Plum Beauty 2023 Mengsong Raw Puer

$5.50$185.00

Description

Our second longest running puer, we’ve carried this tea each spring since 2017 and it’s never disappointed since. This consistently impressive tea is both fragrance focused and floral in the front, with some roughness and kuwei (pleasant bitterness) that follows through, turning into a nice sweetness.

The name largely is inspired by the strong fruit character that we’ve found becomes more prominent after about 5 years of storage, although it may be detectable in younger age as well. With that said, this is a fantastic candidate for storing for the long haul.

The material for this tea comes from ~45 year old “fangyang” (放养/left to grow) trees that are not treated with pesticides, fertilizer or any other intervention outside of picking. This is hands down our preferred type of material as it often lends a richer flavour and texture, but at a more affordable level than gushu, old or sometimes dubiously labelled “wild” trees.

Picking period: March 25 – April 2

$0.23/gram

Many of our samples for spring 2023 are in dragon ball form. While these balls will perform the same as the cake, they can be slightly trickier to brew. Here’s how we do it:

Additional information

Weight N/A

5 reviews for Plum Beauty 2023 Mengsong Raw Puer

  1. 4 out of 5

    M.Ö. (verified owner)

    Not sure what to make of this, it’s a very different tea compared to ’21 and ’22. This year is more dense, bitter, energetic, lasts quite a bit longer. Leaves are quite heavily reddened? I think this might actually have more legs for aging compared to previous years because of the overall power, while previous years were more understated. Reminds me of ’22 Charmed more than anything. If I’m honest, I’m wondering if this is the same material as previous years. If it is, then it’s truly remarkable how much of a difference weather and processing can make. Fellow Plum Beauty fans: sample this one before caking or tonging. While I don’t exactly regret blind tonging this just based on how much I liked the ’22 version, this isn’t what I had in mind when placing the order. If this was some other, new BLT sheng with the same price tag I would probably give it 5 stars..

  2. 4 out of 5

    Wan Cheng Gu Hong

    Not so fragante, but has some high tropical fruity in it. In the mouth high astringency. Reminds me the FL BangWai 2023 but with more frangance and same endurance. 6-7 infusions. 7/10

  3. 5 out of 5

    CB (verified owner)

    Resinous, with potent, lingering tropical fruit notes. Almost purple sheng territory with the resin and astringency if you overbrew it. Keep it polite and you’ll be well rewarded. Nice upbeat energy. The dry spring really concentrated this tea nicely IMO.

  4. 4 out of 5

    dbuck42

    My first sip tasted like sour green apple skin; sweet, bitter, and vegetal. There is a light floral aroma and taste, but it is hidden behind the astringency and fruitiness. A bit rough, but well-rounded and balanced. A great daily drinker if your looking for bitter-leaning complexity.

  5. 4 out of 5

    Alexandra Verville-Paris

    Pretty pleasant session once you accept that the floral notes are light
    //Smell: Floral, sweet shortbread, perfumed hay, clean clothes, wet rock
    //Texture: Thick and creamy texture, teeth/cheek covering, spiciness on the tip of the tongue
    //Taste: Broth, herbaceous, astringent, dusty and dry hay, wet rock, library, flowers (light)
    //Body sensation: Strong body heat, light headed, shacky hands, energy


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