Teas / dark / Lao Man'e 2023 Sheng

Lao Man'e 2023 Sheng
🇨🇳 China

Lao Man'e 2023 Sheng

Lǎo Màn É 2023 Shēng · 老曼峨 2023 生

puerh-sheng · bing · ancient-tree

Lao Man'e is the southernmost of the "Five Villages of Banzhang" in Bulang Mountain, Menghai County (alongside Lao Banzhang, Xin Banzhang, Baka Nan, and Baka Long). It is famously the most bitter raw pu-erh of any well-known village — a pronounced bitterness holds from start to finish, only flipping into a cooling huigan deep into the cup. Lao Man'e is the foil to neighbouring Lao Banzhang's "King of Pu-erh" reputation: same general region, radically different cup.

Quick facts

Region
Bulang Mountain
Harvest year
2023
Harvest season
spring
Shape
bing
Cultivation
ancient-tree
Cultivars
Da Ye Zhong (Large-Leaf Varietal)

Brewing

Leaf
5.0 g / 100 ml
Water
100°C
Rinse
yes
Gongfu steeps (s)
4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45

Use less leaf than for other Bulang teas — Lao Man'e is famously the bitterest of the Banzhang region. Flash-short steeps in early infusions to ride the bitterness wave; the cooling huigan that follows is the reward.

Calculate leaf weight for this tea

Tasting notes

Aroma
forest, fresh herbs, faint honey
Flavor
intensely bitter, deep, slow-arriving sweet
Mouthfeel
thick, oily
Finish
extremely long, cooling

Aging potential

With age, Lao Man'e's bitterness mellows and the underlying sweetness comes forward; 10+ years stable storage is when the transformation becomes pronounced.

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