2003 CNNP 8582
29 Dec 2016
4.4g/80ml Novak Shibo [6.0]
From a cake with a odd-looking CNNP wrapper– it could be a fake Zhongcha.
Dry: Sweet aromatic slight smoke, quite pungent resin
Wash: Sweet and smoky, though the smoke is not too strong.
Wet: sweet baking spice aroma.
- Smoky liquor, pungent resin aroma, sweet aftertaste, some astringency and not bitter. Mild energy flow in the back beginning.
- Some bitterness does appear, smoke remains, and the pungency intensifies. Astringency grows to medium.
- Smoky profile is reminiscent of Xiaguan tuocha and 2005 8653.
- Thick, can feel liquor going deep down to stomach.
- Qi waves up the back, slow, accumulating and a feeling of general elevated energy.
- Waves continue and grow to a full torso frisson, quite strong emergent pungent aroma, more astringency with fine texture tannins coating entire mouth.
- Full body frisson, quite astringent.
- Even stronger body/energy effect now.
- Slightly decreasing over the next few steeps.
This cake is significantly more highly compressed than the 502-8582, perhaps accounting for the greater astringency and pungency despite the higher age. The material is hard to judge from only one session, but there are definitely larger leaves and it’s hard to say how much of the cut leaves are due to the higher compression. My gut feeling is that the 502 has nicer material. Remains to be confirmed.
