2025 Mengding Ganlu / Sweet dew from Mengding

 Sweet Dew – 蒙顶甘露 Mengding ganlu comes from the Mengding mountain in Sichuan Province of China. It is one of the first teas to be harvested in early spring before the festival of sweeping tombs – Qingming (Qingming) 清明. Tiny tea buds are collected with an tremendous effort.  Imagine that it takes several hours to collect one kg of such a tea, and in the end, after processing and drying, only 1/4 of it remains. Therefore, its price is higher than later teas. 

During preparation, water with a temperature between 70-80°C should be used, because at higher temperatures it could release the contained tannins very quickly and the infusion would be bitter and bitter. I recommend infusing it for between 40 seconds and 1 minute. The second and subsequent infusions must be poured earlier. With such a procedure, I managed to achieve that the tea had a consistency reminiscent of thin gelatin or Agar. In the taste, you can smell peanut butter, a little trace of almonds and some fresh peas. This tea is worth drinking in warm weather in the meadow.