I found this puer to be pretty one-dimensional. The dry and warmed leaf smelled very strongly of stewed prunes. Rinsing revealed the aged aroma of the leaf. The thick, amber liquor was mostly dark-honeyed plums in flavor with a little mineral sneaking in. It aslso possessed a dark warm, woody quality but was not woody in flavor. Due to some astringency, I’d suggest starting off with steeps around less than 10s for the first handful and after that it really needs to be pushed because it can lose its flavor quickly and thin out, devolving into something sour but not unpleasant by any means. Aftertastes were light and range from smoked meat to dark honey, fading into unripe stone fruit. Bitey in the throat later on.
The most notable quality of the tea for me was a moderate warming/cooling effect in my chest. The energy was felt in my facial muscles and I also had this weird wrinkled-nose dog smile going on which made me laugh a little. Definitely feels like a post-dinner drinker for me.
I think this tea might be best for someone with proper storage to keep it aging along and to keep the astringency and sourness in check. Makes me wonder what higher humidity would do. Seems like a pretty average aging sheng but might turn into something a little more interesting in several years.
I actually found a few Menghai puers to be rather one-dimensional as well.I wonder if it has something to do with mass-production and desire to deliver predictable taste year after year.