Nv Er Gong Bing — “tribute cake” — is DaYi's high-grade sheng: mainly young buds and leaves, tight neat threads, silver hairs, high fragrance. The 2011 cake in the 200g size.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2011 · Sheng (raw) puerh · 200g cake · young buds and leaves · Menghai Tea Factory
- Compression & dry leaf: It is a tightly pressed 200g cake. Breaking it open reveals neat, tight threads and visible buds.
- Liquor: In the cup it is typically golden to amber at this stage.
- Taste: It opens soft and fresh, with some bitterness, balanced by a natural sweetness. The middle infusions are sweet and rich. The flavor shifts a little from steep to steep.
- Mouthfeel & body: On the palate it is soft.
- Aftertaste: The aftertaste brings a lingering sweetness.
- Best for: improving your tea experience. Take your time with it — a good choice once you are no longer a drinker new to puerh.
Brewing Guide
- Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
- How to brew:
- Add around 5g of tea for every 100ml.
- Give the leaves one quick rinse — 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 — sheng 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.
- 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 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.
