TeaHQ

Menghai shou pu-erh

Ripe pu-erh made in the Menghai style, the reference point against which most other shou is described. Menghai’s factory is where wet-piling was industrialised in the 1970s, and its house character — thick, clean, sweet and only moderately earthy — became the standard the technique aims at.

Dark tea and pu-erhModerate intensityAccessible to appreciateForgiving to brew勐海熟普
Brew at 98–100 °CUse 5–7 g per 100 mlFirst steep 8sGongfu brewing (gaiwan)Full schedule and equipment →

Character

Thick and smooth with a clean sweetness, and much less of the fishy pile note that afflicts poorly made or too-young shou. Rest is the main variable: a three-year-old cake is a different drink from a fresh one.

Flavour
Earthy, Chocolate, Woody, Sweet
Aroma
Caramelised
Mouthfeel
Full bodied, Smooth, Rich
Complexity
Moderate
Notes
damp earth, dark chocolate, dried date, old wood
Aftertaste
Thick, sweet and clean, without any drying.

Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.

Provenance and production

Origin
China
Region
Menghai
Cultivar
Yunnan Da Ye Zhong
Oxidation
Not applicable
Post-fermentation
Microbial wet piling
Harvest
Spring
Processing
Withering → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Wet piling (wo dui) → Compression

History

The Menghai Tea Factory was one of the two sites where wet-piling was developed in the early 1970s, and its recipes became the reference standard for ripe pu-erh. Cakes are still identified by factory recipe numbers, which is unusual in tea and normal here.

Brewing

No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the rinse
  • Judging a freshly made shou, which needs a year or two of rest

If you like this

Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.

Editorially linked

Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.

  • Lao Cha Tou

    From the most forgiving dark tea format to the reference ripe pu-erh. Nuggets are almost impossible to over-brew; loose shou needs the rinse and shorter steeps.

  • Shou pu-erh brick

    The same ripe pu-erh in brick and cake form. Compression density affects ageing rate, not quality, and bricks are usually pressed harder.

Similar sensory profile

Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.

  • Shou pu-erh (ripe)

    Shares 8 descriptors with Menghai shou pu-erh: earthy, woody, sweet, chocolate, full bodied, smooth, rich and caramelised.

  • Aged white tea cake

    Shares 7 descriptors with Menghai shou pu-erh: sweet, woody, earthy, full bodied, rich, smooth and caramelised.

  • Qian Liang Cha

    Shares 7 descriptors with Menghai shou pu-erh: woody, sweet, earthy, full bodied, rich, smooth and caramelised.

  • Aged Liu Bao

    Shares 6 descriptors with Menghai shou pu-erh: woody, sweet, earthy, full bodied, rich and caramelised.

  • Aged Shou Mei

    Shares 6 descriptors with Menghai shou pu-erh: sweet, woody, full bodied, smooth, rich and caramelised.

  • Chen Xiang Tie Guan Yin

    Shares 6 descriptors with Menghai shou pu-erh: sweet, woody, full bodied, rich, smooth and caramelised.

Compare this tea with another

Journeys featuring this tea

  • Discover aged tea — Someone curious about tea that is meant to be kept rather than drunk fresh.