selection of this cake, and it turned out to be unsurprisingly delicious.

The leaves have darkened a few shades over the last two years that it's been in my possession. As you can see, they are very long, throughout the cake, and have a fine down on each leaf.

In fact, the leaves are so whole and separate, when I showed Lei the leaves in the chahe [CHA-HER, lit. tea-lotus, the dish for holding leaves] as she passed through, she asked me if it was maocha.

The soup is yellow-orange, with a hint of savoury brown to its colour - though this latter hue doesn't come out very clearly in the photograph below. I often find that this correlates with a savoury character in the flavour, and it's a beany, savoury component in this tea.

It has a broad base of "tea" flavour, with some tangy melon or grapefruit. This hands over to a long huigan, and a yunxiang [YOON-SHEEANG, return-aroma] of tobacco. "This ends in tobacco!" agrees Lei. "A very nice tea."

It is a little "loose" and watery, despite my use of tons of leaf, but it is decidedly thick, and has some vibrancy on the tongue.

We agree to buy two tong of this tea, which is rather a landmark, as Lei is typically very conservative about buying in quantity - and rightfully so, I'm far too eager.

From the fifth infusion onwards, it is woody, pleasantly straw-like, and very sweet. It lasts happily into 15 infusions, by which time we are thoroughly filled with good tea.

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Addendum
June, 2010

It's nice to be back with an old friend.

This trial cake from Taobao turned out rather nicely, in that it's the same as the originals kindly provided by MarshalN.

At just RMB75, it's a complete bargain.  While I can no longer agree that I "cannot find any flaws in it", it remains thoroughly excellent for its price.

I continue to appreciate its straw-like sweetness, but both this and my original cakes seem a little less complex, and a little more straightforward and "Division B", than I'd like.  That is merely to state the obvious, that this isn't flawless tea.  Indeed, these are minor quibbles when set beside the price - what 2006 cakes can you get for $10 these days?

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Addendum
January, 2014

I am drinking this at 3 a.m.  This tea, in its current state, reminds me why I drink pu'ercha.  Now eight years of age, it is "old fashioned" and reminds me of the honest, solid teas that I have enjoyed in Maliandao over the years.  Now orange, its robust Yiwushan sweetness-and-tobacco is pleasing - that and the fact that it cost something like 75 RMB.  The body is now clean and dense; it has a heavy kuwei [good bitterness].  I am pleased to see that it has "Oxford" storage: it is neither damp nor dry.  Our cold, temperate humidity has brought in on well.

It later surprises me by developing the character of slightly-scented wood; it is akin to pine and herbs.  "Just like Maliandao", I wrote in my diary, and that is something of a compliment.

2006 Changtai 2nd Pu'er Trade Fair

With the 2005 equivalent still in mind, it would be wise to look over the 2006. Thanks for the suggestion, Phyll. I've read that this is a blend created for the event by Chen Zhitong, the ubiquitous Mainland pu'er celebrity. The sample comes from Houde.

~12cl Caledonian Springs in 20cl shengpu pot; ~5g leaf; 1 rinse

Dry leaf:
First impressions indicate that this is not as decent as the 2005. The bing has a fair number of chopped leaves within it, and what whole leaves there are appear only in the thin outer coating. The inner leaves are markedly more compressed, forming an entire secondary stratum, and look much less pleasant. Its blended status is clear from the inclusion of a basis grade of rather dark leaves, as you can see. The few visible tips are likewise included in the outer layer, which I find a touch suspicious - I don't believe cakes should be dressed-up in such a way.

The aroma is sweet and young, with a hint of true character, though not the room-filling fragrance of the 2005.

5s, 5s, 7s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 60s:
This is one of those cakes where the majority has already been revealed by its dry leaves.

First impression: it's a dirty tea. There is a lot of detritus which navigates from pot to gongdaobei to wenxiangbei to pinmingbei. A hint of this is shown in the photograph.

The slightly charismatic aroma has carried over to the wenxiangbei, with a little candy, or treacle, at the end. This rapidly fades to mere warmth in subsequent infusions.

The first infusions are strong, but not outrageously so. There is a rich background flavour that sits in the nose, and stays there for the full duration. This is akin to the rich, leathery nose of the 2005, but a little less powerful. However, it is enduring, and lasted all the way to the last infusion.

I get the idea that the bitterness, staying as it does always within the bounds of acceptability, has been somewhat contrived: I suspect that Mr. Chen intended this tea to be drinkable now, but with a hint at aging potential. In that, he has not gone far wrong, but it lacks the honest power that I would like from a "real" (less overtly blended) cake. It feels a touch over-engineered. "...and on your left, the bitterness. And on your right, a little bit of flavour."

The feeling is generally quite sweet and high, and I was impressed with its patience. The huigan is quite simple, but pleasant enough. Later infusions show a little minty coolness. The texture is acceptable.

Wet leaves:
A token few large leaves look rather lonely in the melee of chopped leaves. The darkened basis leaves also stick out like sore thumbs, some of which look rather pre-fermented, being quite red. It's not a pretty sight, compared to the 2005.

Overall:
Hard to fault, but not excelling at anything, I feel as if I am drinking the result of an experiment rather than an honest tea. The second edition of "The Art of Tea" notes that this 2006 was "better received" than the 2005. It is not so with me.

It is enjoyable, and has many merits, but is not up to its predecessor. The state of the rather dirty leaves makes me wonder if Mr. Chen was operating under tight budgetary constraints.

2005 Changtai 1st Pu'er Trade Fair

Tea-related news from my intrepid travelling spouse. While visiting her home in China's central Henan province, she has been drinking tea with the owner of the local tea shop. Her hometown being in the shadow of the Xinyang, the inhabitants (perhaps understandably) drink only Xinyang Maojian, one of the "Shi Da Ming Cha" [Ten Great Famous Teas]. They don't drink pu'er at all. The shopkeeper has been in business for fifteen years, and claims to have many pu'er cakes that have been gathering dust in his shop (literally - it's a dusty place), which he "just can't sell".

Eyebrows raise.

Xiaomao's first instinct, and mine, and undoubtedly yours, was "are they real?" She has spent the last few days trying a variety of the "dusty" shengpu and shupu and has come to the conclusion that they are a) tasty, b) probably the real thing. This is good news, along with the fact that their mean price is $6/bing (her hometown is quite remote). The bad news is that she now has 29 bingcha to try and get back to England, somehow.

Amusingly, the shopkeeper has apparently been calling his brother in the nearby city of Luohe to obtain more at a similar price. Stay tuned for samples coming your way.

To cap a great day, "Chinese Mama" [pictured] has even been so kind as to part with one of her taiji swords for her son-in-law. A tip for the married: show extreme caution around a mother-in-law skilled in the sword form.

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Continuing the theme of kind gifts, today's tea was a surprise present from the ever-generous Dictator of Mars - thanks again, Phyll! It was created by Changtai factory for the 1st Pu'er Trade Fair in Malaysia, in 2005.

It's a delightfully chubby bing, which fills the room with rich, woody scent upon opening. I have "English Mama" visiting currently, who was seated at the other end of the lounge as I rooted around in the tea cupboard. On simply unwrapping the bing, she lifted her eyes from her book and commented that the aroma was delicious - and I have to agree.

~10cl Caledonian Springs @ 100C in 20cl shengpu pot; ~5g leaf; 1 rinse

Dry leaves:
Luxurious, full leaves make a pleasing, fat little cake. Internal leaves are more tightly compressed than the outer, and smaller. This bing is labelled "yinhao" [silver tips], and the proportion of tippiness to normal leaves is quite high. I wonder what this will do to its long-term aging prospects.

5s, 10s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 20s, 90s, 45s:
As you can tell from the infusion times, I received a 'phone call that caused a hiccup in brewing!

The body is silky and full, courtesy of the yinhao. It is fresh and young, but not overly penetrating in its bitterness - this has clearly been blended with the emphasis on current enjoyment, and it certainly is a pleasure indeed.

The flavours are rounded and broad, reminiscent of the rich tobacco-style flavours of the celebrity 2001 Menghai Yiwu. The character is sweet and high, with a long bamboo beidixiang that carries on throughout the flavour, sitting well in the nose.

Even when the unexpected 'phone call extended the penultimate infusion, the result was full and enjoyable. The colour is a solid yellow-orange.

Wet leaves:
Large and broad, with good strength. They are healthy indeed. The blender has done a fine job, as have the farmers.

Overall:
I knew that I would probably love this cake simply because it was a generous gift. However, it does stand alone on its merits, which amply justify the praise. It is well-blended and very enjoyable in its current state. It has the rich flavours that I would like to see in an aging candidate, but I wonder if it has the pure bitterness, so oft cited as being beneficial to aging prospects, blended out of it to such a degree that it should be consumed soon.

Of course, this isn't really an issue as I suspect that I will have consumed this cake within the next year, given my attraction to it. Maybe if I found somewhere to buy more of these, though...

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Addendum: 21 October, 2007

My original notes did not recognise how similar this brew is in flavour and aroma to brown sugar - some muscavado variety, perhaps. The similarity is quite striking after returning to this cake, and using a large quantity of leaves. It has plenty of the muscavado "maltiness" that remains in the nose. It is a decent, chunky tea - but not the tobacco deliciousness that I remembered.