Mengding Ganlu Origin: Mengshan Mountain, located within the territories of Mingshan and Ya’an counties in Sichuan Province.
Quality Characteristics: Dry tea features a compact, hairy appearance, light green colour with a lustrous sheen, robust buds, tender leaves, and intact buds and leaves.
Tea liquor: The tea liquor is yellow with a hint of green, transparent, and bright.
Aroma: Rich and fragrant, with a fresh and delicate scent.
Taste: Fresh and crisp, with a rich and sweet aftertaste.
Leaf base: Uniform and tender, with a bright green colour.
Mengding Ganlu Detailed Introduction
Mengding Ganlu is primarily produced on mountain peaks, hence its name ‘Mengshan Tea.’ It is one of China’s oldest famous teas, revered as the ‘old friend of tea’ and the ‘pioneer of famous teas,’ with the praise ‘Yangtze River water, Mengshan peak tea.’ Due to its delicate picking, exquisite craftsmanship, beautiful appearance, and superior quality, it has been praised by literati throughout the ages, who have also left behind many beautiful poems and prose works. For example, Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty wrote in ‘Qin Cha’: ‘Among teas, the old friend is Mengshan.’ A Song Dynasty scholar wrote in ‘Poem Thanking Someone for Sending New Mengding Tea’: ‘Tea from Sichuan is renowned, but Mengshan tea is uniquely precious.’ Mengshan Ganlu has been a tribute tea since the Tang Dynasty, enjoying a long-standing reputation that continued until the Qing Dynasty, spanning over a thousand years.
Mengding Ganlu Tasting
Mengding tea has numerous varieties, including Ganlu, Huangya, Shihua, Yuyecangchun, and Wancheun Yinzhen. Among these, ‘Ganlu’ is the finest quality tea from Mengding. Its quality characteristics are: beautiful appearance, whole leaves and buds, tightly rolled with abundant downy hairs, tender green and lustrous; high and refreshing aroma, mellow and sweet taste; yellowish-green, transparent, and bright tea liquor; even and tender green leaves at the bottom of the cup.
