Jingmai Autumn Shengtai Raw Puer 2017

Jingmai Shengtai • 2017 Autumn – Fragrant, long-lasting, elegantly slender sheng

The tea material comes from the natural tea gardens on the top of Jingmai mountain; the harvest took place in autumn, from early to mid-2017 (early September to mid-October). The processing is manual, and the tea was pressed into 357g cakes.

– Natural tea garden (shengtai), top of Jingmai mountain • 09. – mid-10. 2017 • manual processing • 357g cake

Autumn in Jingmai often yields more yellow flakes, so the producers opted for a higher plucking standard (1 bud / 2 leaves, partly 1 bud / 3–4 leaves) to obtain a cleaner raw material requiring minimal sorting. In autumn, typically 1 kg of sorted maocha is produced from 7 kg of fresh leaves (in spring, this ratio is about 5:1), making the sorted raw material also a manufacturing technology advantage.

Autumn teas, due to their thicker stems, can naturally be "redder" (the sha qing wok heat treatment penetrates the tissues less easily); for this batch, the processing was fine-tuned accordingly to preserve the clean fragrance and elegant sip.

Taste and aroma in the cup

• Aroma: lively, clean, floral-sweet Jingmai aromatics, persistent aromatic cloud.
• Mouthfeel: slimmer body, yet silky flow; good stamina over many infusions.
• Taste: sweet in the opening, then a slightly lively sourness-bitterness that keeps the profile clean.
• Finish: long, fragrant, with gradual sweetening (huigan), clean aftertaste.

Overall impression: the autumn Shengtai is slimmer than its spring counterpart, but compensates in aroma; due to the 2017 weather, the astringency is slightly more pronounced, yet it's pleasantly drinkable and a particularly good "daily tea". It also ages beautifully in the long term.

Processing and plucking standard – why is it important?

• In the autumn season, there are more yellow flakes, so a higher plucking standard (1 bud/2 leaves) helps to yield cleaner raw material and reduce the need for subsequent sorting.
• The yield is lower at this time (approx. 7:1 fresh leaves : maocha), which results in a more concentrated, "clean" finished tea.
• Due to thicker stems, a slightly redder leaf color is natural – maintaining this requires professional wok handling.

Preparation suggestions

Gongfu (Asian style): 5–6 g / 100 ml, 92–95 °C. A short awakening rinse is optional. 1st–2nd infusion: 8–12 sec, then 15–25 sec; later +10–15 sec / infusion. You can expect 10+ infusions.

Western style: 3 g / 250 ml, 92–95 °C, 2–3 minutes. The same leaves can be infused 2–3 times.

Who do we recommend it to?

To those who appreciate the clean, fragrance-driven Jingmai character and value the airier, more elegant body of autumn plucking – for everyday consumption and quiet, long tea sessions alike.