This is a nicely aging example of the classic and highly sought after 7542 recipe produced by Menghai tea factory. The storage for this, in my opinion, has been perfect - humid enough that there is no astringency remaining in the tea, but dry enough that it retains a vibrancy in the mouth and complex flavour profile. For me, this is a real joy to drink.
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Wonderful session Review by David (fr)
I've been truly impressed by this tea. While I am merely a beginner with aged puerh, this one has done more than just reach my expectations. It offered a great evolution during the session, beginning with sweet caramel notes, then evolving in more dry wood/camphor notes, before fruit came and joined the show. I really liked the way sweetness turned into a very slight astringency with a great aftertaste. One last thing, while I am quite new at this, I cannot ignore the Qi of this tea. I am usually not very receptive to this side of tea, but there was definitively something going on here. I'll try to pay more attention next time.
I used 4-5g in a 8cl teapot and the tea gave a bunch of cups, ending with quite long brews. In one word, this tea is a delight. (Posted on 04/10/2011) -
My favorite EoT aged pu-erh Review by Elliot
Ever since I first tried it, this tea has been my favorite aged tea from EoT. Though it's not 100% mature and still has a bit of bitterness, an infinitisimal trace of smokiness, and the occasional roughness in the mouthfeel, it's also better-aged than many older teas I've tried, balances humid and clean storage remarkably well, and is exceedingly complex. It's an ideal tea for me right now--I watch with anticipation to see if its aging continues progressing, but it's so nice to drink right now that I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't. (Posted on 20/09/2011)
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A Classic Review by David
The 7542 is a benchmark tea. This is a good example of a traditionally stored 90's 7542. This has seen some humidity but without picking up any off flavors and making it smooth as butter. I have had 80's 7542s that were not as mature as this cake such as 88 ching bing. The mouthfeel of this cake is not as vibrant as a dry stored cake of this age but a dry stored cake would not be as smooth and mellow ( and much more expensive). (Posted on 07/09/2011)