Arbor White is an impressive white tea that has a lot going on for it. However, I think it is not special enough for me given the price. Ultimately, I liked the Arbor Red more, which is why I got a cake of that one instead. Nevertheless, the complexity is definitely there.
The aromas are fairly standard for a white tea of this kind – there are notes of autumn leaf pile, honey, petrichor and passion fruit. The rinse is sweet, fruity and woody with a pronounced apricot note. The complexity increases in future steeps. I can notice flavours of bark, stonefruits, lemon zest, egg shells, spices and copper in addition to those mentioned. The profile remains very balanced throughout the session. It is a comforting and smooth tea. The finish is somewhat sour and it extends into the aftertaste, which then makes it feel like the liquor stayed in the mouth.
The liquor has a medium body and is mouth-watering. The mouthfeel is very expansive, soft and a little chalky. It induces a tingling sensation in the mouth and I feel like it’s more interesting once the tea has cooled down a bit.
As for the aftertaste, I find it quite acidic and slick with a cooling sensation in the mouth. It is somewhat earthy and displays further notes of pumpkin spice and cake.
In none of the sessions with this tea I noticed any particular cha qi, which came as a bit of a surprise.
edit: And half an hour after I wrote that, I notice the music filling the room much more than normally, I feel elevated, and my writing looks as if I was dyslexic. The cha qi of this tea is a creeper that you mightn’t even notice because of the slow onset, but it’s quite pleasant overall.
Flavors: Apricot, Autumn Leaf Pile, Bark, Cake, Earth, Fruity, Honey, Lemon Zest, Metallic, Passion Fruit, Petrichor, Pleasantly Sour, Pumpkin Spice, Spices, Stonefruit, Sweet, Wood
