Friday, July 10, 2020

2020 white2tea Mirage: Rustic???


'Cause what you see, you might not get

And we can bet, so don't you get souped yet

Scheming on a thing, that's a mirage

I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage

-Bestie Boys

This 2020 white2tea Mirage ($55.00 for 200g cake or $0.28/g) sample was my curiosity purchase in this early 2020 spring order.  Out of all the initial releases the description as follows had me wondering the most.

The 2020 Mirage is an experimental blend of newly scoped out villages. Burly returning sweetness in the mouth and savory aromas accompany a fleeting bitterness. Slightly smokey tea with an intensely rustic flavor profile.

Readers of this blog might know that I’m always curious about new puerh villages and areas.  In the past I have mused/predicted that Western vendors should bring us new and remote villages in the Bulang area.  The flavor description sure sounds like Bulang to me- an area which I have been exploring again lately… everything but the savory aromas… then again… Paul never lists the village, mountain, or areas anyway… is it new to him or to us???  It’s really so vague.

I am also always curious about what Paul means by “experimental blend” I mean, aren’t all new blends experimental?  Anyways, I get the image of Paul visiting these fringy areas in Bulang and potentially some others areas off the beaten path and then just kind of randomly blending them together.  This is maybe one idea of how this cake can be seen as “experimental”.

This 2020 white2tea Mirage wrapper, I think, is the strangest, and least attractive of the bunch but still I find it very interesting like I am starting through electric red blinds scoping something out.  It has a very eerie, agitating, almost aggressive feel to it that I think Paul was going for… after all these are villages he has scooped out and the description implies something strong and agitating.  “Intense” as the description states.

Something else should be said about the term “rustic”.  This term has been trending to describe puerh over the last year or so.  Never have I seen it being used to describe a fresh puerh usually it’s used to describe something that is at least semi-aged and it most certainly describes something with more rudimentary, classic processing that results in some decent smokiness.  The fact that Paul uses the term “intensely rustic” to describe Mirage should signal to us that this puerh is something that is never really meant to be consumed young.  In fact, this is probably a kind of puerh that should sit in Paul’s Guangdong storage for many years before it should be seriously considered for purchase by most Western buyers who may not have the capacities or patience to age this out like it is intended.  Old school puerh was really meant to sit a long time in some pretty humid storage before consumption and it was rare to consume something like this fresh.  I think this is another way this puerh is “experimental”. Even though I have consumed a lot of puerh back in the day that would be considered rustic, none of it was ever consumed fresh.  In a way this will be a new and probably ass-kicking sobering experience for me.   So, I’m kind of approaching this sample from the point of view that this puerh might come off a bit harsh in its youth and is more for the long term…

In white2tea’s First wave Spring 2020 promotional email the description for this 2020 white2tea Mirage implies strength and power and stated “Fresh tea? Hit me in the face with it.”  If that isn’t a hint that maybe this should be approached with some age on it, then I don’t know how you could spell it out any clearer.

Ok, enough of that… let’s get to the tea… (as I gongfu defensively protecting my face from incoming blows)…

The heavily compressed overwhelmingly intense green and even random sparse yellow and reddish dry leaves smell of fruity floral vibrantly fresh sweet forest green there is a deep almost savory resonance to the dry leaf smell that is very nice.  It looks like possibly a few hunagpian and wild leaves in the mix of mainly conventional puerh standard varietal and pick.  I leaf it heavy and forgo the warnings about this puerh…

The first infusion has a watery deep salty vegetal woody savory taste.  The mouthfeel is nicely full right off the bat.  There is a strong returning cooling taste with fairly sweet foresty returning tastes.  There is a complex breath taste to finish as well.  This tea immediately feels very full right off the first infusion.  The Qi sensation also comes quickly and powerfully and I feel a rush into my head and a surge of energy.

The second infusion presents with a very thick tongue coating that comes with a thick type of savoruy vegetal sweetness and mild to weak bitterness.  The thickness in the mouth is impressive and the long thick dense flavours stay substantial for a long time as there is a cool pungency and long sweet savoury aftertaste.  The sweetness is thick and nuanced with the layers of complex forest and savour tastes.  The throatfeeling is also quick thick and pillowy with a deeper throat feeling and cottony throat feeling.  The qi delivers a strong head punch and is almost dizzing in its quick to move intensity.  I really like this experience so far.  The tastes remind me of Jinggu area puerh.

The third infusion has a very fresh puerh vegetal onset with some forest and savory salty tastes with a lingering mild bitterness and thick and juicy fruity presentation.  The complexity of taste floods in and sticks to the dense and thick mouthfeeling.  The Qi is an intense dizzying experience.  The full mouthfeeling and throat feeling and dense cotton cloud mouthfeeling is very full and satisfying.  The very dense mouthfeeling and throatfeeling really put the flavours in place and they linger minutes later in a foresty, woody, savoury, slightly bitter, and fruity sweetness.

The fourth infusion has a vegetal onset that evolves into a savouy, forest, bitter, smokey, salty, bland, sweet taste.  The complexity really shows of a balance of the 5 tastes but in an intense thick way.  The Qi is dizzying and my heart races from the intensity.  The bitterness is stronger here as is the smokiness.  The thickness really pins these tastes in there as the fill the throat like eating insulation and painting the tongue thick.  The result is a really full and long complex taste all the way into the aftertaste and breath.  The Qi starts to make me feel high a burst of energy. Saliva pools in the thick throat and hold the flavor long.

The fifth infusion has a subtle smokey bitter then savory then fruity thick sweetness in the thick mouthcoat and throat coating.  There is an overall Jinggu juicy fruity vibe in here that is very delicious and is more apparent in the infusion that has more of a quicker moving bitterness.  Sill lots of salty and savory tastes in there as well, foresty tastes- I like the thick presentation of feel and taste and strong upfront Qi.

The sixth infusion has a strong juicy fruity onset in a thick mouthfeeling and thoatfeeling.  There is some savory and foresty tastes, mild-moderate bitter, an almost buttery and very juicy fruity onset.  I am certain this is Jinggu material.  The Qi is big in the mind and races the heart- a very stimulating qi.  You can feel some bodyfeeling in the pounding and opening chest.

The seventh has a thick full buttery mouthcoating there is a mild to moderate bitterness and thick strong returning juicy fruity tastes.  There fruity tastes have a vibrant juicy presentation which pushes out high noted florals at its peak.  There is still foresty tastes, savory tastes.  Surprisingly there is not really smoke in this sample, which just appeared mild in the 3rd/4th infusions.  Qi is invigorating and refreshing on this warm and humid summer day.  I’m getting some interesting face tingling from the Qi and strong uplifting mood.

The eighth has a quick bitter that pushes a thick dense juicy fruity taste out in the full tongue coating.  There is a coolness that returns sweetness and lots of savory and forest in the aftertaste.  The throat remains thick and pools saliva in the mid throat.  The mind swirls with giddy excitement.  The thick presentation of interplay between savory-salty and sweet-juicy-fruity that is held in by a significant throat and mouthfeeling is super enjoyable not to mention the building intense Qi that is racing the heart and making me want to go for a run…

The ninth infusion has a bitter and savoury salty onset with more of an expansive slow moving sweetness here.  The thick mouth and throat and saliva trapping is the perfect situation for a mild cool pungency to push a nice salty returning sweetness that is a bit fruity with faint suggestions of candy and forest tastes.

The tenth infusion has a bitter fruity onset and a salty savour almost brine finish.  The bitter builds with each infusion and as it does it leaves less sweetness in the profile.  The throat pools with saliva here but mainly savory and salty tastes return in the aftertaste.  The Qi is still a very very powerful push- the mind scatters under the intense qi.  I get he feeling that this is a blend of both terrace and some arbour materials likely mainly from the Jinggu area.

The 11th has a bitter almost fruity forest onset with a longer salty savory finish.  There is some floral that comes with salty and some lesser fruity tastes.  Overall, there is more bitter and salty than sweet or pungent.  The cooling in the throat becomes more apparent and a floral savoury taste lingers in the mouth.  The saliva pooling in the throat traps some nice floral juicy fruity tastes.  There is a candy lingering that is becoming more and more as the infusions go on.  Big strong alerting qi with heart beating and racing.  Vigor consumes me.

The 12th has a bitter onset with more of a salty forest finish with a bit of sweet fruit.  The cooling pungency pushes out a long savory taste.  The returning sweetness is more of a floral sweetness than juicy and fruity.  The thickness of the mouth and throat is a bit less as bitter takes over.

13th has a bitter mellow fruity thick coat taste with savoury coming before a mild coolness pushes out savoury woody forest tastes.  The thickness is back.  There is a nice long candy breath aftertaste now that pairs nice with salty tastes in the long aftertaste.

14th has a foresty savoury mild bitter sweetness at the onset.  There are some floral notes in the saltiness as well and a long salty with candy caps off a long breath tastes.  The mouthfeeling is thickcoating and throat is thick as well. Saliva continues to pool in throat holding the long aftertaste there.

15th has a smooth rich creamy fruity taste with a long creamy fruity taste and subtle candy breath.  The mouthfeeling is fluffy and thick on the tongue but not as strong in the throat.  The Qi is invigorating.

16th has a smooth rich almost woody creamy onset with a touch of mild bitterness.  The thickness in the mouth and throat are becoming less now.  There a long creamy tropical fruity savoury with a thin candy glimpsing through in the aftertaste. Some body sensation can be felt on the face and brow and in the chest.  The Qi in the mind is a strong push.

17th has a rich foresty salty roasted nut sweetness over a chalkier mouthcoating.  The sweetness is more in the aftertaste a subtle fruitiness and more obvious salty taste.  There is a faint bitterness and quick moving coolness in the throat.  The taste is still really full and satisfying this late in the session.

The 18th has a mellow juicy creamy thick fruity taste.  The taste is very full and strong even this late into the session.  It has a juicy fruity nuance, some savory notes, mild cool pungent in the throat and long sweet aftertaste that is almost candy like.

19th has watery woody savory bitter tastes with a mild cool throat and returning candy breath.

I put the next steep into a long infusion… minutes later it gives off very satisfying slightly bitter, very salty vegetal and creamy full fruity sweetness.

Overall, this puerh is not that rustic in that it:

1-      has none to very little smoke

2-      is not harsh to drink and is not hard on the digestion even this green

3-      doesn’t have any signs of charred leaf material or factory chopped leaves

4-      doesn’t display a strong Bulang area character

However, this puerh does have some bitterness but it isn’t harsh in anyway and adds to the depth of taste.  Also, it is likely that there is plantation material in the blend as evident by the strong terrace puerh type Qi and the cheaper price.  However, I feel like it is maybe cut with arbour or older material.  If I sampled this blind I would be convinced that there is some arbour material in here but the price tells me otherwise.  The stamina of this puerh suggestions stronger material.  This also indicates to me that the price is of decent value for something like this. 

This puerh has a strong Jinggu area fruity sweet vegetal salinity feeling to it but it also has a general profile that reminds me of Menghai but maybe that’s just the plantation feel to it. It doesn’t have the bitter coco upfront which drops off mid-profile like a typical Bulang nor is it that fruity-floral.  To me this is likely Jinggu but could possibly be cut with some clean Bulang as evident buy the intense Qi.

This puerh has many good points that really satisfy me.  Its taste is thick and has an excellent balance of sweet, salty, bitter, and pungent tastes.  The savory and sweet tastes are strong and interact nicely with the moderate to mild-moderate bitterness.  The thick mouthcoating and throat coating make for a very dense presentation.  The Qi is strong factory old school Rustic Qi but that is really the only thing really rustic about this one.  I think this one actually fails as an authentic rustic but is really flawless in its overall thick burley energy filled execution.

To compare to last year’s 2019 white2tea Dangerfield (which I also quite enjoyed) of the same price this 2020 white2tea Mirage is thicker, denser, more cohesive in presentation and more engaging and intense.  Where the Dangerfield is more compartmentalized with a longer more elegant presentation that mimics Naka well.  Of the two I much prefer this one and believe it will age better but is also surprisingly not really that harsh on the stomach if you wanted to drink it now.

This puerh is no mirage… it’s the real deal… a Sure Shot.

Peace

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