This has to be a turning point for me. With the completion of this review, I will have reviewed at least three teas in the same month I finished them for the first time in what feels like a very long time. To be clear, I finished a 25g pouch of this tea last week. I’m a big fan of Yunnan white teas, but I was especially impressed by this one. It was a very visually appealing tea; those little rings were just so cute. It, however, also produced a very satisfying drinking session.
I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of rolled leaf buds in 4 ounces of 185 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was chased by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 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, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.
Prior to the rinse, the dry earrings produced aromas of hay, sugarcane, and smoke. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of malt, cooked lettuce, and corn husk. The first infusion then introduced scents of asparagus and bamboo. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes of bamboo, hay, cooked lettuce, malt, smoke, corn husk, and sugarcane that were chased by impressions of apricot and sour plum. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn creamy and buttery, though scents of lemon zest and eucalyptus were also evident. In the mouth, notes of asparagus arrived along with new flavors of artichoke, minerals, butter, cream, grass, marshmallow, lemon zest, straw, and eucalyptus. The final infusions emphasized lingering mineral, cooked lettuce, cream, lemon zest, and stone fruit notes that were underscored by hints of corn husk, butter, sugarcane, malt, and grass. I also managed to pick up a very subtle spinach note that came out towards the swallow on the final two or three infusions.
This was an interesting and very likable Yunnan white tea. I am certain that fans of such teas would enjoy it. Definitely consider giving it a shot if you are looking for a flavorful, aromatic, and visually appealing white tea. I doubt it will disappoint.
Flavors: Apricot, Artichoke, Asparagus, Bamboo, Butter, Corn Husk, Cream, Eucalyptus, Grass, Hay, Lemon Zest, Lettuce, Malt, Marshmallow, Mineral, Plum, Smoke, Spinach, Straw, Sugarcane
