Shu puer "Menghai in balls" "AA", 2011
A tightly pressed shu pu’er ball. It’s better to break it up right away so it brews properly.
The aroma of the dry ball is restrained due to the dense compression, typical for shu pu’er. The liquor turns a dark brown with a slight golden tint, opaque and thick. Each portion weighs about 7–8 grams, a kind of Chinese standard dose for a 100 ml gaiwan.
The taste is soft yet rich and full-bodied: milk chocolate with a subtle bitterness in the aftertaste that adds a noble character. A gentle acidity can also be detected, evoking lime and cherry plum. At the same time, fennel-like spice, walnut, and campfire smoke weave through the profile.
A warming tea for cold days. It drinks smoothly and just as easily brings you back to a clear, alert state.
Brew with water close to boiling. It’s better to discard the first infusion due to its lack of expressiveness, then gradually increase steeping time from around 10 seconds up to a minute.
