Mi Yun Bao He — “honey treasure box” — pairs two 150g cakes: a 2019 sheng and a 2019 shou, side by side. This is the first batch.
Tea Profile
At a glance: 2019 · Sheng (raw) + Shou (ripe) puerh · 150g cake × 2 · high-end leaf · 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 taste the contrast, and that character carries on through the middle steeps to the finish.
- Mouthfeel & body: Thick and smooth, with a broth-like body.
- Aftertaste: Soft lingering sweetness; a moist, comfortable throat.
- Best for: improving your tea experience — a fuller, more layered session to learn from. A natural step up for a novice who wants to go further.
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 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.
