Mr Chen’s Old Tea Selection by Puerh.uk

 

I think it’s cool that Puerh.uk has offered a bunch of 90s aged cakes from a single collector’s home dry storage.  I really enjoyed exploring the dry storage of Old Man and his ChenYuan Hao cakes that Puerh.uk had available.  I picked up a few samples to explore Mr.Chen’s home storage.  I had a few days this week to finally get in some sessions- it has been a few months.  I found that the Taiwanese dry storage was nice and gave the puerh a dry woody fallen leaf taste but also space to see the true character of the region of the material below are dry stored and clear examples of Yiwu and Manghai from the 90s…

1990s Mr.Chen’s “Tong Xing Hao”

A 357g cake goes for approx $383.00 or $1.07/g and is from Mr Chen’s own dry storage.

Dry leaf is pretty quiet. After the rise it has an woody fallen leaf oldish odours.

First is light sweet woody water.  Dry storage is more obvious here. Sweet edges and finish.

Second has a soft smooth velvety mouthfeel with water sweet woody broth.  Nice slightly oily texture with lots of space in the taste with a sweetness throughout.  Warming face and face qi. Quieting peaceful qi.

Third infusion has a really sweet and oily taste nice dry storage on here makes the sweetness shine.  It has a mild woody leaf in the background but mainly an almost caramel sweetness.  Nice warming face and chest qi.  There is some faint incense that disappears quickly but no smoke at all. 

Fourth has a wood leaf taste that is about as powerful as the light sweet sugar that sort of turns maple sugar.  There is a pop of sweetness before returning.  There is a bit of texture in the mouth and throat and a powerful warming energy. 

5th is left to cool then has a dry leaf and wood nice Taiwanese dry storage taste.  There are some edges of sweetness almost maple syrup in it’s sweet taste.  Slightly chalky dry mouth and throat with less oily taste now.  

6th has a woody leaf dry Taiwanese storage taste with a lessening sweetness that is mainly at the edges now. No sweet pop or much returning.  The mouthfeel becomes more gripping.  Lots of warming qi on the face.

7th has a fallen leaf taste and feel not much sweetness left and an increasing dry gripping throat.

8th is much less flavours- watery now with a gripping dry mouthfeel.

Overall, a nicely dry stored puerh with obvious Yiwu material lots of oily, clear, thick aged Yiwu taste but the leaf material makes for a bit of a simple taste and feel.  The dry storage still gives us enough to enjoy.  Nice warming face qi is a highlight for me.  The first few infusions are really nice clear 90s Taiwanese dry storage Yiwu but after that it looses out to storage taste and gripping mouthfeel.  The leaf seems to be a blend of material some of which is lower quality.  Worth it for the Yiwu brilliance of the first handful of infusions.

1990s Mr. Chen’s Yellow Mark

A 357g cake goes for approx $332 or $0.93/g and again comes from Mr Chen’s own dry storage.

Dry leaves are , again, pretty muted wet they emit a sweet soil odour.

First infusion has a watery mineral woody watery taste.

Second has a woody mineral bitter sweetness.  A bit of coco and herbs with a cooling finish in the mouth with returning sweetness.  Nice dry stored Menghai material here.  Deeper warming in the core and abdominal.  Nice mild invigorating mind.  Mossy full mouth coating.  Heart racing.

Third infusion has a woody leaf dry Taiwanese storage taste with a cool mouth finish and some returning sweetness underneath.  Warming brow, abdomen, and core.  Mild has mild excitement with racing heart.

4th woody leaves with cooling mouth and faint returning sweetness.  Mossy full coating.  Nice warming qi with heart pals an some mild stimulating energy.  Has a relaxing feeling as well- nice qi.

5th has a woody brassy mineral with a nice rich woody sort of returning sweetness.  Mossy full mouthfeeling warming qi and some Heart beats and excitement feeling too.  Leaves you feeling relaxed.

6th has a dry woody mineral leaf onset with some cooling mouth and barely sweet returning.  Mossy mouthfeel becomes a bit drying now.  Lots of lower and mid torso warmth!

7th left to cool has a woody almost herby onset with a cooling mouth and subtle bitterness coco finish.  Warming and stimulating but relaxing. 

8th has a rich woody leafy slightly sweet onset with slight cooling and barely sweet finish. Mossy coating and upbeat qi, less warming now.

9th has a bittersweet coco onset with a creamy silty almost herby taste.  Very tasty here.  Strong chest beats and warning qi that comes deep from the core and moistens the brow.  

10th has a herby mineral onset with woody dry wood taste. Warming qi is concentrated on the forehead.  Not much sweetness anymore.

11th infusion has a mainly mineral woody taste left.  Strong warming qi still in there.  

Nice dry stored Menghai material in here as seen in the nice full and uniform leaves.  You can get a nice indication of the Menghai area Qi with that enlivening Heart racing Qi but also a deep warmth and calm of aging.  Also some typical bitter sweet coco Menghai tastes are quite accessible with the nice Taiwanese dry storage.  Good stamina as well.

Peace