'classic' puerh cakes I should try? (from the big companies)
Ive got a xiaguan 8673 & ive heard good things about the 8653, also Golden Needle White Lotus.
I was wondering if there are other classic names or numbers (especially if cheap from the bigger companies) that have stood the test of time or achieved some kind of legendary status because of how good they are?
I’m drinking a 2006 8673 recipe now and its camphor and spice and aged, a bit woody – not my fave but for the price you cant go wrong if only to try it
The third letter in the number blends is the leaf grade. Number ! is the smallest and ( the biggest. Small leaves are a bit more dainty and the 9 size can be and sizes. The last number is the factory that produced it.
Menghai 8592 can be a good one for a good price. The HaiWan 7578 and the 908’s can be good as well. The CNNP 7581 can be good if you find one made in 2006 or before. The quality suffered after that.
Thanks for the information mrmopar! I had no idea that the numbers stood for anything. Do the first two numbers simply denote the type or mix of pu-erh?
First 2 numbers are the year that the blend was made in. An example would be a Menghai 7542
(75) first year of blend
(4) leaf size
(2) Menghai tea factory.
All the number cakes/ bricks use this coding system.
Yeah, it makes a lot of sense too. Once you know the codes you don’t even need to know the factory since it’s included in the code.
There is an article about the factories and codes.
Here is a good site to visit. It has the factory coding in there somewhere I just can’t place where. You will have to run translation if you don’t speak French.
http://www.puerh.fr/en/article/
Rasseru, talking about 7542. I have a sample coming your way in the next envelope. There is hardly any wet storage aroma your taste. Quite a clean tea. It is from 2005.
I think that you should try the 2008 Song of Chi Tse ripe from Berylleb King Tea on EBay. This tea is among the best. It is unique in my opinion as it has virtually no fermentation flavor left. Most 2008 teas have not cleared. Usually you have to drink something 20 years old to drink a ripe that has cleared. And this has no storage taste that I remember either.
I have a sample of this that I’m saving for a free day to try! Looking forward to it with all the good recommendations.
i thik im a bit tired of all the samples and want to buy some cakes. recently didnt buy a cake i liked because i bought samples instead just in case i liked them more to save in the long run. and theres always more samples
I’m a fan of the Menghai 7542 and 8582, fwiw.
Another thing to think about when looking at the basic recipes from Menghai is the batch number listed after the recipe (E.g. <801> for the first batch of 2008). The first batch is often thought superior to later ones, but I have several later batches that are good to my tastes.
A 2008 batch 801 would be first batch, 802 would be second batch, etc. A 2009 would be 901, 902 etc. That is at least for Dayi products.
Ive seen some like this: 2011 Menghai Tea Factory TaeTea (Dayi) Ripe Pu-erh Tea Cake 7572 (Batch 103), 357g
and also with (FT) 7572 – does that denote ‘fermented tea’?
ah thanks for the help guys! But what if they made four different blends in ’75 or was it generally one per year?
Four blends I think. 7542, 7572, 7582 and 7562 if I recall correctly. Three cakes and one brick.
There could be two batches but as far as I can recall those are the only ones in 75 with the 6 grade leaf. They did expand later I think the 7762 with 6 grade leaf. Some of these blends have been around a long time.
I just meant hypothetically, how would they number it if there were two? or is that where names came in
If you haven’t tried at least one year’s production of Menghai Tea Factories’ Golden Needle White Lotus you should.
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