There is a wide variety of teas to be found in this mountain, it's mostly cheap Taidi that feed the large Menghai tea factories for Ripe Pu-erh material. On the high end, there are patches of old tea trees, but very few relative to the size of the mountain. There are also wild tea trees growing in the forest. The oolong tea plantations of Mr Huang are also there!
Not much to smell, the fragrance is generic. The soup give a very good mouthfeel, especially when the tea is young, it is enticing enough to keep you drinking. No bitterness, low astringency. It sounds boring right? Wait until the mid-session, when the Chaqi kicks in, if it works on you, you'll get addicted to the body feel this tea gives.
Excellent overall taste, close to the Lao Banzhang experience, maybe a little softer? Moderate to strong bitterness, powerful mouth-coating soup with medium viscosity, heavy sweetness, leathery fragrance, often smokey due to the producers facilities.
Highly fragrant, light mouthfeel, refreshing, not aggressive, not much power, just a casual tea to sip
Silky soft texture, fruity juicy fragrance, natural taste, good endurance, very calming Chaqi in the single trees productions
Typical Menghai taste, a good dose of bitterness, heavy sweetness, good Huigan, a hint of fragrance
Soft taste, good fragrance, quite mild
This is the far North of the tea producing areas. A wide variety of tea is produced there, and yet their reputation doesn't seem to reach Pu'er or Xishuangbanna, are we too chauvinistic?
The pinnacle of the Mengku profile with characteristic 'rock candy sweetness', high viscosity and deep Huigan. Too expensive and rare for me to have a real opinion on the taste.
Known for its bitter varietal and its sweet varietal. Both are bitter, but not in the same way, the former has a lingering medicinal bitterness, while the latter's vanished within seconds into sweetness. A lot of good tea to be found in this area in a wide price range.
Unique tasting profile, floral, a bit smokey, savory, soft mouthfeel with good texture.
Mostly cheap plantation tea, some good tea in more remote areas
Mild taste, pleasant fragrance, light texture, excellent Chaqi if you're sensitive to it, similar to Ao Ne Me, but softer. I remember having great body feel after the session, but it doesn't occur every time.
Complex fragrance, candy-like sweetness typical of Mengku teas, powerful but not aggressive. Some bitterness if pushed hard, but no astringency. It feels like a premium version of Dong Guo.
Soft, great Chaqi, lots of micro-terroirs
Aromatic, punchy astringency, some sweetness. Overall quite an aggressive character, not really bitter but a special kind of astringency.
Mainly cheap black tea with a characteristic fragrance. All the Pu-erh I tried felt very weak and fragrant, I didn't find anything interesting.
Good fragrance, juicy texture
Tea known for its good Cha Qi and softness, emphasis on micro-terroir
Taste of the soft side for Menghai tea, balanced, similar to Jingmai
Inebriating fragrance, and very often excellent minerality, special bitterness that you only find in this region.
Soft taste, pleasant sweetness, relaxing Chaqi
Perfectly balanced tea with no exploits. Sometimes has pleasant bitterness, often astringent. Famous for its orchid fragrance, fast Huigan, not too soft nor too aggressive.
Not enough experience to clearly assess the taste of this particular village. It is on the soft side, but drier than Western or Southern Jinggu.
Tastes like a mix of Yiwu and Jingmai. Good fragrance, thick texture, strong activity in the mouth, low bitterness, low astringency.
Soft, savoury, decent Chaqi
Intense tea, powerful on all aspects: fragrance, mouthfeel, Huigan, Chaqi. Really the ultimate Menghai-style experience.
Part of the tea has a strong bitterness that linger for minutes on the tongue, that's the bitter varietal. The other varietal, the sweet one, has moderate to strong bitterness that only lasts for a couple of seconds and then vanishes. Both teas have excellent sweetness, an understate complex leathery fragrance, very good Huigan and energizing Chaqi.
Generally lighter teas without as much viscosity as the teas in the South. Emphasis on fragrance and upfront sweetness. These teas often feel sharp and lively.
The softest tea in Southern Menghai area, it feels quite similar to Jingmai tea, with small leaves, good fragrance, a juicy texture, low bitterness and a fast Huigan. The single trees productions tend to be more bitter, more in line with the general Southern Menghai character, maybe a different varietal.
Few tea trees, scattered cultivation. The ones we explored had a good mengku-like fragrance, some short-lived bitterness and good Huigan and Chaqi.
A tad more aggressive than Jingmai tea, it has more of a Menghai character, greener, sharper, with more bitterness and astringency, no orchid fragrance.
Excellent unique foresty fragrance, especially in the small trees.
More bitterness and astringency than in the surrounding areas
Good black tea, fragrant Pu-erh, haven't tried tea from there in a decade though.
Good Bulang Shan tea, similar to Lao Man E small trees, strong bitterness and sweetness, decent Huigan, muted leathery fragrance.
Aggressive taste, strong bitterness and astringency, energizing Chaqi, It's often said Yiwu is the Yin and Menghai is the Yang.
It has a general characteristic fragrance and straightforward sweetness, generally less Huigan and Chaqi than other famous regions. It's more about the nose and mouth than the throat and body.
Fragrant, good complexity, sometimes bitter, light mouthfeel (like gasoline).
Very smooth, oily and complex fragrance, juicy mouthfeel. Excellent tea for the price.
Thick body, subdued aroma, good activity in the mouth, good Huigan and Chaqi.
Good fragrance, soft profile
Complex alpine fragrance, soft, sometimes bitter, medium astringency, feels highly mineral.
Balanced Menghai profile, on the lighter side, sometimes aromatic, light to medium bitterness, medium astringency.
Balanced profile, nothing fancy, good price for value.
Typical Menghai taste in its powerful version, similar to Lao Banzhang and Banpen
Soft and mellow, light texture, good sweetness, good Chaqi. Depending on the garden, a wide variety of profile within that general 'Yiwu softness'.
Forest fragrance, soft texture, very easy to drink, good complexity. The single trees version has more depth and better Chaqi.
Soft taste, good fragrance
A wide variety of teas, generally aromatic with a light texture.
I had a good one in 2014, on the softer side, a bit like Yiwu, very powerful with good fragrance and thick texture.
Very green-tea like, high fragrance, light soup, sweet and casual.
A massive amount of cheap tea, good and bad
Soft taste, similar to Bangwai
