The cake is a tightly compressed mass of dark green, with strands of silver, beige, khaki and white interspersed throughout. The dry leaf smells smoky and slightly fruity — pretty typical for a younger sheng.
I broke off 5.85 grams of dry leaf and gave the tea a quick rinse in 90°C water in my medium-sized gaiwan (about 130 mL). After the rinse, the smell of the leaf transformed from slightly smoky and fruity to intensely fermented — it was sour and reminded me of yogurt. I don’t mind this smell, but it was a surprise.
The first steep was very clear and had an amber tint to it like beer. The taste was refreshing: clear, smooth, with no sharpness or astringency. I noticed a slight bitter aftertaste.
The second steep was bitter and some smoke started to creep in. It’s possible I oversteeped this one, though, as I was slow to pour the liquid out of the gaiwan. Because of this, I noticed some astringency along with the bitterness. I took care during the third steep and was rewarded with liquid that was lighter in both colour and flavour – the bitterness hadn’t disappeared, but the fruitiness of the leaf came out to play. Despite the presence of fruit, though, the tea was still relatively herbal in flavour, with a bitter aftertaste.
The flavour stayed pretty consistent from here until the seventh steep. One thing I noticed about this tea is that its bitterness has a quality I feel on the middle and sides of my tongue, rather than the back of it. The mouthfeel and the flavour are both thin — this tea washes over my mouth smoothly, coats my tongue, and recedes quickly, leaving no trace. The colour lightened over time as well, becoming a pale gold rather than the amber it was at the beginning.
C’mon guys, read the full review. It’s got cat photos! http://booksandtea.ca/2015/11/white2tea-november-2015-subscription-box-2015-pin-raw-puerh/
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You had me at cat photos. What a cutie! :-)
Awesome blog! I love your design. Yeah I have this tea also and am waiting a few months for it to settle before I try it.
Obviously, I need to add cat photos to get traffic. You think I would’ve figured that out earlier.
Don’t underestimate people’s appetites for cuteness. Oolong Owl is great, but half the reason I click through is the cute crochet owls in the pictures.
You had me at cat photos. What a cutie! :-)
Awesome blog! I love your design. Yeah I have this tea also and am waiting a few months for it to settle before I try it.
Obviously, I need to add cat photos to get traffic. You think I would’ve figured that out earlier.
Don’t underestimate people’s appetites for cuteness. Oolong Owl is great, but half the reason I click through is the cute crochet owls in the pictures.