Douji is also known as the Yiwu Zhengshan Tea Company. This is a small 75g brick with tight compression. Very limited aroma coming from the dry leaf. Ten second rinse followed by a 5 second rinse and while it sat idle the leaves began to loosen a bit. After sitting for about 90 minutes, I went back to the yixing to prepare my tea and was happy to be hit with a very sweet and fruity aroma as soon as I removed the lid. In addition, there seemed to be a very subtle hint of a tobacco scent in the background. The tea soup has a very rich dark gold color. The sip is rather creamy with the complementary themes of fruity sweetness and nutty essence. The body is solid and produces a pleasant mouth-watering effect followed by a cooling, throaty aftertaste . What dominates my my thoughts of this tea session is the persistent sweetness that penetrates the mouth which I find to be characteristic of tea made with solid Yiwu raw material. This is a very smooth tea with plenty to enjoy.
I am fond of both Douji and Chen Sheng Hao products (IMO both offer high-quality factory productions). While they used to be more widely available through our normal channels (e.g., Puerh Shop and Yunnan Sourcing), now both companies rely upon more limited distribution in the marketplace. I mention this here because I see that Puerh Shop still has four different 2008-2009 Douji products in stock. If you have any interest, take a look at these for you will have great difficulty finding Douji once they are gone.
Have you tried any of the cakes currently offered at puershop?
I think the Dadou and the Sandou are both reliable blends (most Douji aficionados have both in their collection). PS offers a sample of the 2008 Bulang so there is little risk there but I’m not a huge fan of this one. I have that fragrant brick but I’ve not tried it (good price point and all Spring material – could be something special).
The general Douji style is darkness, heaviness, and tobacco; kuwei (a decent throaty bitterness); after a few infusions you find a lovely honey-like sweetness. Generally good for 10-12 enjoyable steeps.
-——Warning: I’m a big fan of Douji. For my tastes, they make enjoyable, complex puerh. Thus, question my objectivity.
I have a sample of the fragrant brick, I’ll try that soon. And there’s no such thing as objectivity when it comes to tea! Well, maybe a bit…