2007 Twelve Gentlemen Wei Zhong Wei Menghai
Posted on 14 March 2009
The 2007 Twelve Gentlemen Wei Zhong Wei Menghai is the last young puer I tried from NadaCha. It is priced similarly to its counterpart – the 2007 12 Gents Yiwu: £28 per cake.
Brewed competition style (3g/150ml for 5m) and then in dahongpao pot (5g/120ml with 25s, 20s, 30s, 40s etc.).
Leaf: A large proportion of large (if seemingly thin) leaf, altogether looking green and healthy. The smell of wet leaves is less exciting than the 2007 Yiwu, somewhat muddy and undistinctive.
This brews a slightly denser apricot colour than the 2007 Yiwu, and clearly packs quite a bit more ku bitterish tannic character (therefore a bit more length on the palate). Comparing to other Nada puer teas I’ve reviewed in the last few days, this one is really structured and needs to be brewed carefully: even something like 30 seconds in a clay pot can result in a hefty dryness. Aroma-wise, it is a bit reticent and undistinctive: very minor tobacco and bean; better on the palate with a pleasant lemony & herbs touch to the finish.
This tea has a particularly active qi: the effect of a session is similar to downing half a bottle of Cabernet. And impressive staying power, the firm ku is not diminishing at all with subsequent brewings, but it really is balanced and integrated into the whole: infusion #4 reveals an impressive sweet-tasting huigan. Length is excellent. This is by far the most expressive and sturdy of the four Nada samples reviewed in this series, and a very competitive cake.
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Infusion #1 (20 seconds in clay pot).
Finally, an honourable mention for the Youle Bamboo Wrapped Puer 2008 which NadaCha is selling for a ridiculous £1.50 per 80g bundle (see image below). At this price I have liberally used to season and compare teapots, but it is really giving much more expensive puer cakes a run for their money. High grade leaves with some tips. Compression is rather loose, and separation easy. The aroma is not very complex but noble, dominated by tobacco. Flavour shows a minor kick of ku but there is also quite a bit of sweet fruit (apricot) and definitely some huigan suavity on the finish. Given the balance this could well age, but gives a lot of satisfaction today. If made into a bing this would cost the equivalent of £7.50 – surely with a fancy wrapper it could easily command three times that, based on the quality and consistency of the brew. Bravo!
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