Another Puerh review, and there will be a few more coming soon. I don't have much to say on this cake, other than its from Batch 1 in 2008 of the classic recipe 7532.
The liquor smells warm and welcoming, and its surprisingly dark in color. But it has that tobacco like aroma laced with honey and the distinctive orange peel I tend to notice in young puerh. This tea I've had a few times before, and I will have to say that this one has no redeeming factor. Sure its bitter, but it feels like its power was attempted to be subdued. And while it has hints of honey and orange, but then there is just the flavor of bitterness like I'm chewing on a citrus peel.
I may be wrong about this but I think the "power" in Nadacha's Bulang the very strong but still pleasing "Ku" is what may be needed for a cake to age well, and possibly become a classic cake. This tea I feel if it were an alcoholic spirit being "tasted" by a Nose as they are called would get pretty good marks. There is nothing wrong with the aroma at all, in fact its rather spectacular, but the taste just fails most of the time. I feel like this is an unpleasant cake now, and in 10 years is will probably only be merely passable.
5 comments:
I think if the '08 7532 doesn't satisfy you, than I'm afraid you're probably in a world of disappointment with more than 95% of the pu-erh out there.
My thoughts on Aging are based off of what I have heard from people storing cakes much longer than me, and what they have heard from those in china.
I feel that the 7532 might have been one of the cakes that really got sold short in the Puerh bubble. In the sense that as an intriguing drink now tea, I feel it failed, and as a tea for storing, I feel it will be smooth enough for drinking in a shorter time and it won't be developed enough in the characteristic aged taste.
I might have to revisit this cake as I haven't tried it in at least a year, but I'd beg to differ. What were your brewing parameters? The liquor on mine was not nearly as dark, and was an honest yellow. It also had a pleasant ku with some lovely high notes- that excellent Menghai melon as I like to think of it. Try a Guoyan tea from just a year or two ago, then you'll truly see some tea getting sold short. Menghai is at least better than that. Try shortening infusion times and/or using less leaf.
I certainly didn't have any drastic urges to go get some '08 7532 after reading but for sure I cursed myself for not grabbing a couple of bings of Nada's Bulang, yet again.
Bryan, and the persons whose name I can not read as I don't know most Asian characters.
First it may be a bit darker because I believe this cake was stored in HK for the past year. And I wouldn't go to say this cake is bad, but it seems short of what puerh can be when it is done right. Its rather normal tasting, but as I don't like young sheng much for the taste of young sheng, I look at it more from an age-ability stand point then anything else.
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