Brewed this in the gaiwan with a slightly lower leaf to water ratio than usual and longer steep times. The heated dry scent of the leaves were a mix of hay sweetness and autumn leaves and was the kind of slightly aged white tea kick I was looking for.
Got a good number of steeps from the tea (around 7/8), gradually increasing the brewing time. The initial steeps were thicker, sweeter and had a good tangy element of stone fruits as well. Later steeps were a bit thinner and moved towards a mineral, woody, hay flavour. I still would like a bit more depth from the tea but for the price range it does most of what I want it to. The feeling the tea gave was particularly enjoyable, even helping to propel me through the final parts of a job application!
After the brews in the gaiwan, I thought I would see what happened if I boiled up the leaves on the stove for a while which produced a very dark brown liquor which had a slightly medicinal scent. The tea had a very soft texture this way and a biscuit flavour which wasn’t there in the gaiwan brewing. I will definitely try a few more white teas brewed this way after a normal session of tea.
Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Hay, Mineral, Stonefruit, Sweet, Tangy, Wood
