Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: varied shades of green,
Ingredients: raw puerh
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: deep gold
I’ve been on a massive raw puerh kick lately and my monthly shipments from Jalam Teas have been a big part of that. This is the first cake that they sent out to subscribers in February of 2013. As Jalam Teas’ website explains, it was produced by the Hani people of Meng Song Mountain. I cannot say how much I appreciate knowing exactly where the tea comes from and who made it. I feel more connected to the place while I am drinking. Jalam’s beautiful postcards help deepen that feeling even more. The taste of this tea was vegetal and full bodied with interesting malty notes. Although there was a lot of strength, it was not unpleasant or overly astringent. The mouth-feel was thick and buttery. After doing eight infusions consecutive infusions, I was definitely feeling a bit “tea drunk”. Speaking of which, Aurelien from Jalam Teas visited New York recently. He gave me this cake when he stopped by during my shift at Tea Drunk. I love talking tea and it was great to be able to catch up for a bit.
Meng Song sample received from Jalam Teas.