2016 Menglian shou puerh

This is a ripe puerh of somewhat unusual character, it has aged quite interestingly thanks to the lighter fermentation. These days, most ripe (shou) puerhs are fermented strongly and uniformly to create the dark and smooth tea that people are generally looking for, which is also easier to produce - it is always very exciting to find good examples of exceptions to the trend, such as the tea in hand. The leaves were harvested during the second Spring harvest in 2016 in Menglian, close to Jingmai mountain range in Yunnan, China, from an organic plantation, however the tea was not imported to Europe as such due to low quantities brought in and complicated paperwork. Some of the original rawness of the leaf is still there because of the lighter piling, thus the tea is best brewed somewhat lighter - in this way, the flavour will turn out sweet, reminescent of overripe fruit and with a smooth round mouthfeel. The selected leaves are small and the dry leaves have interesting beer-like yeasty aroma. It can at times remind one a bit of some Liu Baos or even Yunnanese red tea in terms of the texture. Stored in Menghai ever since production.

Brewing suggestions: 4 grams of tea per 200ml of 100C water. Rinse the tea, 1st steeping 1min, 2nd steeping 1min, 3rd steeping 2min etc.