2022 Bingdao Sheng Pu'er Mini Cakes
Size
Tea Profile
| Tea Type | Sheng Pu'er (生普洱) |
|---|---|
| Style | Compressed Mini Cakes (小饼 紧压茶) |
| Origin | Lincang City, Yunnan Province, China |
| Production Date | 8 June 2022 |
| Processing | Sun-dried Yunnan maocha compressed into single-session mini cakes. |
| Leaf Material | Yunnan Large-Leaf Sun-Dried Maocha (云南大叶种晒青毛茶) |
Origin and Character
Produced from Yunnan large-leaf material in Lincang and compressed in 2022, these individually wrapped mini cakes are designed to provide a complete Gong Fu session without the need to break apart a larger cake. Each cake weighs approximately 7g and opens gradually over the first few infusions.
The producer presents the tea as Bingdao. The packaging confirms Lincang as the leaf origin, but does not establish a more specific village, garden or tree-age provenance. Its character is nevertheless recognisably Lincang in style: clean, mineral, floral and slowly developing, with restrained sweetness and a firm bitterness that gathers deep in the throat rather than drying the mouth.
Aroma and Flavour
| Aroma | Warm wildflower honey, soft perfume, musky vegetation and fresh meadow hay |
|---|---|
| Liquor | Pale gold with a light natural haze as the compressed cake opens |
| Flavour | Fresh hay, mountain herbs, gentle blossom honey and clear glacier-water minerality |
| Mouthfeel | Light-bodied, clean and non-drying with virtually no astringency |
| Finish | Deep throat-centred bitterness followed by gradually emerging returning sweetness |
✦ The Astraluna Perspective ✦
This is a deceptively persistent Sheng Pu'er. It begins quietly with honeyed aroma, hay and vegetal freshness, then gains structure as the cake fully opens. The bitterness becomes more pronounced through the middle and later infusions, yet remains controlled and is not accompanied by drying astringency.
Its strongest qualities are clarity, endurance and physiological presence. In our tasting, one 7g cake remained active beyond thirteen infusions, producing a warming sensation and a focused, composed state of mind. It is best approached with short infusions and adjusted backwards once the leaf has fully opened.
Brewing Notes
| Method | Leaf | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gong Fu | 1 mini cake, approximately 7g, per 90–120 ml gaiwan | 100°C | Quick rinse, rest 30 sec, then 8, 10, 12, 15 sec. Once fully opened, shorten the infusions if bitterness builds, then increase gradually later. |
| Western | 1 mini cake, approximately 7g, per 400–500 ml | 90°C | 2½–3 min |
For a complete method, read How to Brew Sheng Pu'er.
Storage
Store in a clean, dry, well-ventilated and odour-free environment away from direct sunlight, moisture and strong aromas. Avoid airtight storage for prolonged ageing. Under suitable conditions, the vegetal and hay-like qualities should soften while the honeyed, mineral and herbal aspects gain depth.