Da Shi Bao He — “master treasure box” — holds two 150g cakes from 2018: one sheng, one shou. This is the first batch.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2018 · Sheng (raw) + Shou (ripe) puerh · 150g cake × 2 · DaYi (Menghai Tea Factory) · 1st batch
- Compression & dry leaf: Evenly pressed in the traditional form; dark, uniform ripe leaf with a clean woody aroma.
- Liquor: A deep, clear ruby-red that holds well across steeps.
- Taste: The first steeps bring one raw, one ripe. Through the middle steeps, two expressions, one box comes forward. Toward the finish it turns great for comparing.
- Mouthfeel & body: Thick and smooth, with a broth-like body.
- Aftertaste: Soft lingering sweetness; a moist, comfortable throat.
- Best for: improving your tea experience — layered and expressive, it rewards slow, attentive brewing. A good next step for regular drinkers.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Steps:
- Add tea (about 5g per 100ml). Brew the sheng (raw) and shou (ripe) cakes separately.
- Rinse: once for the sheng (raw) cake, twice for the shou (ripe) cake. Cover the leaves with boiling water for about 5 seconds each time, then discard. Put the lid on and let the leaves rest for about 10 minutes.
- Steep for 10–15 seconds for the first rounds, adding about 5 seconds each round.
- Pour into a sharing pitcher.
- Serve. Both cakes resteep 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.
Storage
Keep the cake 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.
- Bamboo powder (zhu fen): a natural sign of traditional bamboo-husk packing. In Guangdong's warm, humid climate, tiny bamboo insects can make their home in the husk, nibbling the husk and cotton paper wrapper while leaving the tea itself untouched. What they leave behind is a fine powder, seen only on certain teas and more often on aged ones. It is harmless to hygiene; a few strokes with a clean toothbrush or soft brush before brewing is all it takes.
- 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.
