2008 Mengku Banmu - Bingdao "Qiaomu" Zhuancha

It was my lucky day when I opened my last package from Puerh Shop: Jim had been excessively generous, and had thrown in this whole brick as a gift. Thanks very much!

This presents me with rather a conundrum, because I automatically feel very obliging towards this tea. However, I shall attempt to separate my great gratitude to Puerh Shop for the generous gift from my notes on the subject, and hope that both readers and Jim understand.

As it happens, this brick was already on my list of teas to sample, after a recommendation from serial pu'er drinker and young Alec Guiness lookalike, Scotto.

This unmarked brick follows hot on the heels of a rather delicious "for Korea" zhuancha [DJOOAN CHA, brick-tea] from the Gujun factory, a brick that many of us rather love. The two bricks look rather similar in their austere, simple wrapping (of which I wholeheartedly approve).

The brick is firm, but the mixture of small and large leaves (pictured above and below) are easily separated. The aroma is quiet, spicy greenness, which seems pleasant enough. The brick itself looks rather appealing, I think.

The pu'er tray in action, sorting the leaves from the dust and fannings

As you can see below, blessed be thy pouring, it comes out a lovely yellow shade. The aroma is surprisingly long, and is not separated into distinct beidixiang [initial cup-bottom scent] and lengxiang [cool-scent] - instead, it is a big, blocky scent of white sugar throughout. This makes it rather unusual, in my limited experience.

"Very genteel and smooth", notes Lei. It has a sweet, wild-flower character that is noteworthy, and a gentle huigan. The cooling sensation on the tongue swells during later infusions, becoming slightly numbing (in a pleasant way). It is often said that Bingdao [Ice Island] tea has a numbing quality.

It is sweet, active, and highly aromatic - indeed, it is a most agreeable brick that I wouldn't mind buying myself. Factory tea, such as Menghai and Xiaguan, could not be as gentle and sweet and this unassuming little brick.

Perhaps simple, and a touch thin, it's aromatic sweetness overcomes the slight roughness that creeps into later infusions.

I can feel its presence in my body: warm, calming, and very positive. Thanks again to Puerh Shop for an undeserved, yet very pleasant, gift.

(A quick web-search reminded me that Bears has previously discussed this tea, and came to similarly positive conclusions.)