Spring 2021 Harvest
Running with an impulse a few months back, I ordered a bunch of white teas from Yunnan Sourcing. Now my bad decision has come home to roost and I have so much white tea now (300g across the board) – many of which are very different from what I’ve grown used to (I’m going to have to tinker with a few of them to find parameters I like)!
I’m starting with this one because I “get it”. I can do a 3-4 minute western steep and it yields a satisfying cup of familiar notes of cucumber (raw veg), hay (umami/grass), and gentle squeeze of lemon (fruity).
I love the juxtaposition of that ethereal “spa-water” flavour profile with the thick, lush mouth feel. The sweetness in this session is verging on honey-like, but it’s not quite there yet; it’s still slightly unripe green melon.
I’m also drinking this gongfu style alongside it, and it’s quite a different experience (so intensely sweet with light malt notes). I’ll do a separate tasting note for that some other time.
Steep Count: 4
Flavors: Cucumber, Floral, Fruity, Grass, Hay, Lemon, Melon, Mineral, Sweet, Umami
Ok, on one hand, it may be a poor tea purchase decision. Not that I would know anything about that. :)
On the other, here you are pushing against your boundaries and ingrained tea habits. Look at you go! Learning all the things.
Also, 300 grams is not so bad. It could’ve been a kilo.
I love how much different steeping methods can change the flavor of a tea. Sometimes it’s like drinking a completely different tea.
I’ve never had this much white tea on my person before, but it should be fun to play around with all of them. Maybe I’ll get back into gongfu style XD