Menghai 2009 "Zi Yun" Ripe Pu-erh tea

I decided to break this one out this morning, it’s been such a long time since I’ve had it. Last night’s networking event was definitely fun and I’m not used to drinking wine so this morning I have a bit of a headache. It’s the shu puerh to the rescue…. cures all ills.

This tea has a bit of fermentation smell still left in it but when you steep it up it’s just so smooth with a date like sweetness and notes of coffee and chocolate. I already feel it reviving me… yay

I brewed this in the Gaiwan today. This is a very strong Pu-erh. The first steeping was somewhat fishy. I know I should rinse it. When I doused the leaves with boiling water for the second steeping the liquid becomes quite dark quickly. The fishiness is gone and the liquid is very robust even after a short steep. Flavors that I envision are old leather chairs in an old building with dark wood. To those who like Shu, you will love this. This is not for beginners. My GF would say it tastes like Chinese medicine. Well, maybe centuries ago this was.

wow this little cake has blown my mind! i got 7 infusions from it before it finally gave up. smooth in all aspects one i will purchase again. the only downfall is about 20 us for 100 gram cake.

This tea has a very smooth almost creamy and sweet richness to it with the classic “Menghai scent” notes as one would expect for any Menghai ripe puerh. A very wonderful example quality ripe puerh at its best with a light silky texture in a sweet mellow taste. Just be careful about using too little leaves the first time I brewed it I did and it came out a bit plain tasting and disappointing but the fault was mine and not the tea.

This has been on my wishlist for a while, ever since reading mrmopar’s review, I believe. My daughter shopped from my wishlist for Christmas and I am now the proud owner of a cake!

I haven’t had a really special gong fu session in a while and decided to set aside some time tonight. I wanted to try this tea when I could give it my undivided attention.

This is the hardest cake I have had in a long time! All the cakes I have right now can be broken with your fingers, or at least with very little pressure from a pu knife. I was about to lament not owning a pu pick when I finally managed to get off enough for my wee pot.

Since the cake was so hard I decided to do a rinse. Breaking the cake had created some tiny bits of leaf that I wanted to dispose of in the rinse since hubby doesn’t like chunkies, although I don’t mind them at all. I did a five second rinse and the liquor I poured off was fairly light.

First steep was slow to color, so I gave it a few extra seconds. Right off the bat the smell and taste of this tea made me glad I was taking the time to enjoy it properly. I didn’t detect the fishy aroma some reviewers did but this has been aging for a bit longer, so maybe that took care of it. It is quite earthy and has the bolder puerh taste more than the “oiled horse tack” vibe. The texture is really what made this tea for me, though. It is so creamy/silky/oily. It has a great mouthfeel.

Second steep colored very quickly, as did the next four. At steep seven, I had to lengthen the time because the leaves were nearly spent. In spite of the lack of color, it was still an enjoyable cup. Eighth steep was pale even after a lengthy steep and the flavor almost undetectable, so we retired the leaves.

This was a lovely tea to slip back into night time gong fu again. Thank you, SuperAnna, for all the Christmas teas!