Dear Tea Lovers,
This past week, I received the tea of the month club subscription box from White2Tea for this past August. The box for August included an 8 gram sample of a Wuyi oolong with the name Hoplite (which I promptly brewed up and enjoyed while studying for my microbiology test the next morning,) and also, the featured tea for this week, a 100 gram white tea cake with the name, "Old Whitey" from 2016. I have never had the opportunity until now to try out a compressed white tea cake, and so I was very excited to try this one out. The cake itself looks very similar to Bai Mu Dan (or white peony) based on the various greens, silvers, browns, and white colors of the leaf. The cakes compression was fairly light and easy to separate. For this tea, I brewed with water at 185 degrees Fahrenheit. I know some people like to brew their white tea at higher temperatures to develop more of the traditional Chinese Medicine characteristics, and the much more woodsy aromas and flavors, but I tend to prefer my white teas to have a more soft, floral, and creamy sweetness, and I find lower temperatures are more suitable for this.
For the first infusion, the first sensation I experienced was a very thick mouthfeel, almost like drinking heavy cream. The tea was sweet and incredibly floral. I felt as though I had just grabbed a bunch of rose petals and began chewing them letting the scent permeate throughout my palate. The finish was a combination of a light honey sweetness and a fresh tart berry flavor.
For the second infusion, the mouthfeel has surprisingly become even thicker and richer. The flowery sweetness has intensified with a longer steeping time and the berry note has transformed into a crisp cranberry flavor. The finish leaves the mouth dry and thirsty for more of the tea. There is also no bitterness whatsoever with this tea, even though I used like 8 grams of tea for my 150 mL gaiwan.
The third infusion still brings a lovely thick and creamy texture. The honey sweetness is lighter, but the fresh flower petal scent seems to continue with each steeping. The dry mouthfeel is still present yet less pronounced. I am further astounded by the fact that this tea seems to never get bitter. The note included with the tea said that this tea could even be boiled in a pot as a method for steeping. I will have to try this and see if it becomes bitter with this steeping method.
Finally, the fourth infusion seems to blend these flavors together in one whole sweet and floral creaminess intermingled with a tart cranberry flavor and the fresh honey and grass taste of clover flowers. This tea is truly an excellent representation of white tea.
I will have to hide the rest of this cake from myself, lest I drink it all within the months ahead as the weather here in Tucson finally begins to drop below the usual 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I am very much looking forward to the end of this summer and the beginning of my favorite time of year, winter. This tea is actually able to age like puerh tea so I will get back to it in a year or two, assuming I don't drink it all down. I look forward to seeing the future flavor profiles this tea begins to develop down the road. If you also want to try out this tea, you can pick up a cake from white2tea.com for $17.50. If you enjoy floral flavored teas, then I definitely recommend you snag yourself a cake. Cheers all! Happy sipping!
Sincerely,
The Tea Connossuier Matt
PS: Below is the link for this tea if you want to pick some up! Enjoy!
