Watch the video: unwrapping and breaking down this tea
From 2012, MengKu RongShi "Gong Ting" (Palace): ripe (shou) puerh pressed into a 400g cake.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2012 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 400g cake · MengKu Tea Factory
- Compression & dry leaf: The tea comes as a 400g cake. In the dry leaf you can see visible buds and an even, dark fermentation.
- Liquor: It brews a clear, bright, red liquor.
- Taste: From the first steep the taste is mellow. Further into the session the cup stays rich.
- Mouthfeel & body: On the palate it is thick, smooth and mellow.
- Aftertaste: Look for a long finish after each cup.
- Best for: improving your tea experience; it rewards slower brewing and is a good next step after your first few ripe puerh teas.
Brewing Guide
Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Warm the pot and cups, then add about 5g of leaf per 100ml.
- Rinse twice with boiling water, then cover and let the leaves rest about 10 minutes.
- Steep the first rounds for 10–15 seconds, adding about 5 seconds with each round.
- Pour every steep into a fairness pitcher before serving.
- Serve. Ripe puerh resteeps well for many rounds.
Treat these as starting points rather than fixed rules. Try high or low pours, fast or slow, and brew in different seasons to find the method that suits you. Brewing the same tea well in any year, season, weather or place takes practice, and that skill is the real goal.
Storage
Keep the tea ventilated, cool and dry, away from sunlight and strong odors (kitchen spices, smoke). For long-term aging, paper or clay containers breathe better than sealed plastic.
A Note on Appearance
Not every cake shows these, but they can occur, especially in teas with more years of storage.
- Small dark specks: tiny dark specks may appear on the wrapper or tea edges of naturally stored puerh. They are harmless and can be brushed off before brewing.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spots may appear and can come from natural tea oils. They are not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: small tears or holes in the cotton paper may happen during storage and handling. The tea inside is unaffected.
