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“Heaven. Heaven in a cup, seriously. I need to get more of this, if there is any left. It’s different today, fresher tasting, but then I think the shorter steep time made a difference. (two...” Read full tasting note
“Diving into another loose-leaf sheng from Tao Tea Leaf today. I normally don’t get hung up on costs, but as this is the only place where I can locally buy aged pu-erh, it’s hard to look past this...” Read full tasting note
Whitemoon is a fantastically rich Sheng Pu’er. The tea gets its wonderfully complex flavours and textures from its unique processing. First the tea goes through the regular processing: plucking, withering, heating, rolling, (both heating and rolling are performed twice) drying and sorting. With most other teas the processing would be complete at this point, but there is one more step that makes Pu’ers special. The leaves are compressed tightly into a cake. These cakes are then set aside and aged allow for a slow fermentation to take place. This is what gives Sheng Pu’ers their characteristic flavours. This tea has been aged since 2007 giving it a lovely sweet flavour, almost sourdough like with a sweet honey-like malty finish.
Region: Jinggu, Yunnan Province,China.
Appearance: The dry leaves are an exuberant mix of colours and textures. There are soft white buds with many visible Tricomes. There are also light greens and browns laced through the mixture. The teas aroma is light and sweet, almost sourdough like, reminiscent of a white tea.
Taste: Whitemoon has a medium-heavy body that immediately coats the tongue. The taste is sweet with hints of apricot and fresh baked bread. Whitemoon tops everything off with a refreshing and very smooth honey like finish.
Steeping Guide:
Teaware: Glass or ceramic Gai Wan
Amount: 3g /1½ teaspoons
Temperature: 100°c (212°F)
Steeping Time: 1 to 2 minutes for the first two steeps and 3 to 5 minutes for the third and fourth.
*These steeping directions are for a traditional Gong Fu style tea, if you are brewing this tea in a regular cup we recommend steeping for 2 – 3 minutes.
Company description not available.
Heaven. Heaven in a cup, seriously. I need to get more of this, if there is any left.
It’s different today, fresher tasting, but then I think the shorter steep time made a difference. (two min)
This is one of those teas, like that thread mentioned, that is going to haunt me til I get more. I could mainline this stuff.
Edit: forgot about the second steep! first one is A+, and the second one… D+!
It’s… milky and has a soft mushroom taste. I once loved mushrooms but seem to have lost my taste for them. So… I am lowering the rating. Will see what a third steep brings :)
Edit again: third steep is a bit better. I added 1/4tsp sugar and it’s now a sweet cloudy tasting (clear liquid!) tea. The essence of mushrooms is hanging in the background though it is overshadowed by the sweet breadiness I’ve come to love in pu-erhs. Also, I am loving this much more when cooled. Bumping rating back up, slightly.
Fourth Steep: Sweet and clay like. Some bread notes, but mostly clay. Or was this the fifth steep? I lost track!
Diving into another loose-leaf sheng from Tao Tea Leaf today. I normally don’t get hung up on costs, but as this is the only place where I can locally buy aged pu-erh, it’s hard to look past this 15-gram sample being short by 6 grams. I paid $4.20 for the amount of tea they withheld. Not cool. Has kind of left me wondering about all the other times I’ve ordered expensive teas from this place… will definitely be weighing out everything else I ordered this time around.
That being said, at least there is enough for me to have one solid gong fu session. As with all the other loose-leaf shengs from this store, it has impressed me and exceeded expectations. This sheng has been aging since 2009 and its really developed into something delightful. A strong muscatel aroma after the wash was hard to ignore, sweet and pungent! The subsequent brews started off slightly bitter and smoky leaning more into hay and leather than grapes. This mellowed out quickly though into a mixture of grapes, cherries, roasted tomatoes, and something kind of like shiitake mushrooms. Little to no bitterness or astringency. The soup was surprisingly thin, quite lubricating, and dark. Very lovely aftertaste. I would love to have more of this in stock, but not if I’m going to be shorted again.
Flavors: Cherry, Hay, Leather, Muscatel, Mushrooms, Smoke, Vegetal
OK, WHY?! What does it tast like…not just feel…you have me wondering while you’re wandering!
We’ll just package some up and send it to you Bonnie, so you can experience it yourself lol. I’m pretty sure this is one of the local tea shops Inidigo frequents :)
I wonder if this is that really interesting tea called, Yue Guan Bai(Moon Light White). It mainly comes from the region it mentions and looks just like that one from another site. What they are not telling you is that supposedly when this tea is dried, instead of drying in the sun it drys when the moon is out; though it is mostly just done in complete darkness or at night time. So it sorta oxidizes it from the inside-out then vice versa.
Here is the link:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2012-Spring-Imperial-Pure-Old-Tree-Yue-Guan-Bai-Moon-Light-White-Tea-100g-EU-standard/802721_620710664.html
Bonnie, see my first note :)
Sil, yep I picked it up on our tea date!
Ze_Teamaker, could be! but the guy I bought it from, he sources it himself from the farmer so it might just be a similar tea if not the same. Also, it steeps up a mild hay colour and isn’t dark or red.
That’s true, I didn’t think about that….
If I remember next time I see him, I’ll ask! :)
That would be Grrrreat! (channeling Tony the Tiger!)!
sounds great!
I’ve not had much luck with Pu’erh tea, but this one looks fascinating.
LOL Bonnie, I love Tony! :P
Amy: It IS! Hopefully I can get my hands on more next season.
Mark B, what do you dislike about them?
I just find them kinda earthy and flat, but then again I don’t have much experience with them. I’ve been trying to open my eyes up a bit by ordering a few samples. From the description I thought I’d enjoy Verdant’s Xingyang Golden Leaf 98 Shu Pu’er, but didn’t find it very satisfying. I have another from Teavivre called Fengqing Raw Pu’er from 2006, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
hmmm I think you might like some of the menthol-ish pu-erhs then. I haven’t got any of those on hand but I’ll keep my eye out for you! :)