In contrast to our sun-dried Electroflowercandy, this Yunnan white tea has been dried in the shade. Drying in the shade takes longer, meaning the tea oxidises a little bit more than it would drying quickly in full sun. The result is a darker liquor, a more sweet, fruity flavour, and a less floral/grassy fragrance. Commonly this style is referred to as Yueguangbai, meaning ‘moonlight white’ in Chinese.
Tasting notes, you ask? Well, maybe a little stone fruit kinda vibe, lots of honey-like sweetness, maybe even a little bit of a malty character if you really push the brewing. It brews for a very long time, and does very nicely if you simmer it after your session.
As with pretty much all of our teas, we really only like to buy tea that comes from interesting growing environments, free from agricultural intervention. This means forests and groves rather than the typical terraces that come to mind when someone says ‘tea plantation’.
For those wanting to equate this with white teas from Fujian; this tea is picked like a puer; the first 4 or up to 5 viable leaves are picked, rather than just one bud and a leaf or two. So, it may not be as ‘pretty’ as a baimudan, but you’ll forget all about appearance once the thick flavour shows up in your mouth.
Further age should increase the sweet and sticky fragrance and flavours in this tea.
We recommend this tea at all hours and for any mood. Often the kind of tea we reach for when we can’t decide what to drink, and it’s never disappointing.
Spring 2020 material, pressed into 200g cakes, with 5 per bamboo tong.