2010 Mengku Essence of Tea

I have bought this on a nice discount in 2015. It is stored in the temperate climate of the Netherlands, which might be far from ideal, but should be interesting. I am very curious to see how this pu erh will evolve, and to see whether it will get better in time. I will try to log its development by updating this review.

First year (2015-2016, age 5-6 years): I already liked the taste of this sheng pu erh when I first tried it. It is like a pretty harsh green tea. It easily becomes bitter and astringent, but there is also a promising complexity. This tea is far from balanced. There is a strong smell that reminds of tobacco leaves, noticeable to the dry cake, and also in the cup.

During the first winter, it got pretty cold and moist in the place of storage. The cake even developed some visible mold, which (luckily) disappeared when the season was over. Presently, after one year of storage, I am pretty sure I can already taste some differences. The liquor seems to have gotten somewhat darker, and the tobaccoish smell somewhat weaker.

2019 (age 9 years): Lovely tea. Nice astringency and potent aftertaste. I think it has clearly been aging. It seems toh ave gotten darker, sweeter, with less bitterness.