Mengding Ganlu蒙顶甘露

Mengding Ganlu is a green tea from Mengding Mountain, Ya'an, Sichuan, China. Brew it at 82°C with 3.5g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 5 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. No rinse needed.

Tasting notes

Sweet Dew earns its name in the first infusion — there's an actual honey note that shows up almost immediately, not a metaphor. Mengding Ganlu's downy, tightly rolled leaves carry a soft orchid-like floral aroma and a roundness on the palate that most Sichuan greens don't bother with. It's a generous tea: no astringency, no vegetal scrape, nothing to endure. The catch is that it's also quiet. Brew it in a mug with boiling water and you'll get a cup of beige nothingness. Brew it carefully at 82°C in a gaiwan with short steeps and the floral-honey character layers across infusions, each one shifting a little further toward sweet grass. Three or four infusions with real character, a fifth that's gently fading. This is one of those teas where the person drinking it has to meet it halfway — you're not going to be grabbed by the collar. You're going to notice something subtle and then keep noticing it.

Flavor profile

One of Sichuan's most treasured green teas, named 'Sweet Dew' for the honeyed sweetness that suffuses every infusion. The tightly rolled, downy leaves produce a delicate liquor with a soft floral character (often orchid-like), a round sweet body, and a clean finish. More floral and rounded than its Mengding sibling Shihua, which leans sharper and more grain-forward. A refined tea that rewards careful temperature control.

Terroir

Mengding Mountain summit (~1000-1400m), perpetual cloud cover, subtropical monsoon, rich biodiversity

Cultivar: Local Mengding cultivar with fine downy buds

Brewing

1. Steep 1: 15 seconds
2. Steep 2: 15 seconds
3. Steep 3: 25 seconds
4. Steep 4: 35 seconds
5. Steep 5: 50 seconds

Keep water at 80-85°C to preserve the delicate sweetness. Casual mug brewing undersells this tea — gaiwan lets you appreciate the evolving floral notes across infusions.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• pan-fired
• hand-rolled

Sources

• https://yunnansourcing.com/products/meng-ding-gan-lu-sweet-dew-green-tea
• https://pathofcha.com/products/sweet-dew-meng-ding-gan-lu-handmade-green-tea
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mengding_Ganlu_tea