menghai (berylleb ebay)

OK gonna get all Proustian on ya. This was a gift from a new tea buddy “PUG”, and since I had a big day ahead and there’s snow all over, why not a shou. As if I need an excuse.
Dry tea has aromas of forest leaves happily decomposing on the forest floor. Used my 210ml shou yixing and 10gm tea. 2 quick rinses and left it sit in pot for 10 minutes while I took some pics of the snow. First steep was essentially in and out. Here it comes. In the vein of Sophia Petrillo, picture it…….. Wilkes Barre PA. 1964, Christmas, opening my presents under the tree. Etcha-Sketch for me, a new pair of boots for my uncle. I want the boots, so I go over and stick my feet in and they obviously don’t fit but I get this great smell of well oiled leather and 50 years later, its the same aroma in this tea. But there is something else jostling in the old noggin, oh now I know, its all the cardboard from that day as well. So there you go leather and cardboard. You’d think anyone with any sense, would ever think of drinking something with leather and card board but then I never had much sense.
The first 3 steeps gave the flavor of the leather, cardboard, smoke, decayed leaves, but it was so smooth and it tastes so good. Next few steeps were 5-10 seconds and now in addition to the a fore mentioned is slight plum, date and sweetness of brown sugar. Still very smooth and aromatic. At about the 8th steep come the cha chi and the húigān is so pleasant. I guess the name of the teas fit it just perfect, “Real Taste”, indeed.

Brewed 15 grams in the yixing for this one. I gave a 10 second wash to begin.It has the aroma of a damp forest. The brew is almost as dark as other shou of this age. It has a distinctly lighter taste than most shous I have drank. My guess would be a shorter fermentation on this one . It gives an almost cross between a peach and a near ripened plum. Avery easy tea to drink. It has a very nice flavor without being to “assertive” as some can be. This will move up my chart for these reasons. Nice , smooth and a touch of fruit.

have been working on this one for 2 days now. this tea is made from leftover clumps of fermented pu-erh. it is a very hard brick to break as it seems to come apart in these “nubs”. aroma is soft with no off scent. used about10 grams in a yixing. since this tea was hard to break i gave it a start with a 30 second wash and could see the color already. first steep 15 second with almost boiling water. pour into the cup and you think you have a cup of coffee on your hands. very bold with a hint of citrus and molasses and a hint of cinnamon. later brew used the same method for brewing and infusion since this tea seems not to let up. i am on day 2 with this one and it still has some clumps that have not broken apart yet. i have been picking at these nubs with my bamboo tongs to slowly break them apart. day 2 eight sweepings later and still as dark as coffee. reminiscent of the Wei Zui Yan in terms of sweetness and taste. well off to another cup of this fine tea.