MENGHAI LAO SHU CHA
OLD SHU PU'ER
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
1996 Menghai Lao Shu Cha is a limited aged Shu Pu'Er tea produced from old tea tree material in Menghai and traditionally fermented in bamboo baskets before undergoing decades of natural storage. Carefully matured over time, this tea reflects the combination of old-generation Shu Pu'Er craftsmanship, basket fermentation technique, and gradual aromatic transformation developed through long-term natural aging. The infusion is exceptionally dense, smooth, and deeply layered, offering woody and resinous nuances, dark dried fruit and medicinal notes, profound mineral warmth, and a long, comforting aftertaste with rare mature old tree character and collector-level depth. MORE
AROMA
Woody, nutty
TASTE
Wood, nuts, dates
Guangdong Natural Storage
PRODUCTION: 1996
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
1996 Menghai Lao Shu Cha is a limited aged Shu Pu'Er tea produced from old tea tree material in Menghai and traditionally fermented in bamboo baskets before undergoing decades of natural storage. Carefully matured over time, this tea reflects the combination of old-generation Shu Pu'Er craftsmanship, basket fermentation technique, and gradual aromatic transformation developed through long-term natural aging. The infusion is exceptionally dense, smooth, and deeply layered, offering woody and resinous nuances, dark dried fruit and medicinal notes, profound mineral warmth, and a long, comforting aftertaste with rare mature old tree character and collector-level depth. MORE
AROMA
Woody, nutty
TASTE
Wood, nuts, dates
Guangdong Natural Storage
PRODUCTION: 1996
SHU PU'ER is a post-fermented tea produced through a controlled microbial fermentation process that transforms sun-dried tea leaves into a rich, smooth, and deeply complex beverage. As a result of this unique production method, Shu Pu'Er develops a distinctive composition of polyphenols, amino acids, minerals, beneficial microbial metabolites, and other bioactive compounds that contribute to both its characteristic flavor and traditionally valued properties.
The fermentation process significantly alters the chemical composition of the tea, creating a mellow infusion with reduced bitterness and astringency, a smooth texture, and earthy, woody, and sweet aromatic notes. It is believed that regular consumption of Shu Pu'Er may support digestive health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, promote the balance of beneficial intestinal microflora, and assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses. Traditionally, Shu Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its warming and grounding nature, its ability to aid digestion after meals, reduce feelings of heaviness and fatigue, and create a calm, stable, and balanced state of physical and mental well-being.
The fermentation process significantly alters the chemical composition of the tea, creating a mellow infusion with reduced bitterness and astringency, a smooth texture, and earthy, woody, and sweet aromatic notes. It is believed that regular consumption of Shu Pu'Er may support digestive health, contribute to healthy cholesterol metabolism, promote the balance of beneficial intestinal microflora, and assist the body's natural antioxidant defenses. Traditionally, Shu Pu'Er has also been appreciated for its warming and grounding nature, its ability to aid digestion after meals, reduce feelings of heaviness and fatigue, and create a calm, stable, and balanced state of physical and mental well-being.
Learn more about the BIOCHEMISTRY OF A TEA LEAF
EASTERN (PIN CHA) ★
Temperature: 100 °C
Amount: 3-5 grams per 120 ml of water
Steeping: 10-30 sec x 7+
WESTERN (INFUSION)
Temperature: 100 °C
Amount: 2-3 grams per 250 ml of water
Steeping: 1-2 min x 3
Learn more about TEA BREWING METHODS
Tea absorbs surrounding aromas and moisture. This type of tea oxidizes when it comes into contact with oxygen and loses its properties, including taste and aroma. Store it in a dry and cool place in airtight packaging. Avoid direct exposure to the sun and high temperatures.
BEST BEFORE: 2 years since production date!
*Suitable for long-term aging. Under proper storage conditions, the tea may gradually develop increased depth, smoothness, and complexity.
BEST BEFORE: 2 years since production date!
*Suitable for long-term aging. Under proper storage conditions, the tea may gradually develop increased depth, smoothness, and complexity.
Learn more ABOUT TEA STORAGE
ABOUT
1996 Menghai Lao Shu Cha is a limited aged Shu Pu'Er tea originally produced as a private order using old tea tree material from the Menghai region of Yunnan. This particular tea comes from the collection of a Guangdong-based Pu'Er collector, where it spent decades maturing under carefully maintained natural storage conditions. The combination of old-generation production methods, private-order origins, and nearly three decades of gradual natural aging created a tea with exceptional maturity, aromatic integration, and collector-level character.
Unlike many commercial factory productions of its era, private-order teas were often produced in relatively small quantities with a stronger focus on material selection and long-term maturation potential. The use of traditional basket fermentation methods further distinguishes this tea from many modern Shu Pu'Er productions. Basket fermentation typically allows for gentler heat accumulation and slower microbial transformation, preserving greater structural depth, aromatic complexity, and aging capacity within the finished tea.
Natural storage played a defining role in shaping the final character of this tea over the decades. Rather than accelerating maturation through highly humid storage environments, the tea evolved gradually, allowing woody, resinous, medicinal, dried fruit, mineral, and sweet mature characteristics to integrate naturally over time. This slow transformation preserved clarity, balance, and structural depth while developing the profound mature atmosphere that experienced collectors often seek in old Shu Pu'Er. Today, this tea represents a rare surviving example of 1990s private-order basket-fermented Menghai Shu Pu'Er preserved through decades of careful collector storage.
TERROIR
Menghai is one of the most important and historically influential tea-producing regions in Yunnan and is widely regarded as one of the birthplaces of modern Pu'Er tea culture. Tea gardens in this area develop under warm subtropical mountain conditions shaped by abundant rainfall, humid air, mineral-rich soils, dense forest vegetation, and exceptional ecological biodiversity. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s dense texture, pronounced minerality, energetic depth, and long-term aging potential.
The old tea trees used for this tea developed extensive root systems over many decades, allowing them to penetrate deeply into the mountain terrain and interact with multiple soil layers rich in minerals and organic matter. This deep mineral interaction contributes to the concentrated body, layered complexity, persistent sweetness, and structural depth characteristic of old tree Menghai tea material. Compared to younger plantation tea, old tree leaves typically produce greater textural richness, stronger energetic character, and more durable aromatic development throughout long-term maturation.
The mountain ecology of Menghai also plays a defining role in shaping the character of the tea. Frequent mist, stable humidity, and dense surrounding vegetation support slow and balanced leaf development while preserving aromatic complexity and mineral concentration within the leaves. These conditions create tea material particularly well suited for fermentation and decades of aging, allowing the tea to gradually develop deeper woody, resinous, medicinal, and sweet mature characteristics while preserving balance and structural integrity.
The combination of old tree Menghai material, traditional basket fermentation, and nearly three decades of natural storage created a unique expression of mature Shu Pu'Er. Over time, the powerful mountain foundation evolved into a tea with exceptional smoothness, profound depth, and long-lasting energetic warmth while retaining the mineral structure and mature sweetness that have made Menghai one of the most respected terroirs in the world of Pu'Er tea.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are dark, mature, and naturally loosened from their original basket-fermented form, displaying deep brown, dark copper, and aged earthy tones characteristic of long-aged old tree Shu Pu'Er tea. Their appearance reflects traditional basket fermentation, decades of natural maturation, and the concentrated character of old tree Menghai material. The aroma of the dry leaf is exceptionally deep, warm, and highly integrated, combining notes of aged wood, resin, dark dried fruits, medicinal herbs, warm minerals, forest honey, old books, and subtle earthy nuances. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes increasingly expressive and complex, revealing additional layers of cocoa, tree bark, humid forest tones, sweet herbs, incense wood, roasted nuts, camphor, and delicate medicinal sweetness. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes remarkably rounded and mature, balancing woody depth, mineral warmth, resinous complexity, and refined sweetness.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a deep ruby-brown tone reflecting nearly three decades of gradual natural aging. The aroma of the infusion is dense, smooth, and highly persistent, combining aged wood, dark chocolate-like notes, dried fruits, medicinal herbs, forest honey, warm minerals, resinous nuances, and subtle camphor freshness. The texture is exceptionally dense, velvety, and coating, filling the palate with profound smoothness and remarkable structural depth while maintaining clarity and energetic presence characteristic of old tree Menghai tea material. The taste is mellow and highly refined, with virtually no roughness, gradually developing into pronounced mineral sweetness and long-lasting warming sensations throughout the mouth and throat. Layers of aged wood, dark cocoa, resin, dried fruits, sweet herbs, roasted nuts, minerals, forest honey, medicinal roots, and subtle incense-like nuances continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining exceptional harmony between maturity, depth, smoothness, and old tree character.
The aftertaste is extremely long, warm, and deeply comforting, with sweet mineral, woody, and herbal sensations remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly rounded and integrated while preserving the powerful Menghai foundation and profound mature complexity developed through decades of natural storage. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and highly expressive, revealing lingering notes of aged wood, dark honey, cocoa, dried fruits, medicinal herbs, humid forest tones, resin, camphor, and subtle old-library undertones.
1996 Menghai Lao Shu Cha is a limited aged Shu Pu'Er tea originally produced as a private order using old tea tree material from the Menghai region of Yunnan. This particular tea comes from the collection of a Guangdong-based Pu'Er collector, where it spent decades maturing under carefully maintained natural storage conditions. The combination of old-generation production methods, private-order origins, and nearly three decades of gradual natural aging created a tea with exceptional maturity, aromatic integration, and collector-level character.
Unlike many commercial factory productions of its era, private-order teas were often produced in relatively small quantities with a stronger focus on material selection and long-term maturation potential. The use of traditional basket fermentation methods further distinguishes this tea from many modern Shu Pu'Er productions. Basket fermentation typically allows for gentler heat accumulation and slower microbial transformation, preserving greater structural depth, aromatic complexity, and aging capacity within the finished tea.
Natural storage played a defining role in shaping the final character of this tea over the decades. Rather than accelerating maturation through highly humid storage environments, the tea evolved gradually, allowing woody, resinous, medicinal, dried fruit, mineral, and sweet mature characteristics to integrate naturally over time. This slow transformation preserved clarity, balance, and structural depth while developing the profound mature atmosphere that experienced collectors often seek in old Shu Pu'Er. Today, this tea represents a rare surviving example of 1990s private-order basket-fermented Menghai Shu Pu'Er preserved through decades of careful collector storage.
TERROIR
Menghai is one of the most important and historically influential tea-producing regions in Yunnan and is widely regarded as one of the birthplaces of modern Pu'Er tea culture. Tea gardens in this area develop under warm subtropical mountain conditions shaped by abundant rainfall, humid air, mineral-rich soils, dense forest vegetation, and exceptional ecological biodiversity. These environmental conditions contribute directly to the tea’s dense texture, pronounced minerality, energetic depth, and long-term aging potential.
The old tea trees used for this tea developed extensive root systems over many decades, allowing them to penetrate deeply into the mountain terrain and interact with multiple soil layers rich in minerals and organic matter. This deep mineral interaction contributes to the concentrated body, layered complexity, persistent sweetness, and structural depth characteristic of old tree Menghai tea material. Compared to younger plantation tea, old tree leaves typically produce greater textural richness, stronger energetic character, and more durable aromatic development throughout long-term maturation.
The mountain ecology of Menghai also plays a defining role in shaping the character of the tea. Frequent mist, stable humidity, and dense surrounding vegetation support slow and balanced leaf development while preserving aromatic complexity and mineral concentration within the leaves. These conditions create tea material particularly well suited for fermentation and decades of aging, allowing the tea to gradually develop deeper woody, resinous, medicinal, and sweet mature characteristics while preserving balance and structural integrity.
The combination of old tree Menghai material, traditional basket fermentation, and nearly three decades of natural storage created a unique expression of mature Shu Pu'Er. Over time, the powerful mountain foundation evolved into a tea with exceptional smoothness, profound depth, and long-lasting energetic warmth while retaining the mineral structure and mature sweetness that have made Menghai one of the most respected terroirs in the world of Pu'Er tea.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are dark, mature, and naturally loosened from their original basket-fermented form, displaying deep brown, dark copper, and aged earthy tones characteristic of long-aged old tree Shu Pu'Er tea. Their appearance reflects traditional basket fermentation, decades of natural maturation, and the concentrated character of old tree Menghai material. The aroma of the dry leaf is exceptionally deep, warm, and highly integrated, combining notes of aged wood, resin, dark dried fruits, medicinal herbs, warm minerals, forest honey, old books, and subtle earthy nuances. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes increasingly expressive and complex, revealing additional layers of cocoa, tree bark, humid forest tones, sweet herbs, incense wood, roasted nuts, camphor, and delicate medicinal sweetness. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken and the aromatic profile becomes remarkably rounded and mature, balancing woody depth, mineral warmth, resinous complexity, and refined sweetness.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a deep ruby-brown tone reflecting nearly three decades of gradual natural aging. The aroma of the infusion is dense, smooth, and highly persistent, combining aged wood, dark chocolate-like notes, dried fruits, medicinal herbs, forest honey, warm minerals, resinous nuances, and subtle camphor freshness. The texture is exceptionally dense, velvety, and coating, filling the palate with profound smoothness and remarkable structural depth while maintaining clarity and energetic presence characteristic of old tree Menghai tea material. The taste is mellow and highly refined, with virtually no roughness, gradually developing into pronounced mineral sweetness and long-lasting warming sensations throughout the mouth and throat. Layers of aged wood, dark cocoa, resin, dried fruits, sweet herbs, roasted nuts, minerals, forest honey, medicinal roots, and subtle incense-like nuances continue evolving throughout the session while maintaining exceptional harmony between maturity, depth, smoothness, and old tree character.
The aftertaste is extremely long, warm, and deeply comforting, with sweet mineral, woody, and herbal sensations remaining in the throat and mouth long after drinking. As the tea continues to open, the structure becomes increasingly rounded and integrated while preserving the powerful Menghai foundation and profound mature complexity developed through decades of natural storage. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and highly expressive, revealing lingering notes of aged wood, dark honey, cocoa, dried fruits, medicinal herbs, humid forest tones, resin, camphor, and subtle old-library undertones.
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
Explore more Shu (Ripe) Pu'Er from AN SHIM TEA Collection.