Review of 2011 Menghai Dayi (Tea Garden Tea) from China Cha Dao, Jerry Ma’s sampler
This sampler I received is a small crusty and partial cake like leaves tightly woven together. Its smell is of musty earth. I broke off about half of this and placed it at the bottom of the cup and poured the boiling water (200oF) into the cup and left to steep for five minutes.
In removing the lid, I can definitely smell its musty-earthy scented aroma in the cup and the color is a golden green. At first tasting I could not help but taste something like minerals in raw form: zinc or copper even, which is both thick and smooth to the palette with a rich flavor making me think of raw pineapple.
I do not think this is correct, yet that is what I smell or thinking of the smell…raw pineapple and it is heaven to me.
As this is a 2011 Menghai, which means “cooked” pu-erh tea, and since it is cooked, this is referred to as shou (cooked green tea), post-fermentation and good to drink at once.
The way one comes to know a pu-erh is to think of it much like wine vintage.
Classification: Year, and region of production; In that this Menghai Dayi is 2011, Yunnan, China.
Cup’s characteristic: Earthy and musty aroma rich in minerals like zinc, and copper.
Liquor color: Golden green
Taste: like raw pineapples
