Has anyone tasted the 1998 CNNP "You Le Qiao Mu" cake?

[puerile]

Hello everyone, I'm just curious,

I bought some months ago on Yunnan Sourcing the 1998 CNNP "You Le Qiao Mu" Raw pu-erh cake * 
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1067

I Know that tastes are by nature subjective and are evolving with time and experience,
but after different tries and tests with different brewing method,
I came to the conclusion that this cake is neither good, nor bad simply flat and without interest.
I have drunk younger and older pu-erh more, more exiting, even from the same dealer
like the 2003 "Yi Wu Zheng Shan" or the 2005 Xiaguan Ancient Wild Tree.

My questions are :
Is-it possible that I'am missing something or that the cake may evolve with time with some personality and savor ?
Or is-it simply a poor cake meant to be throw away ?

Thanks in advance for Your answers,
// Pu_erile \\

[nonc_ron]

Hello everyone, I'm just curious,

I bought some months ago on Yunnan Sourcing the 1998 CNNP "You Le Qiao Mu" Raw pu-erh cake * 
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1067

Hi and welcome to the Tea Chat.
1998 Wow, It should be getting good by now.
Maybe it wasn't stored under ideal conditions.

[Jack_teachat]

At $80 a cake I certainly wouldn't throw it away!

This appears sometimes to be an issue with aged Pu-erhs from YS, as Kunming is a little dry for aging cakes quickly, and so even though it is a 1998, it's probably a good few years behind an equvilent cake stored all its life in say Hong Kong.

I'd stash it away for a few more years in the appropriate conditions (not too dry & not too moist) and come back to it later.

Jack

[puerile]

Hi and welcome to the Tea Chat.

Thanks, it is really an interesting and unique forum

Maybe it wasn't stored under ideal conditions.

This appears sometimes to be an issue with aged Pu-erhs from YS, as Kunming is a little dry for aging cakes quickly

Thanks for your answer, but it was store at my home in the same conditions as others (including YS ones), which are just fine…
This one is really "flat" nor bad, nor good… so I was wondering if somebody tasted it too ?

[wyardley]

Well "not good, not bad" is subjective of course, but puer can go through "awkward" phases, so it's possible that this tea is currently in such a stage. And certain teas that I'd consider to be quite good are good partially by way of not being bad, i.e., by absence of any obvious negative qualities, even if they might seem a little boring at first. But it's also possible that the tea is not good, or at least not to your taste. I have not tasted this tea myself, so I can't help you with that part of your question.

Most of the really good late 90s stuff is starting to go up in price... I think $120-200 US is common (with certain stuff like the '99 Green Big Tree with blue ticket going for ~ $450-500 or more), so even if the tea is Ok, the price isn't unreasonable. It looks pretty dry-stored to me, which means it could probably benefit from another 5-15 years of aging.

but it was store in the same conditions as others (including YS ones), which are just fine…

How do you know it was stored in the same conditions as other teas, and which other teas has it been stored in the same conditions as? YS doesn't sell that much old stuff, and they stuff they do hasn't necessarily all been stored in the same place for its entire life.

In any event, I would be tempted to forget about it / leave it alone for at least a few years and see if you see any change.

[nonc_ron]

Maybe this was the one cake out of a box of 42 that they put in the store front window to advertise. (That can't be good)
I can imagine how you feel, I get upset on a $20.00 cake.
Don't take it personally it's just the luck of the draw.
Put another way some days your the windshield and other days your the bug.

[puerile]

but puer can go through "awkward" phases, so it's possible that this tea is currently in such a stage.

Well I hope so, because I tried it with an other pu-erh lover yesterday, and he came to nearly the same conclusion : "faded"

How do you know it was stored in the same conditions as other teas

Well, at least at my home with my other cakes.
And because it is subjective, I would be interested by other experience.

[wyardley]

How do you know it was stored in the same conditions as other teas

Well, at least at my home with my other cakes.

Right... but you haven't stored it since 1998. The change in taste since you bought it "some months" ago is not going to matter as much as how it was stored for the previous 11-12 years. And, since Yunnan Sourcing wasn't even around before 2004, we know that they haven't been storing it for the majority of its lifetime either. Barring really extreme circumstances, a few months isn't usually going to make a huge difference compared to 12 years.

[nonc_ron]

Yunnan Sourcing wasn't even around before 2004.

Ditto, He probably had it only few months at the most.



At the end of the day and I'm on cups 7-8 or 9 I sometimes add Hazel Nut Splenda. Nuff said.

[betta]

Sorry to hear that, I haven't tried it but I came across also some older puerh teas which ended up "flat" due to improper storage.
Should it be kept well, the price would have been far higher than that quoted by YS.

[bearsbearsbears]

On a similar note, anyone tried the 90s cakes stocked by Puerhshop? Some look really wet stored. Just wondering if they're any good...

[puerile]

Sorry to hear that, I haven't tried it but I came across also some older puerh teas which ended up "flat" due to improper storage.
Should it be kept well, the price would have been far higher than that quoted by YS.

Hello Betta, I also asked the question to Scott Wilson directly and had a partial answer :
"This cake was dry-stored in Kunming since it's production. 
Yes... 12 years in Kunming makes it semi-aged, not fully mature.  Sometimes cakes stored in Kunming that are in their "teenage years" will taste strange as they are neither young, nor old."
But right now I'm enjoying an other YS 2002 Mengku Wild Arbor,
and it is completely an other story… calm, discreet but with aroma, savors and no bitterness, nearly a sweet !
I guess the 1998 CNNP "You Le Qiao Mu" is asleep I just hope it will be awake one day

[xsys]

Well I hope so, because I tried it with an other pu-erh lover yesterday, and he came to nearly the same conclusion : "faded"

I have just recently compared it with some other puerhs made of You Le material and although they were fresh and young, their tastes were vibrant and interesting. This older one was quite boring and expensive (I have bought a sample through local vendor - I wouldn't blame him for a bad storing).