Okay, I’m back. It’s not like I have anything else to do. I was supposed to have been laid off last week, but because our unemployment system is down and it is impossible to file over the phone, I had to work out an arrangement with my employer for this week. Now, I’m going to be retained on the payroll for the current week, but will likely be laid off next week and will have to start this whole process over again. So, since I have very little to do and a whole lot of time on my hands, it’s time to post some new tea reviews. New, though, is relative. This was actually a tea I polished off back in either late February or early March. As Yunnan white teas go, it was very nice, though it didn’t blow me away. For whatever reason, the Moonlight Pavilion Bi Luo Chun that Yunnan Sourcing offers year after year never quite gets over the hump with me.
I prepared this tea gongfu style. After rinsing, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea buds in 4 ounces of 176 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.
Prior to the rinse, the dry tea buds presented aromas of hay, cream, sugarcane, marshmallow, and lemon zest. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of baked bread, butter, grass, corn husk, and almond. The first infusion brought out aromas of orange zest and vanilla. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of hay, cream, butter, almond, sugarcane, and lemon zest that were balanced by hints of marshmallow, grass, pear, and sour plum. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of apricot, white grape, coriander, basil, and cucumber. Stronger and more immediately apparent impressions of grass and sour plum came out in the mouth alongside notes of orange zest, minerals, sour apricot, white peach, white grape, wood, corn husk, green apple, coriander, basil, and cucumber. I also detected hints of baked bread and vanilla. As the tea faded, the liquor settled and emphasized impressions of minerals, grass, hay, corn husk, lemon zest, and wood that were chased by subtler notes of almond, orange zest, pear, green apple, white grape, and sour apricot.
I didn’t do more than glance at my review of the spring 2017 version of this tea, but I do recall it being strikingly similar to this one. This tea was probably a little rougher and a little more astringent in the mouth though. Overall, it was a more or less very good Yunnan white tea. Still, I’m not sure this particular type of tea is for me. I appreciate and enjoy it, but I never fall in love with it.
Flavors: Almond, Apricot, Bread, Butter, Coriander, Corn Husk, Cream, Cucumber, Grass, Green Apple, Hay, Herbaceous, Lemon Zest, Marshmallow, Mineral, Orange Zest, Peach, Pear, Plum, Sugarcane, Vanilla, White Grapes, Wood
