2007 12 Gentlemen Menghai

Long term customers of ours might remember this cake.  When we began our business in 2008 this was one of the first cakes we sold.   12 Gentlemen was a partnership by a couple of tea lovers/drinkers/businessmen based in Kunming.   In recent years they went their own ways and have now closed down their business.   

These cakes have been with us since 2008 - stored first in the UK for about 5 years then in our warehouse in Malaysia until now.  

The hot and humid climate in Malaysia seems to have done wonders for this tea.   These cakes were purposely pressed tightly - for the long run, to have slow and steady ageing even in hot and humid climates.   This has worked well in Malaysia, where the tea has aged nicely, already developing deeper aged character and well past any greenness of youth.   It really quite surprised me when I tried it recently for the first time in over a decade.

The tea has good thickness, steady aftertaste and good strength.   I feel it's at a good point to begin to drink it, but also that it has plenty of strength to continue to transform for decades ahead.  

We have 11 cakes remaining of this.  We don't know of any others available in the market