English Storage, V

Following an excellent suggestion by Shah, I celebrated a lazy Sunday morning by revisiting one of my first cakes - a Xizihao that is now half a decade old.  What makes this one interesting is that its spent that half-decade in English storage.

I invite you to join me at the original article (scrolling down to the new bit, if you please) for further notes.  The evidence in favour of English storage is looking good, dare I say it.

2000 CNNP - Zhongcha "Lanyin"

Germany.  Land of the bratwurst, the bierfest, brilliant words such as "der Durchfall",  and to my erstwhile teachum, Herr Dr. Kim, who continues to spoil Lei, Xiaohu, and I with Christmas packages of delicious stollen.  Burp.

Ever generous, the good doctor hacked away a chunk of this rather interesting "Blue Label" cake that he had recently bought from Taobao.  I have visited it on several occasions, and so it is high time that I put electrons to paper and write about it.

While it may look something not entirely dissimilar to a semi-circular turd (pictured above), the constituent leaves are chunky indeed:

The aroma smacks you around the chops, and promises that, despite three hours of sleep (due to a teething son), some semblance of consciousness is but a cup away.  

It is a strong, shicang aroma of wet books, and I love it dearly.  Spicy.  Humid.  Rancid.  Delicious.

I enjoy this tea's decidedly mineral-like qualities, and its entire character is of sharp, spiced wood.  I am reminded of orange peel, tamarind, and the spices that one might use to mull wine at Christmas.  In the midst of it all, a core of sweetness that seems in no hurry to disappear after the swallow.

As with most older teas, I am generous with the number of leaves in the pot - I find that it is hard to overbrew old pu'ercha, and the risk of underbrewing is more significant than with deadly, younger leaves.  This lends the soup a certain thickness, and a smoothness that adheres to the lips.  My tongue feels noticeably, remarkably cooler after two infusions.

Thanks again, Dr.Kim - this tea is all warmth and comfort.  Both of these are qualities that a tired father welcomes in abundance.

2009 Douji "Youle"

Ages ago, a number of us embarked on buying a batch of 2009 single-mountain cakes via Taobao, through an agent.  I think it was "Taobaonow".  Since then, the same cakes have become available for comparable, or even lower, prices at outlets that have taken to specialising in Douji, such as Dragon Teahouse and China Chadao.

Of that stack of single-mountain cakes, I have been quite impressed.  While not reaching the heights of hand-selected cakes from premium vendors, Douji cakes are reliable and robust, and tend to occupy the upper end of the mainstream.

This cake from Youleshan is one of the few from the stack that I have not yet opened, and think it time to do so.  This has been on my shelves for over two years...

As with all Douji single-mountain cakes, it looks good.  The cake is chubby, the leaves are whole.  All the signs are right, so far.  The scent is quite delightful, being a forthright sweetness that you don't often find in a pu'ercha.

Youleshan is one of the historically "famous" six mountains, but it doesn't turn up regularly in single-mountain cakes, unless masquerading as something else.  I seem to recall a gentle, roasted 2009 version from Yunnan Sourcing and a solid 2003 6FTM version (thanks to Keng).  As a result of this limited exposure, I don't feel as if I fully understand the characteristics of Youleshan tea, and so this Douji cake is welcome.

As with the scent of the dry leaves, the character in the tasting cup (pinmingbei) is intriguing, being fruity - it eventually fades into leafy sweetness, but lasts long.  That fruitiness is a ripe, purple kind that fills the front of the mouth immediately, and makes it instantly appealing.  Meanwhile, an undercurrent of broad "tea" flavours fill out underneath, making itself known in the throat.  It is a good combination of savoury and fruity characteristics.

Douji always strike a good balance between price and quality, and I feel a little closer to understanding the region.  Some more data-points would be most welcome in reducing the bounds of uncertainty.