2010 Menghai Shou Pu-erh Tea
Dark cocoa, nuts and wood in a rounded ripe pu-erh from Menghai, home of the wet-piling method.
A ripe (shou) pu-erh from Menghai County in Xishuangbanna, pressed in 2010. Wet piling gave it a deep, smooth body, and the years since have rounded off its earthiness into dark cocoa, nuts and wood. Brewed hot, at 98°C.
Sensory profile
You should taste
How it unfolds
Where it sits
That is 60 mg in one serving (8 oz cup (240ml)), a concentration of 25 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.
Editorial estimate, not a laboratory measurement
Related gear
| Brewing method | Gaiwan or Mug |
|---|---|
| Brew ratio | 1:20 |
| Leaf & water per infusion | 5g → 100g |
| Grind size | Compressed or Loose Leaf |
| Water temperature | 208°F / 98°C |
| Target brew time | 15-30 seconds for the first infusions, plus about 10 seconds each round |
| Serving used for caffeine | 8 oz cup (240ml) — see the mug or teapot version below |
What you need
- 5 g compressed or loose dark tea
- 100 g filtered water at 98°C
Required gear
Step-by-step protocol
- 0:00Warm the gaiwan or pot with hot water and discard it. Add 5 g of leaf and smell the warmed leaf before brewing.
- 0:20Rinse: cover with water at 98°C and pour off immediately. This wakes the leaf; do not drink it.
- 0:40First infusion — pour off after 15 seconds, decanting completely.
- 1:20Second infusion, 20 seconds.
- 2:05Third infusion, 30 seconds. From here add about 10 seconds each round.
- 3:00Keep going until the liquor pales — good leaf gives eight to twelve infusions.
Brewing it in a mug or teapot
The gongfu method above packs a lot of leaf into a small vessel. This version is for a 240 ml cup — the serving the caffeine figure describes.
- Leaf
- 4 g
- Water
- 240 ml
- Temperature
- 208°F / 98°C
- Steep
- about 4 minutes
- 0:00Warm the mug or teapot with hot water and pour it away, so the brewing water does not lose heat to cold ceramic.
- 0:15Add 4 g of leaf.
- 0:30Rinse: cover the leaf with water at 98°C and pour it off after a few seconds. Do not drink it.
- 0:50Pour 240 g of water at 98°C over the leaf, cover, and start the timer.
- 4:50Lift the leaf out or pour the tea off the leaf completely. Leaf left in the cup keeps extracting and turns the last mouthful bitter.
Ripe pu-erh stands up to a long steep. The same leaf will give a second cup at about 5 minutes.
What it may be good for
A number worth knowing
We list about 60 mg for an 8 oz mug made with 4 g of leaf, the same estimate as for other ripe pu-erh on CupCura. Published figures run from about 30 to 100 mg per 8 oz cup, and the figure moves with the leaf, the dose and the steep.
Rinse twice
Ripe pu-erh is rinsed twice, not once: pour on hot water, swirl for a few seconds and pour it off, then do it again before the first infusion.
What to watch out for
- Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you.
A ripe (shou) pu-erh from Menghai County in Xishuangbanna, pressed in 2010. Wet piling gave it a deep, smooth body, and the years since have rounded off its earthiness into dark cocoa, nuts and wood. Brewed hot, at 98°C.
Origin & Story
In Menghai the name is on everything. Menghai is a county in the west of Xishuangbanna and also the home of the Menghai Tea Factory, founded in 1940 as the Fohai Tea Factory and renamed in 1953, one of the two factories, with Kunming, that developed wet piling in 1973. So a ripe pu-erh from Menghai can mean tea from the county or tea from the factory, and the wrapper tells you which.
The factory's recipes carry four-digit codes. In 7572, the best-known ripe recipe, 75 is the year the recipe was first made, 1975, the 7 is the grade of leaf in the blend on a scale from 0 for the smallest buds to 9 for the coarsest, and the 2 is the factory number.
Ripe pu-erh is made by piling moistened leaf in heaps and covering it so that it ripens for weeks in the damp. A fresh batch often carries a pile smell, sometimes fishy or musty, that fades with age, and tea from 2010 has had many years to lose it.
Aged shou is described with jujube, cocoa, wood and nuts, and a creamy mouthfeel. It is soft and low in astringency, which is why it is the pu-erh people reach for after a rich meal.
Use 5 g in a 100 ml gaiwan, rinse twice with water at 98°C, pour off the first infusion at 15 to 20 seconds and add ten seconds a round; in a mug, 4 g in 240 ml at 98°C for four minutes.
Reading the Flavor Profile
| Axis | Score |
|---|---|
| Sweetness | 80/100 |
| Acidity | 20/100 |
| Bitterness | 36/100 |
| Body | 90/100 |
| Aroma | 88/100 |
These values are comparative editorial positions within our own catalog, calibrated so entries can be ranked against each other. They are not laboratory measurements.
How much caffeine is in 2010 Menghai Shou Pu-erh Tea?
One serving, 8 oz cup (240ml), contains approximately 60 mg of caffeine.
What temperature should I use for 2010 Menghai Shou Pu-erh Tea?
Target 98°C (208°F).
How long should 2010 Menghai Shou Pu-erh Tea be extracted?
Timing: 15-30 seconds for the first infusions, plus about 10 seconds each round. Method: Gaiwan or Mug. Ratio: 5g per 100ml water (gaiwan). Grind or leaf format: Compressed or Loose Leaf.
Why does my 2010 Menghai Shou Pu-erh Tea taste bitter?
In gongfu, bitterness comes from pours that run too long or from too little leaf for the vessel. Keep the early infusions short, pour the tea off the leaf completely every time, and fill the gaiwan or pot generously; an under-filled vessel tastes thin and tannic rather than gentle.
What does Menghai mean on a pu-erh label?
Menghai is a county in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, and also the name of a famous tea factory founded there in 1940. On a wrapper it can mean tea from the area or tea from the factory, so check the maker's name.
What do the numbers in 7572 mean?
In Menghai Tea Factory's recipe codes, the first two digits are the year the recipe was created, so 75 means 1975. The third digit is the leaf grade, from 0 for the smallest buds to 9 for the coarsest leaf, and the last digit is the factory number, 2 for Menghai.
Does shou pu-erh improve with age?
Most drinkers think so. A fresh batch can carry a pile smell that fades with time, and shou of ten years or more is described as smoother and rounder, with notes of jujube, cocoa, wood and nuts.
Who should avoid 2010 Menghai Shou Pu-erh Tea?
Caffeine affects everyone differently. If you are pregnant or nursing, sensitive to caffeine, or have been told to limit it, check with your doctor about how much tea is right for you. This information is educational and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, managing a cardiac or gastrointestinal condition, or taking prescription medication, discuss caffeine and botanical intake with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes.
What people say
Plain Porcelain Gaiwan, 110 ml
In this recipe: Gaiwan or small clay pot, 100–150 ml
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