MENGHAI SPRING
SHU (RIPE) PU'ER
★ PESTICIDE-FREE
Menghai, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
2020 Menghai Spring is a Shu Pu’Er made from carefully selected early spring material from Menghai, traditionally processed to preserve its distinctive regional character. Naturally aged for six years, the tea has developed a smooth, deep, and rounded profile with rich sweetness and the characteristic mature Menghai flavour. Balanced and comforting, it combines the vitality of spring-harvest material with the softness and complexity of Natural Hong Kong storage. MORE
AROMA
Dried wood
TASTE
Earthy, woody, nutty
Natural Hong Kong storage
PRODUCTION: 2020
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
SEED-GROWN TEA PLANT
This tea refers to a Qunzi Zhong, a "seed-grown tea plant". Unlike cloned or asexually propagated cultivars, which are created by cuttings or grafting from a single "mother" plant, Qunzi Zhong tea trees are grown from seeds. This results in a genetically diverse population of plants. Each seed-grown tea tree is unique, with slightly different characteristics. This genetic variety helps improve the resilience of the tea garden, making it more resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stress. Seed-grown trees usually develop stronger and deeper roots than cloned plants, allowing them to draw nutrients and minerals from deeper soil layers, often giving the tea a more complex and rich flavor profile. Qunzi Zhong represents the traditional way of tea cultivation. Because of the genetic diversity, teas made from Qunzi Zhong plants tend to offer more layered and nuanced flavors, reflecting a richer expression of the local terroir (soil, climate, and environment).
PESTICIDE-FREE GARDENING
Pesticide-free gardening refers to a cultivation method in which no synthetic chemical pesticides are used at any stage of plant growth. Instead, this approach relies on biodiversity, ecological balance, and cultural practices to manage pests and diseases. Unlike conventional farming, which often depends on chemical intervention to control infestations, pesticide-free gardening emphasizes prevention through healthy soil, companion planting, and natural predators. This method fosters a more resilient and adaptive garden ecosystem. Without chemical inputs, beneficial insects such as ladybugs, lacewings, and native bees thrive, contributing to pollination and pest control. Untouched by harsh agents, the soil remains alive with microbial activity, supporting deeper root systems and more vigorous plant development. Over time, this results in produce with purer, more expressive flavors, reflecting the health of the environment and the grower's intention.
Learn more about Pesticide-Free Gardening
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
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
2020 Menghai Spring is a Shu Pu’Er produced from early spring tea material harvested in Menghai, one of the most important and historically recognized regions of southern Yunnan for Pu’Er production. Spring material is valued for its concentration of aromatic compounds, natural sweetness, and rich internal character, giving the finished tea greater depth and a more expressive profile.
The leaves were traditionally processed into Mao Cha before undergoing controlled pile fermentation (wòduī), the defining stage of Shu Pu’Er production. The fermentation was carefully managed to achieve a mature character while preserving sufficient structure, sweetness, and complexity in the original material rather than pushing the tea toward an excessively heavy fermentation.
Since its production in 2020, the tea has been naturally aged in Hong Kong for six years. Hong Kong’s warm and humid subtropical climate encourages relatively active maturation, gradually softening the fermentation character and developing the deeper, rounder qualities associated with traditionally stored Pu’Er. The result is a smooth and balanced Shu Pu’Er with pronounced sweetness, a dense texture, and the distinctive deep Menghai character that has made this region a benchmark for the style.
TERROIR
Menghai County lies in the southwestern part of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, close to the borders of Myanmar and Laos, and is considered one of the historical centers of Pu’Er tea production. The region combines a warm subtropical monsoon climate with mountainous terrain, abundant rainfall, high humidity, and significant differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures, creating favorable conditions for the growth of large-leaf tea trees.
Tea gardens are distributed across numerous mountains and valleys at different elevations, where rich soils, frequent mist, and surrounding forest vegetation contribute to slow, vigorous leaf development. Early spring material is particularly valued: after the cooler and relatively dry winter period, the first new growth develops with concentrated reserves accumulated by the tea plants, producing leaves with good body, sweetness, and aromatic intensity.
The character of Menghai material is traditionally associated with strength, depth, and a distinctive combination of sweetness and structure. After controlled fermentation and several years of maturation, these qualities become softer and more integrated while retaining the recognizable deep, rich profile commonly associated with Menghai Shu Pu’Er.
ORGANOLEPTICS
The dry leaves are dark, mature, and well-integrated, displaying deep brown, dark copper, and almost black tones characteristic of traditionally fermented Shu Pu’Er. The aroma of the dry leaf is deep, warm, and sweet, combining notes of dark wood, cacao, dried dates, roasted nuts, sweet grains, warm minerals, and subtle earthy nuances. In a preheated gaiwan or teapot, the aroma becomes richer and more expressive, revealing additional notes of dark chocolate, walnut, tree bark, forest floor, dried fruits, and a gentle humid character associated with natural Hong Kong aging. After the rinse, the leaves fully awaken, bringing together woody depth, mineral warmth, dark sweetness, and the recognizable mature character of Menghai Shu Pu’Er.
The liquor is clear and bright, with a deep ruby-brown color and a dense, warm appearance. The aroma of the infusion is rich and persistent, combining dark chocolate, mature wood, dried dates, roasted nuts, sweet grains, and gentle mineral and earthy nuances. The texture is thick, smooth, and velvety, coating the palate while maintaining good clarity and balance throughout the session. The taste is deep, rounded, and naturally sweet, with very little roughness and a characteristic Menghai profile built around dark chocolate, walnut, mature wood, dried fruits, and warm mineral notes. Six years of natural aging in Hong Kong have softened the fermentation character and integrated the different layers, while the early spring material preserves good structure, richness, and depth.
The aftertaste is long, warm, and distinctly sweet, leaving lingering sensations of cacao, dried dates, wood, and gentle minerality throughout the mouth and throat. As the tea continues to open, its character becomes increasingly soft and rounded, while maintaining the depth and recognizable Menghai foundation at its core. In the empty cup, the aroma remains warm and expressive, revealing lingering notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits, sweet wood, roasted nuts, warm minerals, and a subtle mature sweetness.
