Wa Shan Sheng Pu'er Cake Vintage 2018

Origin: Wa Shan, Cangyuan County, Yunnan Province, China
Cultivar: Mengku Broad Leaf
Elevation: 1,850m
Harvest Date: March - April 2018

This tea cake is produced by the artisans at the Wa Shan Ecological Tea Garden in Cangyuan county, on the border with Myanmar in southwestern Yunnan. The farmers grow a suite of specialty cultivars that produce exquisite teas in our Garden Direct collection, including Yunnan Purple Buds, Lily Black, and Honey Green. This tea cake is made from their most prominent cultivar, Mengku Broad Leaf, which is a strain of the ancient broad leaf assamica varieties that grows in the Mengku area of western Yunnan. The Wa farmers planted most of their gardens with Mengku Broad Leaf. The Mengku strain is prized for its mineral and green intensity, which transforms into crystalline sweet honey as the tea ages. We enjoy drinking this tea cake now using brief infusion times to control the bittersweetness. As the tea ages, the infusion time can be extended to draw out its naturally viscous sweetness.


Chip the cake carefully with a pick or Pu’er dagger.
Add 7g - 8g to a Gaiwan or Gongfu teapot (per 150ml-200ml).
Use 212°F boiling water.
Briefly rinse leaves for 5 - 10 seconds. Decant and discard this rinse infusion.
Proceed to infuse the tea using boiling water. Enjoy each infusion individually and savor the flavors of each round.
 
Decant 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th infusions after 20 - 30 seconds. The tea infuses fast and gives out its strength in the beginning of the session. Brew the tea several times until the taste weakens.
 
Increase the infusion time to your taste preference after you become familiar with the tea. The bitterness, strength, power and Qi forces will come out in the later brews with increased infusion time.