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“Farewell, fair Nannuo. Okay, THIS was the best in the series. No, really. In the second of two brew sessions, I finally got the flow down with this tea. It takes some intuition, otherwise it gets...” Read full tasting note
Menghai tea factory has released this Peacock series of single-estate tea mountains since 2001. They represent some of Menghai Tea Factory’s most sought after teas and are produced in very limited quantities. Nannuo Mountain Nannuo means “bamboo paste” in the Dai language. During ancient times, Nannuo Mountain was primarily inhabited by ethnic Hani people. When they had too many bamboo shoots to eat, they made the leftovers into a paste. This paste was presented to the village chieftains every year. The mountain was subsequently named Nannuo Mountain. It is located in the eastern portion of Menghai County of Yunnan Province’s Xishuangbanna Prefecture. It has an average elevation of 1400 meters above sea level. The entire mountain is covered in shaded forests of green bamboo and other trees. Ecological conditions are excellent. Nannuo Mountain tea trees are large-leaf arbor-type. Nannuo Mountain is famous in China and abroad as the home of the “King of Tea Tree,” a human cultivated 800+ year old tree. Fine tea tree varieties and superior natural conditions produce outstanding Nannuo Mountain tea products. Nannuo Mountain Peacock tea is a 400g fresh Pu-erh cake. It possesses a green, glossy luster and has leaves and buds that are plump, strong, and tender. The strips of tea unfold with prominent fine hair. When brewed, the tea liquor is a bright golden yellow with a strong, but mellow and refreshing flavor. It has a sharp huigan (feeling in the mouth) and stimulates salivation. The tea has strong and distinctive aroma.
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Menghai Tea Factory (Finepuer)Farewell, fair Nannuo. Okay, THIS was the best in the series. No, really. In the second of two brew sessions, I finally got the flow down with this tea. It takes some intuition, otherwise it gets crushingly dry and cottony. Otherwise, light, perfumy, and with delicate fruits. I think it’s a solid, punchy tea, but responds to a lighter hand of brewing. The steeped leaves certainly showed the largest leaves of the set, as well as the least cooked and most consistent processing.
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“Dry and cottony” is an interesting description. I’m imagining a sensation I would think of as astringent, perhaps, but can’t really come up with something more specific from that description. Can you expand on that a bit?
And while I’m at it, do you have a strong sense of the different growth locales now after sampling this series of teas?
To some degree, the different regions stand out. Each tea is obviously different, but I think I would be hard pressed to name most of the regions given a blind sample. I think Bulang and Menghai are characteristic, but Bada and Mengsong are somewhat indistinct. Nannuo also unique, but more subtle. Part of the problem with the Peacock series is that the plantation leaf and rather heavy processing bury some of the subtle signatures that help the regions stand apart, I think.
Interesting. I’ve got enough puerh right now that I can’t really justify buying something like this series unless they really provide a really clear illustration of the differences. At present rates I’ve got quite a few years’ worth already.
There’s better tea to be had, in my opinion.