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Thomas Smith drank 2001 Menghai Factory “Lu Yin” 7572 Recipe Ripe Bingcha by Yunnan Sourcing

93 tasting notes

Had a nice but less-than-wonderful round of brewings with this tea the other day. I’m going to redo this tea with a bit higher concentration.
Used 7g in 200ml water in a shi piao style zi ni clay pot that’s been pretty well seasoned with shu puerh.

Big body, mildly sweet, tacky. Nice, full presence and steadfast rich wood and leaf litter character, but there really isn’t a ton to distinguish this cake from other good Menghai shu bingchas. I know shu cha doesn’t gain much of anything beyond a few years to a decade, but it’s sad to consider it just mellowing out to a pleasant tea that’s nice to have with meals. Tasty, but it isn’t something I’d necessarily serve to guests, as there isn’t very dynamic an expression of flavors.

I know I can get more out of this, as I’ve been brewing it since February 2009. If something else doesn’t catch my eye/tastebuds late tonight, I’ll be revisiting this.

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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Tea Geek.

My focus is on Chinese Wulongs and Pu’er but I’m all over the place. I tend to follow a seasonal progression of teas, following the freshness curve of greens through summer and rounding the cooler months out with toastier teas and Masala Chai.
With the exception of Masala Chai milk tea I’m a purist at heart. While I was originally snagged by Earl Grey with bergamot and make blends for gifts, I very rarely go for scented teas or herbals and can’t remember the last time I bought a tea that was blended. Pure tea is just more interesting to me than the product of mixing flavors. I do understand and appreciate their existence, though.

I upload some blends I make or special prep teas I nab under the company name “Green Raven Tea and Coffee” and the vast majority of these posts will be blends crafted to create flavors/characteristics not inherent in any one particular tea.
I’ve worked as a tea buyer for a smallish cafe and try to keep apprized of shifts in offerings even when not selecting for a business so I wind up sampling a ton of wholesale samples from a couple companies in particular but try to branch out to as many companies as I can find. Until Steepster integrates some form of comparative tasting feature, none of my cupping notes will make it onto my reviews unless wrapped up into something I feel compelled to drink multiple times on its own.

Since all the cool kids are doing it, here’s my big fat ratings scheme:

0-12…..Ugh, don’t wish on anyone
13-25….Bad, won’t touch again
26-37….Huh, not worth the effort
38-50….Meh, unremarkable
51-62….Okay, good tea
63-75….Tasty, really good tea
76-87….Yum, wonderful
88-100…Wow, really spectacular

There shouldn’t be many postings at all from me ranked 26-50 since unremarkable teas are unlikely to make me remark on ’em but to “earn” a score 37 or below I have to be disappointed to the point where others may ask for a refund or turn down offers even when free or offered as a gift (beyond stale).

I’ve got a ton of respect for anything rated 63 or higher.

For a tea to get 71 or more, it has to be pretty special and kinda blow my socks off.

The 90s are reserved for wonders that make me reevaluate my views of the world of tea as a whole.