2017 DaYi "7452" Cake 357g 1st Batch Puerh Shou Cha Ripe Tea

The 2017 first batch of 7452 — the youngest of the 7452s here. Same caramel-sweet, mellow grade 5 recipe; this one is for drinking now while the older vintages keep aging.

Tea Profile

At a glance: 2017 · Ripe (shou/shu) puerh · 357g cake · grade 5 leaf · DaYi (Menghai Tea Factory) · 1st batch

• Compression & dry leaf: The leaf is compressed into a 357g cake. Look for grade 5 leaf and an even, dark fermentation in the dry leaf.
• Liquor: The liquor is deep red.
• Taste: From the first steep the taste is mellow. Once the leaf opens up, expect notes of caramel in a sweet cup.
• Mouthfeel & body: Expect a thick and mellow mouthfeel.
• Aftertaste: After each sip there is a lingering sweetness.
• Best for: improving your tea experience, especially if you already know a few ripe puerh teas and want to taste more closely.

Brewing Guide

• Water: fully boiling, 100°C (212°F).
• Steps:
  1. Add tea (about 5g per 100ml).
  2. Rinse twice: cover the leaves with boiling water for about 5 seconds, then discard. Put the lid on and let the leaves rest for about 10 minutes to open up.
  3. Steep for 10–15 seconds for the first rounds, adding about 5 seconds each round.
  4. Pour into a sharing pitcher.
  5. Serve. Ripe 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 cake 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.

• 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 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.