Charting the V93 recipe from Ménghǎi’s blending rooms to my Mongolian cellar
I first encountered V93 during a 2019 visit to the Ménghǎi Tea Factory, when the master blenders pulled an older sample from their archive — the recipe, originally developed in 1993, was designed to offer a more aromatic, brighter shu than the iconic 7572. When the 2024 cakes were pressed, I knew I wanted to bring this batch to shop.puerh.app immediately, so that drinkers could follow its evolution from the very first days.
Crossing the border from Menghai back to my aging room in Ulaanbaatar, I carried the cakes through cold, dry air — a sharp contrast to the humid Xīshuāngbǎnnà autumn. That temperature shock, I’ve found, helps lock in the volatile camphor notes that often fade too quickly in young shu. Now resting in my cellar for a short acclimatization, the 2024 V93 already shows a striking clarity: the fermentation was light and precise, preserving the natural sweetness of the leaf while building a structure that will hold up beautifully over the next 5–8 years.
This cake is for those who think they don’t like shu — and for seasoned drinkers who want a daily brewer that doesn’t demand decades of waiting. I’m proud to list it alongside my aged sheng from Bulang and Yīwǔ, because even though it’s young, the craftsmanship is unmistakable.