Loose Aged White Tea

Wow. This is a seriously good white tea. Of course I say that about all of Shang’s whites. I sometimes feel like I’m being a cheerleader for Shang’s teas, but they are seriously so good!

Clover and a bit of honey, sweetness but heftier body than the White Peony King. I don’t notice any peony scent either, but this is a white tea with body and I lurve it. I’m not brave enough yet to try this in the brick form – I’m pretty sure I am not good enough at tea to take that on successfully. :)

And it’s super hard to measure since the leaves are sooooo huge! So 2 teaspoons is a total guesstimate.

This one is from Nicole a while back. Thanks so much, Nicole! I’ve been drinking it a couple times, but just now writing a tasting note. It’s an “aged” white tea so I’m sure it will only get better with time. :D The leaves are certainly different than any white tea I’ve seen.,, so many different colors, including some that look like flower petals are thrown in, but no, it’s only the white tea leaves. There is quite the wispiness of flavor changes in this one. The flavors are constantly changing from one sip to the next, so I’ll just list them: first is something like champagne or white wine, hints of the lightest grape, then a starchiness along with some honey. As it cools, it’s the freshest, fruitiest and most floral white tea I think I’ve had. The second steep gets even smoother, probably because most of any white tea leaf fuzzies were in the first cup. Still a sweet cup while having more of that traditional white tea flavor. This time I could swear it’s a little minty and there is no way there was flavor contamination from the infuser. The color of the brew is a deep gold. One of the best white teas I’ve ever had!
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 18 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 3 minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep

This is an old sample I found in my cupboard. I’m not 100% sure who I got it from…*tea-sipper*, I think. Anyway since it’s of unknown but definitely old age, I opted for a longer brew time than I would normally do for a first steep with a white tea.

The aroma of the brewed tea is nice. Typical for a white tea, hay mainly. I haven’t had tea in so long. We moved recently and most of my stash is still in boxes. So when I say I found this in my cupboard, what I really mean is, I found this in a box. :) All my tea is probably going to go bad before I can enjoy it. It’s my fault for buying so much at once.

The flavor is nice too. It’s much sweeter than expected. Sweet hay. This is very enjoyable, especially because it’s been too long since I last had a nice cuppa. Thanks to whoever passed it my way!

I received this sample from Boychik. Thank you so much.

This isn’t a moonlight, but I’m having a hard time not comparing it to the many that I’ve been drinking lately. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It’s good. There is no doubt that it’s a high quality tea. The first couple of steeps, it seemed more like a medium oxidized rock oolong. A little mineraly, a little grassy, sweet, just a hint bitter. It was a beautiful golden orange. The colour really didn’t change from steep to steep. The later steeps mellowed out, it became more subtle more what I expect from a white tea. Steeps 5 and 6 were pretty fresh and bright. Steeps 7 and 8 were sweeter almost fruity and juicy.
I don’t think this is my favourite aged white, but it was really interesting with lots going on and it changed quite a bit from steep to steep. Really happy that I got to try it. :))

https://instagram.com/p/4kwuwjOExe/?taken-by=dex3657

This was the first tea Nicole served at the tea party this weekend! Thank you!

I haven’t had a Shang tea that I haven’t liked. This was a nice light tea. I do not remember too much about the actual taste of the tea, but it was a very nice cup. I remember thinking this would be a good calming cup for bed time.

It’s about time I got around to reviewing more Shang Teas, as they are an incredible company, based locally for me, and my main source of tea since my fascination with Gongfu Cha and high quality loose teas began.

Let me start by saying this, I have never tasted a better White Peony tea than this one. This tea truly stands above the rest. It may be a little hard for me to be objective, as the current year I have from them is 2008 and that year is sentimentally-speaking the greatest of my life so far. Knowing this tea was harvested that year, I feel I transcend time when I drink it and the nostalgia of my memories of a half-year stay in South Africa flood back in.

This tea is incredibly smooth. On the first infusion of this pale-yellow green brew I am tasting very evident notes of cucumber, subtle notes of walnut and wild grass. This white tea is smooth, very smooth, almost creamy even. There’s a delicate lingering sweetness and a velvety feeling on the tongue for a while after a drink. There is no astringency or dryness whatsoever. This tea is as clean-tasting as it gets. The brewed leaves smell of parsley

Second steeping, the flavor is even more round, and be assured this tea is very round, we’re talking 360 degrees round. It doesn’t have the brighter “green” qualities of some younger white teas but showcases a maturity that is smooth and full. In terms of flavor, the second infusion offers a more nutty quality than the first. The light cucumber notes have backed away. There’s a slightly herbaceous taste. The lingering mild sweetness reminds me of the lingering flavor of a fresh baked pastry or donut, albeit much, much subtler.

With repeated infusions, the flavor is consistently light and delicately sweet. This tea is pleasant and easily approachable all-around. The dewy cucumber notes came back around a few steepings in. How lovely.

I’ve noticed other users here have given this tea a perfect 100 score, and it is definitely deserving. This is one of the finest white teas in the world. My only reason for the 99 rating is that I reserve the perfect score for my holiest most absolute personal favorites. As my palate for delicate white teas is still learning and developing (those subtle nuances can be really hard to detect for an American whose palate is used to strong-flavored food and drink), I haven’t quite been wowed to the point of absolute dedication to a particular white tea yet.

How charming this tea is. Start with a warm and toasty (not roasty) bi luo flavor, subtract any greenness, add a very slight sheng pu-erness, a touch of smooth Chinese black astringency, and a thick mouthfeel.

Thank you Nicole for your generous sample.
This tea is amazing. I was dying to try aged white tea. Most of the time white tea taste like water to me, slightly colored. this tea is gorgeous mix of green and brown leaves with fuzzy tips. i looked at leaves for at least 3 min that how fascinating they are.
185F 10/15/30/45 150ml gaiwan
wet leaves smell kinda roasty and nutty,not floral. very comforting. clean sweet and smooth. it became even sweeter with later steeps.
100% repurchase