Tea Session - 1997 Loose Leaf (Dry Storage)

Close up of a heavily kneaded tea leaf showing traces of dried sappy residue and micro-activity.

I greatly enjoy potent teas that are interesting and have long term ageing potential. The 1997 loose leaf for me is one such tea that has aroused my interest and enthusiasm. It is a well-made batch. The heavy kneading of the tea leaves allowed the sap to flow freely and interact with the subsequent micro-activity. I believe this interaction augmented the tea’s development, adding depth and richness to an age tea. The farmer was a long time supplier to Menghai TF and I was informed that the tea was originally intended to be sold to the factory. By oversight this particular batch was not sent to the factory and as a result the tea was not compressed and left in a warehouse under natural conditions (a deviation from the mainstream practice at the time*).

 

Natural storage in clayware promotes a stable and gradual transformation and revisiting this old batch I was charmed by the raw nuances retained in the leaf. The brew is rich, concentrated and complex, presenting very clean and bold characteristics that are very much aligned to the raw materials used in Menghai Tea Factory’s old production. The tea offers a pleasant background of wild honey note, the sweetness is mingled with yellow florals, ripen white fruits, wood spice and a strong resinous backbone. The feeling in the mouth reveals an age mellowness that carries both strength and vigor. I was quite taken with the tea session and carried over my steeping to the next day. Starting light and progressing in strength over a prolonged tea session is the best approach to appreciate and experience the tea open up and transform without the risk of being overwhelmed by the power of the tea. Late steeps emphasizing a deeper extraction presents an increased sweetness and purity. There is obviously room for further ageing and I see great long term potential here.

 

*During the 1990s Hong Kong was an influential trading hub for puerh tea and the local drinking preference meant that traditional (wet) storage was in high demand. As a result there were very few batches of puerh tea from this period that was stored under natural (dry) storage and those that showed promise now command significant sums, with the most famous Menghai 88 Qingbing commanding in excess of 5 figures per teacake. Consequently this has made it challenging to seek out and access the old era of puerh tea and learn from their development under the changes of natural storage.

 

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1997 Loose Leaf (Dry Storage)

 

Thick wall clayware helps to mitigate sudden fluctuations in temp. and humidity, helping to regulate and stabilize changes from the outside environment. This protective encasing encourages a gradual and clean post fermentation activity.

 

The wet tea leaves reveal chopped small tender leaves made for factory blend recipes 

(Note: Due to the lighting the leaves look greener than it appears)

 

Rich, concentrated and complex, unfolding to raw characteristics under natural aging.