– Oh you smelled it too? I have just brewed the first spring harvest of the trees in our tea garden for this year.
Mengding Ganlu (蒙顶甘露) is grown in the lush mountains of Yan'an, Sichuan, a region known for producing some of the best teas in China. The tea is picked in early spring when the leaves are young and tender, and they are then processed by hand, using traditional methods passed down for generations.
Each leaf is 100% handpicked and processed by a skilled tea master, Yun Yao, using traditional techniques, ensuring that this tea is of the highest grade. The traditional techniques used to produce this tea is a testament to the tea master's years of experience, and Gan Lu tea is made with utmost care and attention to the process. Therefore, it can be produced only in small batches and in limited quantities. And because of the tea master's skills and reputation, his Gan Lu tea sells out even before the tea is even made! We were lucky to secure only a couple of kilos of this tea.
According to legend, Meng Ding Gan Lu took its name after a sacred mountain in Sichuan called Meng Ding Mountain. It is said that a Daoist monk named Wu Lizhen discovered the tea on this mountain over 2,000 years ago. Wu was known for his love of tea and spent years studying the art of tea-making. One day, while meditating on Mengding Mountain, he noticed a tea plant growing nearby. He picked some of the leaves and brewed them into a tea that was so delicious and refreshing that he decided to share it with others.
Tea Master Yao at work
The tea farmer carefully handpicks each leaf of our Mengding Gan Lu. He then pan fry the leaves to stop the oxidation. Finally, they shape them into small, flat, and narrow strips. The result is a tea rich in flavor and aroma. It has a delicate yet complex taste, with a sweet and floral fragrance that tantalizes the senses. The entire processing is done in small batches on the same day of the picking.
When brewed, Mengding Ganlu offers a complex, delicate, and refreshing flavor profile. The tea has a light, floral aroma reminiscent of springtime. The flavor is smooth and mellow, with subtle notes of nuttiness and a hint of sweetness. The tea has a light, refreshing finish that lingers on the palate, making it a truly satisfying and enjoyable tea experience.
The tea master Mr.Yao has been growing and making tea, adhering to the time-consuming and laboursome traditional techniques in an effort to preserve and pass down the cultural legacy and millennium-old tradition of tea making of the area.
* Because of the early spring harvest's limited supply, the handmade processing, and Master Yao's reputation, this tea typically sells out well in advance of its processing. Only a few kilos were fortunately secured by Path of Cha.
- Place of Origin: Mengding Mountain, Ya'an, Sichuan
-
Altitude: 1000m
- Harvest Date: March 23, 2024
- Picking Standard: single bud
- Aroma: delicate floral aroma
- Taste: smooth and mellow, full of sweetness with notes of sunflower seeds
- Cultivar: Lao Chuan Cha (老川茶)
Brewing guidelines:
175℉ / 80℃
1g per 60ml 
3-5min
1g per 25ml 5sec + 5sec for each subsequent infusion