Part 3: I've Come a Long Way Baby!

Image compliments of Jas-eTea

I've come a long way in a week. Puerh is now pronounced with a capital "P" and a noticeable lilt at the end. Stephen need never know it was for a time pronounced "pooh the heir".

I've played it safe by so far sticking to raw puerhs. Long in history and once traded via the Ancient Tea Route, the second and third infusion of the 2006 Hawian Remote Mountain-Ancient Tree Raw Puerh rocked my world with its natural smokiness and long chocolate finish. Jinggu Cloud Mountain's 2011 Spring Old-Tree Raw Puerh allowed more than a hint of the astringency most raw puerhs are known for but it was most enjoyable and there was, yet again, that long finish.

I'm thinking puerhs perhaps give new meaning to "long finish". They're amazingly sensuous on your tongue, completely capturing your attention.

However, a true puerh adventure is not complete unless ripe puerhs have been given a go. To that end, I gleefully open the 2008 Menghai 7562 Ripe Puerh, considered to be the market standard. My step falters.

Is that...is that cod? 

"Stephen!!!"

"Yes, Laurie."

"This Menghai 7562...it's...there something oddly..."

"Fishy?"

"Cod came to mind..."

He laughs, "Wo dui."

"Whoa what?"

"Wo dui. It's the fermentation smell, a result of the wet composting of the leaves - usually a 45 to 90 day process. It simulates an aged puerh."

"It's a little stinky, Stephen."

"You haven't yet discovered the true character of Menghai- the earth and leather, the ripe plum and cherry. Let it air for a few days and try again."

"Okee-Dokee. I said I wanted adventure." I leave the bag of Menghai 7562 to air and reach for the Menghai Classic Puerh. 

In the end, I couldn't say the difference between the two was all that profound but I did prefer the Menghai 7562 - now wo dui free. Tobacco and leather came to mind. The tiniest bit of sugar brought out a slight cherry note. And that finish!

"Oh my!" says this transplant to the south. "I mean, my oh my!"  

I may be forever spoiled. I could drink this tea all day.

I've now aired, rinsed and brewed puerhs. My eyes have been opened, bats have been forever banished and my world is larger. 

But there's now a new problem. I, so far, appear unwilling to open some of the samples, particularly the 2000 Yong Pin Hao "Yi Wu Zheng Shan" Raw Puerh. It's the oldest puerh Stephen sent and Yi Wu is one of the most famous of tea mountains, with trees over 200 years old. The collector in me rages with the tea drinker.

On the other hand, perhaps my puerh adventure is simply not over. 

Let me get back to you on this Yong Pin Hao sample...in about 20 years.  

A special thank you to Stephen Shelton for his generosity and his willingness to play. I encourage you to visit Jas-eTea and to begin your own puerh adventure!  
 

If you'd like to view an 8-part series about the Ancient Tea route, click here. According to this site, the Ancient Tea Road was similar to the Silk Road. Located in southwestern China, it was "an important gateway for transportation and communication between ancient China and West...a giant platform for the political, economic, social and cultural intersection of different ethnic groups and a...lifeline stretching on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau..." Fascinating stuff my friends. 

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