2019 Dayi "Mu Lan" (Mulan) Puerh Sheng Cha Raw Tea Cake 200g + Shou Cha Ripe Tea Cake 200g, 1st Batch

Mu Lan — “Mulan” — pairs a 200g sheng cake with a 200g shou cake (2019): the heroine in two styles. This is the first batch.

Tea Profile

At a glance: 2019 · Sheng (raw) + Shou (ripe) puerh · 200g 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: From the first steep it brings brave and balanced, and that character carries on through the middle steeps to the finish.
• Mouthfeel & body: Thick and smooth with a comforting, broth-like body; gentle, settling warmth.
• 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:
  1. Add tea (about 5g per 100ml). Brew the sheng (raw) and shou (ripe) cakes separately.
  2. 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.
  3. Steep for 10–15 seconds for the first rounds, adding about 5 seconds each round.
  4. Pour into a sharing pitcher.
  5. 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

Store the cake somewhere ventilated, cool and dry, out of direct sunlight and away from strong smells such as kitchen spices or smoke. For aging over years, paper or clay containers allow better airflow than sealed plastic.

A Note on Appearance

You won't find these on every cake — they tend to turn up more often in teas that have been stored longer.

• Small dark specks: on naturally stored puerh, tiny dark specks can show up on the wrapper or around the cake edges. Harmless — just brush them off before brewing.
• Tea oil spots: yellowish spots sometimes appear; they come from the tea's natural oils and are not a defect.
• Torn wrapper: the cotton paper may pick up small tears or holes during storage and handling. The tea inside is fine.