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2020 White Tea Cake YGB, 300+ y.o. trees
Origin: Thailand
Harvest: Spring 2020
Elevation: >1000 m
Trees' age: 300-500 y.o
Availability: In Stock
Harvest: Spring 2020
Elevation: >1000 m
Trees' age: 300-500 y.o
Availability: In Stock
A cake of white tea made in Yue Guang Bai style from sweet old trees aged from 300 to 500 years.
As you see, the cake is not tightly pressed and has uneven, loose edges. We think such gentle pressing could be an interesting decision for white tea. They often mention that white tea is nicer to handle and brew when loose leaves. But loose white tea is bulky and fragile, it crumbles while shipping. We’ve come up with a compromise solution, compact cakes that easy to break with bare hands. We’ll see how you like it.
We’ve got this white tea freshly made in 2020 but decided to hold and watch it for a while.
Sometimes I keep teas in my warehouse testing them from to time until I feel I can finally offer a really delicious tea one can enjoy right away. So, here is what we have after a year of aging.
Rinsed, heated tea gives out a honey-sweet aroma. The taste has notably thickened over the year, gained lingering fruity notes that come in addition to the vanilla flavor of young white tea, which is still there.
The mouthfeel is solid, perfectly smooth. No astringency, even when brewed with boiling water and over-exposed at the first steepings. The infusion smells very nice and intense, a kind of “vanilla plum”.
One of my personal tools/markers in tea tasting is the aroma of tea infusion, apart of the smell of a wet leaf or of an empty cup. Using this marker requires some tea experience and a little practice. But it’s worth it. The tool works even better on “quiet” teas like white or greens. The idea is simple: only high-quality teas have an intense and beautiful smell of the infusion. That means the aroma of the leaf passes into the taste as fully as possible. And so both the taste and the aftertaste would be bright and understandable.
I prefer to judge an infusion before sipping. This is how I first assess the quality of the tea, adjusting and concentrating on the taste that follows. That way, the aroma of the infusion helps to create an accurate picture and speeds up the tasting process. Whereas the overly intense smell of the rinsed leaves can mask the taste and affect the correct assessment of the tea.
The aftertaste is pleasant, velvety, with a rich trail of herbs and vanilla-floral tones. The infusion color changes from almost tintless at the beginning to dark amber in the later steepings.
This white tea has incredible stamina, can hold an everlasting tea session. There is a slight woody tartness on the finish, which doesn't spoil the tea experience but adds some tannin richness.
This pressed "Moonlight" has noticeable tea energy. We don't recommend drinking it at night, as it contains lots of invigorating substances. But like any tea from old trees it works gently, its Cha Qi relaxes and concentrates.
White tea is not afraid of dry storage, although I do not recommend drying it out. However, if you store shengs and at least somewhat monitor the humidity in the room, I definitely recommend taking these cakes for storing. An aged white tea made of high-quality old trees material is a real gem in any collection and is sometimes more valuable than the sheng pu-erh of the same age.
Reviews (5)
Hay, vanilla, no astringency or bitterness. Ends with some floral and citrus notes. This tea surprised me quite a bit. It has a lot of light flavors that are distinct enough to be recognized.
Aroma: honeyed, fruity, a little sourness from the sheng-puer, vanilla
Infusion: golden, oily, viscous, rounded.
Taste: melon, honey, lychee
The aftertaste is really rich, you couldn't have said it better.
Probably the best white I've ever had. And the guys from TEA SIDE seem to be good!
Cha Qi (茶 气): 8,5
That said, the tea is infinitely drinkable, 6 grams was enough for 1.5 liters!
Very nice everything was perfect
Certainly rich. Once I got the timing right it was delicious. Really energizing and calming. Appreciate the "wild-ness".
This one is far above usual white teas, I've had opportunity to taste so far. It reminds me gushu puerhs for its oiliness and thickness. Honey-like taste has interesting depth, but most fascinating aspect of this tea is the energy. It came quickly after first cup and it shines through the whole body and it's very uplifting and calming. This tea is a little wonder.
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