Menghai Tea Factory

I was on vacation last week and didn’t have any tea that was worth drinking, let alone any good shou. This tastes extra good today!

Starting the week out right with some shou pu (deja vu).

Starting the week out right with some shou pu.

Didn’t have any tea this weekend, and I’m rather enjoying this shou this morning.

This was very good prepared gongfu as usual. I’m enjoying all the steeps despite being on sort of a shou overload. I’ll try something different tomorrow at any rate.

First cake from the big batch of pu we just received. Did this one gongfu and it’s very good. Probably the best ripe I’ve had thus far.

A 15 year plus old tea cake. A limited production from Menghai using aged leaves combined with large new leaves. The tea is exhibiting dust on the nose, with a ruby complexion in the cup. Consistently so, brew after brew, in an aged dark purple clay pot, around 200ml in size. Brilliant finish, and sticky in the throat, leaving an overall sense of well being.

Another two sessions with this precious tea before putting it to sleep. I think I’ll get a tong of this. The dusty aroma is even stronger now, using a pot containing a blend of blue clay and tuani. Even after being left overnight after 8 or 9 steeps, the tea continues to yield strong bodied liquor, perfect for the morning. Best purchase for a while? Maybe, will have to brew the 8892 to compare tonight.

Brewed 12g of tea in a 350ml ‘seasoned’ pot. The first brew aroma carried caramel and herbs. Colour as a good cognac. Body was substantial, coating the tongue, palate and throat, creeping down into the stomach. Hui gan persisted and occurred in waves. Amazing patience with consistent brews up until the 9th, when extra time was introduced. We brewed this pot for 2 1/2 hours, until we lost count of the brews.