Made from leaf grown in Meng Song, one of the highest tea areas in Xi Shuang Ban Na, it carries Meng Hai-style strength, with marked bitterness and a strong hui gan. After years of natural storage in Guangzhou, sheng like this may show a deeper, more mellow side, though results depend on how it was kept. From XingHai — a 2006 sheng (raw) puerh cake in the Meng Song Yin Cha line.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2006 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 357g cake · XingHai Tea Factory
- Compression & dry leaf: It is a tightly pressed 357g cake. In the dry leaf you can see neat, tight threads and visible buds.
- Liquor: Expect a clear, deep-amber cup.
- Taste: Early on you get some bitterness and some astringency, balanced by a natural sweetness. Through the middle infusions, honey comes forward over a smoky background, with a sweet and balanced base. The flavor shifts a little from steep to steep.
- Mouthfeel & body: The texture is full-bodied.
- Aftertaste: Swallow and you notice a returning sweetness (hui gan), easy salivation and a long finish.
- Best for: improving your tea experience — worth reaching for once you have moved past being a beginner.
Brewing Guide
Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- Warm the pot and cups, then add about 5g of leaf per 100ml.
- Rinse the leaves once with boiling water and let them rest, covered, for 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. Sheng 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.
