2008 MENGHAI QI ZI ZHI GE RIPE PU-ERH
7g used.
I’ve had quite a few ripe pu erhs before, but never tried one from Menghai, plus it was highly recommended on TeaDB, so I was looking forward to trying this.
Dry leaf is fishy, but I’m confident this will be good. Fried bacon too.
Wet leaf is interesting; it has a different aroma to what I usually get from ripe pu erh. It is creamy and slightly fishy, but it has a darker base, which is like bacon after it has been fried and gone crispy.
5s – Liquor is dark brown. Aroma is mildly creamy. Flavour is smooth, creamy with some milk chocolate. It has a slightly dry finish, which is unusual. It is not as creamy as 2002 CNNP (Zhong Cha) 7572 Green Label Tiepai Ripe, so far.
10s – Liquor is very dark brown. It is quite light on flavour, and not as smooth as it was in the first steep. It has some complexity.
15s – Liquor is darker brown. I expect the full flavour now. A very dark cherry-like sweetness sits on top of a darker base, which increases intensity on the swallow. Creamy and smooth again.
20s – It is creamy and chocolaty, but not as full bodied creamy as the White2Tea. The finish is odd; it stops short instead of lingering. There is some slight bitterness in the swallow. Not straightforward.
25 – Liquor is brown/black. Lightly creamy with some bitterness. Colour suggests full flavour, but it has lost it’s boldness.
35s – Liquor is brown/black. Better. It has a good bite; fruity; raisins.
Overall, it is a solid ripe pu erh, but nothing exceptional. There is very little fishiness left in it.
