2021 XXXmas Cake

(December 2021 tea club)
2021 XXXmas Cake — 200g — Our annual raw Puer blend, this year with even more non-Huangpian (that is to say, regular maocha). What is huangpian? Translated as “Golden Flake”, the large coarse leaves of Puer processing are often removed from tea productions to increase their value in the market. Much of this removal is aesthetic because the market likes plenty of young buds and looks down upon the handsome big boned cousin—the huangpian. This is where thrifty aficionados (like you and I, dear reader) swoop in to scoop up a bit of value for their daily cup. It wouldn’t be financially feasible to send off a 200 gram cake of old arbor raw Puer with the club, but huangpian? Now. That’s another story. The market still has quite a few deals for larger leaves from older trees. If you’re on a budget and like old arbor teas, it’s an excellent way to save yourself a little money and have excellent quality tea for a bargain. If you like this style, it just gets better with time. Check out our 2016 Fade which is $33 for 200g as I write this letter. It’s a gorgeous tea, sweet and syrupy with 5 (going on 6) years of our white2tea natural Guangzhou storage. Or if you prefer a stronger cup, try any of our Demon Slayer huangpian cakes.

Brewing: Full boiling water is the way I’d brew this tea, but if you’d like a lighter experience, try 90C-95C instead. Gongfu style is a great way to enjoy huangpian, but as the tea ages you might even like it in a thermos. (Try the 2016 Fade that way) And when it is older you can even simmer it on the stove for a delightful treat. I suppose you could even do that with young tea if you’re up to the challenge; tea farmers do it all the time. If you want to get really saucy, you could even simmer a few grams and strain to make a syrupy cup of tea to use as stock for your rice. Keep in mind, this will be caffeinated rice—I don’t want losing sleep for punchy aromatic grains at dinner time.