28 October, 2013

Progress Bar: Xizihao

Gentle Reader, I invite you to reconsider some cakes from a previous generation. In each case, should you wish to read the updated notes, please follow the link to the original article...

First...


The 2007 Xizihao "Longfeng" [dragon and phoenix] was inexpensive and is coming on very well.



Second...



The 2007 Xizihao "Chahuang" is doing nicely.  Happily, the Duke of N has also tried a Hong Kong-stored version of this cake lately and arrived at a similar conclusion.

4 comments:

sketchandtea said...

I don't think many will agree with me but I think those wrappers are stunning :)

Hobbes said...

I admire the willingness for XZH to be wrapped in something other than white paper + calligraphy. :)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

shah8 said...

A lot of people think that it's a "loud" design. I think part of it was a response to having shipments being blocked from the mainland due to the pornographic contents of the label of the 2005 and 2006 cakes. Sanhetang drifted into flowers and confetti by 2008.

Here are some wrappers still nicely gaudy...

http://www.sanhetang.com.tw/product.aspx?productid=1373&sell=1&dkind=#aaa

And I'd buy this cake, just for the wrapper!

http://www.sanhetang.com.tw/product.aspx?productid=1404&sell=1&dkind=#aaa


2007 XZH have been working out really quite nicely. The LongFeng is the one I'm least happy with, but it has had some really good sessions. The 8582 has gotten more densely apricots on toast (still not much in the way of wood), and I really like the Yiwu, Jingu Nuercha, and 7542 these days.

Hobbes said...

Dear Shah,

I didn't realise you could get Xizihao cakes "straight from the horse's mouth". :)


Toodlepip,

Hobbes