Red Star 7581 Zhong Cha 2005 Ripe Puer

Tea type
Pu'erh Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Astringent, Berry, Bitter, Cranberry, Drying, Fishy, Grapes, Marine, Mineral, Sawdust, Wood, Leather, Tobacco, Wet Wood, Berries, Medicinal, Caramel, Sweet, Wet Earth, Cocoa, Orange, Wet wood, Earth, Smooth, Butter, Fruity, Menthol, Thick
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Togo
Average preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 7 g 5 oz / 134 ml

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16 Tasting Notes View all

  • “This is a one of the most woody ripe pu’er teas I’ve encountered. Especially in the aroma there is a strong note of wood chippings, complemented by grape juice and red currant. The taste is a...” Read full tasting note
    76
  • “First tasting Fresh out of bag and shipment, given no time to breathe yet. Aroma of soup: old library, woodchips, a little fishy in first brew (even after two rinses), wet wood, tobacco...” Read full tasting note
    73
  • “Outside some Menghai productions, I haven’t really explored big factory ripe productions. From what I gather the 7581 seems to be a pretty well known recipe, but all that really matters to me in...” Read full tasting note
  • “1/10 ratio and 212F I started in my ruyao pot and after couple steeps transferred to yixing. It was a better choice for this shou. Dry leaf smells a little smoky and it tastes smoky too. ...” Read full tasting note

From Bitterleaf Teas

A classic cake from Zhong Cha, this 7581 cake is prime example of a ripe puer done well. The tea is very clean and direct, with no off flavours or fermentation taste – just a nice, lingering date-like sweetness and the right amount of earthiness.

With inconsistencies and impostors abound, well known labels from this period can often be a bit of a gamble, and the Zhong Cha 7581 has been as big a target as any. We promote this tea based on its most important characteristics – taste, cleanness and quality – rather than name and recipe. This tea was purchased directly from a Zhong Cha employee in 2006 and has been stored by the original owner in Kunming dry storage ever since.

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16 Tasting Notes

76
943 tasting notes

This is a one of the most woody ripe pu’er teas I’ve encountered. Especially in the aroma there is a strong note of wood chippings, complemented by grape juice and red currant.

The taste is a little fishy / marine at first but also very clean. It gets more mineral and bitter as the session progresses, displaying flavours of mead, cranberry, wood, shellfish, and betel nut. The liquor is medium bodied with a soy milk like texture and a decent astringency that is also present after swallowing as a constrictive and a little abrasive feeling in the throat and back of the mouth especially. The aftertaste is cooling, sweet and mildly sour. It lasts for a while, but lacks pungency.

Flavors: Astringent, Berry, Bitter, Cranberry, Drying, Fishy, Grapes, Marine, Mineral, Sawdust, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 8 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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73
6 tasting notes

First tasting
Fresh out of bag and shipment, given no time to breathe yet.

Aroma of soup: old library, woodchips, a little fishy in first brew (even after two rinses), wet wood, tobacco leather

Flavor: woodchips, sweet moss, gentle astringency

Color: rich orange amber

Flavors: Astringent, Leather, Tobacco, Wet Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 5 OZ / 147 ML

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123 tasting notes

Outside some Menghai productions, I haven’t really explored big factory ripe productions. From what I gather the 7581 seems to be a pretty well known recipe, but all that really matters to me in the name is the 8 as I’ve generally observed that I tend to have a preference for ripes with a larger average leaf grade. The sample that I received has a surprisingly strong sweet rice aroma especially for such an aged tea. The appearance of the dry leaf is very dark and although the compression was probably reasonably high back in the day, time has gradually transformed the material into dry and brittle.

I used 12.1g in my 160ml Jianshui clay teapot and also drank the tea from Jianshui clay. I was foolish and neglected to break the one large chunk I tossed in into smaller pieces and ended up doing so after the first rinse which I followed with another. I did a total of seven steeps, the timing for these being 12s, 12s, 18s, 28s, 45s, 75s and 2 min.

The first infusion was still fairly light in terms of color, but the liquor was already really clear. The taste and texture were similarly still light, but the tea was very clean and there was a certain refreshing quality about it. The mouthfeel was also nice. There was some very minor sweetness and overall the tea was very reminiscent of berry juice. There was also a certain creaminess about it. This profile reminded me a lot of the general Menghai area ripe pu’er profile.

The second infusion brewed a slightly different shade, but not really much darker than the first steep. This applies to the session as a whole as the tea never really brewed much darker than this, which isn’t dark at all. The liquor was super clear. While the texture had gotten even lighter than before, I was actually getting some bitterness now. The flavor profile was generally darker than before, but no particular flavors besides bitter really popped out at me. At this point I was already noticing some cooling going on in my airways. The tea became extra bitter once it cooled down.

Steep number three wasn’t thick, but it had a sort of slimy texture, if you know what I mean. The taste was that of dry wood. The tea was quite drying in fact, especially at the back of the mouth. The cooling was only amped up, which in turn really emphasized the dryness. The bitterness was still there, but in a very minor role. At this point I happened to get a whiff of the empty cha hai and the aroma was absolutely wonderful. Definitely pay attention to the aroma of this tea.

By steep four the color seemed to already be fading, but despite appearances the body had now improved. On the flavor front you got the slightest hint of sweetness which then turned into much stronger bitterness which then also went away. My favorite steep was steep number five. At first I had difficulty trying to come up with a way to describe it, but then I happened to smell the tea in the cup and it kind of reminded me of medicine. After tasting the tea again, I arrived at the conclusion that describing the taste as medicinal might actually be apt. I have heard others describe some teas as medicinal, but before this I’ve never tasted anything I’d personally label as such. I really, really liked this steep.

The sixth steeping brewed strong and bitter with more of the prior dry wood taste. At this point I felt some slight burning sensation in my throat, but I don’t know if that’s solely the tea or if my throat is becoming a bit sore. Steep seven was the last one I did. By this point the color was very light and the flavor reflected this. The tea had become very basic with some sweet and woody notes to it. The leaves could have probably carried on with extended steeping times, but I decided to call it there as I expected the steepings to only deteriorate from this point onward.

For such a budget tea, I quite enjoyed this tea. 10¢/g is typically the bare minimum I pay for ripe pu’er, but I must say I’ve never really been particularly impressed by any tea at this price point. While this tea might lack the richness and body of some younger similarly priced teas, what you are getting is a very clean tea that offers amazing value for the money. I don’t think I’ve ever really found any of the aged ripes I’ve tried in the past worth it, as the age has typically come at a substantial premium, but in this case you get an ultra clean tea that costs the same as a freshly pressed shu. Granted, some modern boutique pressings that cost about the same may have the potential to surpass this tea years down the line, but for my personal taste for immediate consumption I prefer this tea to most affordable ripes I’ve tried. That being said, ultimately I’d categorize Red Star as a daily drinker and while this is a tea that’s fun for me to session once or twice, it is not something I’d be looking to purchase. I’m not really a person who drinks the same tea more than once every few months or so, so daily drinkers aren’t really something I’m looking for. That being said, shu pu’er as a category is probably closest to a daily drinker for me as it’s generally the most casual type of tea for me.

I honestly didn’t expect much from this tea as I’m generally really picky about ripe pu’er and tend to prefer only the really premium productions and teas from certain areas. While Red Star does have its shortcomings, I found it to be excellent value at just under 10¢/g and something I can recommend to someone looking for a clean, affordable daily drinker that you can also pay attention to if you so choose.

Flavors: Berries, Bitter, Drying, Medicinal, Wood

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec 12 g 5 OZ / 160 ML

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493 tasting notes

1/10 ratio and 212F
I started in my ruyao pot and after couple steeps transferred to yixing. It was a better choice for this shou. Dry leaf smells a little smoky and it tastes smoky too. Pleasant smoke like grilled fruits. Tastes of dried fruits, some leather and spice, date and even dried persimmon( me thinks) It tastes clean and middle aged. Very enjoyable, I recommend to try it

https://instagram.com/p/Bcr6XsPDbmI/

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec

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78
109 tasting notes

Thanks to bitterleaf for this sample as part of the puerh TTB. I started by heating a yixing pot with 205 water and putting the leaves in for a sniff. I got wet wood, slight ferment, but not as strong as their black beauty. As well as dark fruits, or maybe overripe fruits.

Giving the tea a quick rinse, then making the first infusion. I got a dark clear liqour with a strong aroma of wet wood, wet earth, caramel and still dark fruits. Sipping it, produced much the same, sweet with a hint fermentation. Not too strong, with just a touch of sourness, maybe dark plums or something.

Second infusion was very similar with just a slightly darker thicker color, though even with a fine strainer, Im still getting a tiny bit of tea dust in the bottom of the cup.

Third infusion is slightly lighter as well as smoother with the sweetness coming up more and the wetness dying down a little , this is a quite nice tea. Smooth and sweet, but not quite as intense as the black beauty.

Recommended.

Flavors: Caramel, Sweet, Wet Earth, Wet Wood

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 80 ML

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83
1758 tasting notes

Puerh Tea TTB. This was a very nice ripe. I didn’t notice any bitterness although there was a fair amount of fermentation flavor that lasted four or five steeps. There was a sweet note to the fermentation. It evolved into a different sweet note once the fermentation was history. Overall this was a very good brick.

I steeped this twelve times with 10.4g leaf in a 150ml gaiwan with boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, 1 min, 1.5 min, and 2 minutes. There were definitely a few more steeps in the leaves.

Preparation
Boiling 10 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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84
15575 tasting notes

Drank this one Western at work;

I feel like Bitterleaf really wants me to love this tea as they’ve sent it along as a freebie in my last two orders now. Thankfully, I definitely enjoyed it and if this Western infusion was any indicator, I’ll probably like it a fair bit Gong Fu as well.

Just jot notes, ’cause like I said I was at work and such.

- Clean flavour; smooth taste and crisp non-lingering finish
- Hints of something fruity in the undertones (red fruits)
- Very earthy, but not overly damp/wet earth: more like clay?
- With honeyed date notes and cocoa

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkaMiaRLgvY&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=1

Whoever puts together the radio set/playlists for the various music stations at DAVIDsTEA must really have a thing for British Indie bands ’cause one of the stations/playlists we frequent (there are eight, all with varying themes) is CONSTANTLY playing The Smiths/The Kooks/The Wombats, all of which are English.

mrmopar

7581’s are usually solid when stored right. I think they found the good ones.

Bitterleaf

We sent it as a free sample twice? Someone at BLT headquarters clearly dropped the ball…

Roswell Strange

It would have been an easy mix up; my latest order was from a completely different address since I recently moved! Besides, more tea meant more to share with coworkers, and I really liked it myself as well. No harm no foul!

Bitterleaf

Well I’m just glad it wasn’t something you hated… promise it’ll be something different next time!

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14 tasting notes

Smell is earthy and sweet with no fermentation aroma. The liquor brews up a deep brownish red, with very little haziness to it.

On the initial taste, there is an earthiness to it, but it’s like the smell of soil after a fresh rainfall – not basementy, mushroomy or musty at all. Very clean taste with some sweetness and a hint of fruitiness under it all. Lasted quite a few steeps (I lost track) and I couldn’t make it bitter if I tried.

Overall impression: this is a very clean, mellow and smooth shou. Easy to drink, easy to recommend.

Flavors: Earth, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
10 g 5 OZ / 150 ML

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358 tasting notes

Decided to move onto pu after a failed oolong. Gave this one a wash and started sipping on the following steep. The wash water looked almost like it had a pink tint to it, and the first steep is a deep red and starts off delicate and buttery with a hint of earth.

Second steep brings more buttered earth up front with a sweet finish. I enjoyed this all through the afternoon, to the point that I lost track of how long I went with it. This has a nice, consistent flavor and is very easy to drink. I would like to steep with more leaf next time.

Flavors: Butter, Earth, Smooth, Sweet

Preparation
5 g

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533 tasting notes

OMG! I’m caught up!!!

This was the 2nd shou of the day. I leafed this a little heavier than the other 8g at 212F. Same shibo setup. 10s rinse. 10s – sweet, fruity, earthy
15, 25s, 35s – menthol, sweet, thick
45s, 1min
I ran out of steam for this tea here. I mean I liked it, but I got a call and went out to eat with family, saw my brother off back to Colorado and didn’t pick it up when I got back.

I had a delayed reaction to this tea or the one before it, feeling floaty and disconnected. Also, my stomach is slightly upset and gassy. I may be overcaffinated too. I’m not too sleepy even though it’s way after midnight. Good thing I’m off tomorrow. Still reserving judgement on ripe.

Flavors: Earth, Fruity, Menthol, Sweet, Thick

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