First Batch Dayi Menghai Pu Erh Tea Brick 1994

[Jedi]

Tonight I had the good fortune to have a session tasting this tea. According to most guide book sources, this brick was the first to be produced under the Dayi label in 1994. It was most exciting indeed, but alas, I have no photographs from the event as it was quite impromptu and funnily enough, I didn't have my camera with me.

Here are some mental notes:

Tea brick looked and felt firm and well compacted.

Dry, well stored.

No hint of 'damp' or 'mustiness' on the nose, very clean smelling.

Chunks were pried off in good sizes, about 25mm across, and 12 grams were brewed in a 300cc pot. And what a cute goldfish pot it was too.

We made two washes, to speed up the 'opening' process, colour was deep red, clear and fragrant.

We drank the 3rd brew, and it was a revelation. Full bodied, velvety, and containing a good chewy taste of malt and notes of dust and camphor. The hui gan was deep and robust.

It was consistent for around 4 more brews thereafter, at around 15-20 seconds each, before requiring more time, and beginning to fade around the 12th brew mark.

Not as patient as a very serious CNNP Ripe Beeng I'd recently acquired, and costing almost double, so I think it needs a bit more time in slightly warmer conditions, and perhaps a touch more ventilation.

Nevertheless, I'm eagerly waiting till tomorrow to find out if I've managed to secure some stock of this at around USD43.00 per brick. If I'm lucky, I'll get five, if not, just a couple or none. In any case, at least I know where I can pinch a bit should it be required

[hop_goblin]

Tonight I had the good fortune to have a session tasting this tea. According to most guide book sources, this brick was the first to be produced under the Dayi label in 1994. It was most exciting indeed, but alas, I have no photographs from the event as it was quite impromptu and funnily enough, I didn't have my camera with me.

Here are some mental notes:

Tea brick looked and felt firm and well compacted.

Dry, well stored.

No hint of 'damp' or 'mustiness' on the nose, very clean smelling.

Chunks were pried off in good sizes, about 25mm across, and 12 grams were brewed in a 300cc pot. And what a cute goldfish pot it was too.

We made two washes, to speed up the 'opening' process, colour was deep red, clear and fragrant.

We drank the 3rd brew, and it was a revelation. Full bodied, velvety, and containing a good chewy taste of malt and notes of dust and camphor. The hui gan was deep and robust.

It was consistent for around 4 more brews thereafter, at around 15-20 seconds each, before requiring more time, and beginning to fade around the 12th brew mark.

Not as patient as a very serious CNNP Ripe Beeng I'd recently acquired, and costing almost double, so I think it needs a bit more time in slightly warmer conditions, and perhaps a touch more ventilation.

Nevertheless, I'm eagerly waiting till tomorrow to find out if I've managed to secure some stock of this at around USD43.00 per brick. If I'm lucky, I'll get five, if not, just a couple or none. In any case, at least I know where I can pinch a bit should it be required

Is it the Semi-cooked brick?

[Jedi]

Nope, this brick is cooked, from an examination of the wet leaves, but there's just something in the flavour and colour later on, but no raw leaves in there in the mix.

A sweet and potent tea that can only firm up more with extended storage with a chance to breathe.

Cheers,

Lee

[hop_goblin]

Nope, this brick is cooked, from an examination of the wet leaves, but there's just something in the flavour and colour later on, but no raw leaves in there in the mix.

A sweet and potent tea that can only firm up more with extended storage with a chance to breathe.

Cheers,

Lee

I have half of a 94 brick that was sold to me as semi-cooked. It is also a nice brick.

[Jedi]

Bill, (sorry I got you mixed up with Hobbes in another post)

Do you have a picture of the wrapper? I can check it against a Menghai Dayi reference book I have access to.

How do the leaves look after brewing? Can you tell from there whether there are any raw leaves in the mix?

When semi cooked is mentioned, generally we think of blends of cooked and raw pu erh, such as 7572, 8892, etc etc. 7582 (which the Dayi First Batch is composed of) is always referred to as a cooked Pu Erh.

Cheers,

Lee

[hop_goblin]

Bill, (sorry I got you mixed up with Hobbes in another post)

Do you have a picture of the wrapper? I can check it against a Menghai Dayi reference book I have access to.

How do the leaves look after brewing? Can you tell from there whether there are any raw leaves in the mix?

When semi cooked is mentioned, generally we think of blends of cooked and raw pu erh, such as 7572, 8892, etc etc. 7582 (which the Dayi First Batch is composed of) is always referred to as a cooked Pu Erh.

Cheers,

Lee

Hi Lee, I actually do.. Here are a few. I took these when I first bought it for my blog.

[Jedi]

Bill,

It's the same as the one I tasted as far as I can tell from the wrapper and the image in the book (we'd compared them last night too when we had our session), and your photos posted here...

...Except for one difference, which is the appearance of the leaves when wet. The tea we drunk had no sign of raw leaves, or less fermented leaves. But the flavour was clearer and more complex than most shu pu's.

Thanks for the photos. I'll try to get some shots of the one we drank later over the weekend.

As for now, I'm consoling myself with a pot of 2007 7581...

Cheers!!

[oldmanteapot]

Nevertheless, I'm eagerly waiting till tomorrow to find out if I've managed to secure some stock of this at around USD43.00 per brick. If I'm lucky, I'll get five, if not, just a couple or none. In any case, at least I know where I can pinch a bit should it be required

Yo Jedi-san!

Looks like you're on a shopping spree of late... hehehe...

I found some young sheng bricks for aging too. Too many aged ones are not friendly to the pocket.. lolz.

As for now, I'm consoling myself with a pot of 2007 7581...

Don't finish your stash..... save some for aging...

Cheers!

[Jedi]

You know how it is.... you try something, you like it, so you try to get some!!

Let us know about these sheng bricks??

[sp1key]

But the flavour was clearer and more complex than most shu pu's.

a good quality shu which has been aged will usually have this characteristic... reflective of menghai, xiaguan, fengqing aged shu
class of its own compared to young shu

enjoy it!

[Jedi]

Yes... it's what sets shu aside from shoes, this clarity through the fog of fermentation, but it's also a nice trick employed by some of the factories:

- varying degrees of fermentation or cooking of different batches of leaves prior to blending

- addition of some sheng maocha to the mix

- skillful and eclectic blending

and voila... best of both worlds....