Hong Yu — “red jade,” the daily drinker. This is the 2023 first batch — fresh and friendly.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2023 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 357g cake · DaYi (Menghai Tea Factory) · 1st batch
- Compression & dry leaf: It is a tightly pressed 357g cake. Look for visible buds and an even, dark fermentation in the dry leaf.
- Liquor: It brews a reddish-brown liquor.
- Taste: The first infusions are mellow. Through the middle infusions, caramel comes forward over an earthy background, with a sweet and rich base. The flavor shifts a little from steep to steep.
- Mouthfeel & body: The texture is thick, smooth and mellow.
- Aftertaste: It leaves a lingering sweetness.
- Best for: everyday drinking, and easy for first-time puerh drinkers to brew.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- How to brew:
- Add around 5g of tea for every 100ml.
- Give the leaves two quick rinses — cover with boiling water for about 5 seconds and discard. Then put the lid on and leave the leaves to open up for about 10 minutes.
- Start with 10–15 second steeps, lengthening by about 5 seconds each round.
- Pour the liquor into a sharing pitcher.
- Serve and resteep — ripe puerh goes many rounds.
- Think of this as a starting point rather than a rigid method. Try pouring high or low, fast or slow, and adapt to the season until it suits you. Brewing one tea at its best in any year, season, weather or place is a skill built over time — and that is the real goal.
Storage
Keep it in a ventilated, cool, dry spot, shielded from sunlight and strong odors (cooking spices, cigarette smoke). If you plan to age it long-term, paper or clay containers breathe better than airtight plastic.
A Note on Appearance
Not all cakes develop these — the chances simply rise with longer storage.
- Small dark specks: naturally stored puerh can develop tiny dark specks on its wrapper or edges. They are harmless and brush off easily before brewing.
- Tea oil spots: yellowish spotting can occur from natural tea oils. This is not a flaw.
- Torn wrapper: minor tears or holes in the cotton wrapper sometimes happen in storage and transit. The tea itself is unaffected.
