2008 Menghai Classic

One of the intentionally aged teas, Pu-Erh has a loyal following.


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Nov 15th, '08, 14:51
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by Salsero » Nov 15th, '08, 14:51

What I find attractive is the strength you describe. I have been buying lots of drink-now stuff and would like something a little more aggressive now with the thought of storing it. This sounds like it fits the bill ... and as you say, at a very reasonable price.

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Nov 15th, '08, 15:00
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by shogun89 » Nov 15th, '08, 15:00

I have been becoming very partial to Menghai lately and this review is the type of thing that keeps me hooked. They produce a great product at a cheap price. I would love to get a tong of this, however I probably wont, but will defiantly buy a few. Thanks for the wonderful reivew. Also, have you by any chance have any 8582 on hand, because I would love to hear you thoughts on how they compare.

Thanks!

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Nov 15th, '08, 16:23
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by Trioxin » Nov 15th, '08, 16:23

Thanks for your review thanks. I'm going to add a couple of these cakes to my order. Can I also ask how you would rate it to the 2008 Da Yi Hong?

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Nov 15th, '08, 18:13
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by Salsero » Nov 15th, '08, 18:13

That Dayi Hong also does look interesting ... esp since Scott claims it is "One of the highest grade raw pu-erhs from Menghai for this year" and calls it a "premium raw tea recipe."

But how can it be "one the highest grades" if it costs less than $16, when some other 2008 cakes cost much more?

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Nov 15th, '08, 22:48
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by Trioxin » Nov 15th, '08, 22:48

It is a pretty good cake. Good enough to warrant the purchase of a second one.

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Nov 15th, '08, 23:01
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by thanks » Nov 15th, '08, 23:01

Sal, it's pretty strong for a big M tea. I'm not downplaying it's strength, but if you want something very strong, with an amazing and complex flavor than I cannot recommend enough the Xiaguan 2008 FT Nan Zhao cake located here; http://cgi.ebay.com/2008-Xiaguan-FT-Nan ... m153.l1262

A lot of people (including Hobbes) noted it's extreme bitterness, which I found in one session while using just plain filtered water. My other three sessions with this tea using spring water and being very mindful of Xiaguans compression found it to be an absolute delight. Super thick liquor, strong, complex delicious fragrant tea. I don't claim to know anything about aging, but I have a great feeling about this one.

Also that Star of Bulang by Hai Lang Hao is also fairly strong being a Bulang tea even though it's already mellowed out an impressive amount. Did you get your sample yet? I eagerly await your notes on it. There's a few other strong ones I could recommend, but I feel that would be more suited to a pm.

Also, you'll not he says, "One of the highest grade" offerings from Menghai this year, and I agree with him so far. I couldn't tell you for sure, as I refuse to pay 45 dollars for their 08 Bulang offering (although I wish I could justify it, I just plain can't). I've heard from people that Menghai owns a lot of tea gardens in Nannuo shan, and Mengsong, so that might explain the cheap price. Plus it seems to be plantation tea. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially considering it's price range.



Shogun and Trioxin, I believe that comparing the 8582, Dayi Hong, and the Big Classic is a bit like comparing apples to oranges to bananas. The 8582, in my opinion, is not very good young at all. It's proven itself time and time again as an amazing aged tea, however, so that goes to show you how much I know about that. I prefer the 7582 to the 8582 any day of the week as far as young stuff goes, however I don't drink sheng except to sample it and see what's worth my purchase for further aging. Having never sampled an aged 7582, I'd put my money safely on a tong of 8582 and sleep soundly at night.

The Dayi Hong is a fantastic tea in it's own right, but it's a completely different beast than the Big Classic. They're in a similar price range, that's for sure, so it's really down to personal preference I feel. Me personally, if I had to choose between a tong of the Big Classic and the Dayi Hong, I'd only slightly prefer a tong of the Classic.

Once again, these are only my humble opinions. I hope others will agree with me, that way I'd feel bad if you didn't like them after I went raving about it! But, such is life.

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Nov 15th, '08, 23:38
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by Salsero » Nov 15th, '08, 23:38

thanks wrote: Xiaguan 2008 FT Nan Zhao cake

Also that Star of Bulang by Hai Lang Hao ... I eagerly await your notes on it.
Well, just in time to add the Xiaguan cake to my Menghai order with Scott! The Hai Lang Hao Star of Bulang cake arrived today, but I rushed right into the Lao Ban Zhang & Man'E sample which is turning out to be very nice. I don't think I am going to be ready to spring for its big price, $56 or so, for a whole cake, however, but I am enjoying and learning from the sample.

I'll try to overcome my phobia about breaking cakes and taste the Star of Bulang in the next few days. :lol:

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Nov 16th, '08, 00:08
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by Trioxin » Nov 16th, '08, 00:08

Thanks for the reply thanks. I think I'll get a couple of the classic cakes along with another cake of the Da Yi Hong to age a bit.

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Nov 16th, '08, 12:22
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by puerhking » Nov 16th, '08, 12:22

Salsero wrote:
thanks wrote: Xiaguan 2008 FT Nan Zhao cake

Also that Star of Bulang by Hai Lang Hao ... I eagerly await your notes on it.
Well, just in time to add the Xiaguan cake to my Menghai order with Scott! The Hai Lang Hao Star of Bulang cake arrived today, but I rushed right into the Lao Ban Zhang & Man'E sample which is turning out to be very nice. I don't think I am going to be ready to spring for its big price, $56 or so, for a whole cake, however, but I am enjoying and learning from the sample.

I'll try to overcome my phobia about breaking cakes and taste the Star of Bulang in the next few days. :lol:
Let us know more about the LBZ & ManE sample when you get a chance. I am interested in getting a sample to see if it is worth its asking price. Thanks!

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Nov 16th, '08, 13:52
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by Salsero » Nov 16th, '08, 13:52

I made some notes HERE. I would definitely recommend getting a sample, but I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on a single current year cake.

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Dec 1st, '08, 01:37
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by Salsero » Dec 1st, '08, 01:37

thanks wrote: Balanced! This tea is the best example of a balanced sheng. Almost all of the infusions carried the same characteristics; thick, honest yellow, slightly cloudy, super astringent, a fair amount of good bitterness, and sweetness to match, all the while having that classic (no pun intended) Menghai low tobacco bass going on in the background. There were honestly, at least 4 infusions where the good bitterness, astringency, the sweetness, mouthfeel, and Menghai tobacco all matched each other seamlessly, and if you weren't paying full attention the subtleties of the complex flavor might pass you by. You can tell the attention to detail when they created this blend as some infusions offer all of these things as a finely layered experience. Each characteristic taking turns with one another to show you the complexities, almost as if to say "here's all the parts so you can better recognize the whole". This is a tea to be slowly tasted over a long period of time to really get a feel for it. Fantastic sheng, definitely not for the "drink it now" crowd, but obviously meant to be an ager. I really think it's worth the price, and I will be ordering a tong. I can't wait until this tea gets some years on it. It makes no excuses for what it is, and is so refreshingly honest in it's presentation that one wonders why all young sheng can't match this quality coming out at this price point.


I just tasted the 2008 Menghai Classic and I must say that Thanks has done a bang up job in his review quoted above. I have had a number of things lately that I like more for one reason or another, but this one is very balanced, not a very attractive drink now, but seems to hold real promise for the future. I would still describe its basic flavor as a bit light, however, except for those tobacco notes.

It's also one of those teas where each steep lingers in your nose and drives you back to brew another one.

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Dec 1st, '08, 04:52
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by thanks » Dec 1st, '08, 04:52

This isn't the first time we've noted strength differences. It's not just you, also. I'm starting to think I should finally buy a scale as I do use a lot of leaf. Either that, or I'm more sensitive to pu'er. Regardless, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! I talked it up, because I loved it so much, but I was hoping whoever I had helped convince to buy a cake ended up loving it as much as I do.

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by shogun89 » Dec 1st, '08, 15:23

This is a cake that I wouldent be scared on buying a tong of, and I havent even tried it yet. Good reviews guys.

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