Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: varied shades of green, lots of downy buds
Ingredients: white tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: gold
There are some teas that you hear about and dream of someday seeing. White tea cakes are definitely one of those elusive creatures for me. I was beyond thrilled when a kind introduction from +Jeff Fuchs led to one of them being sent to my door. It took a few weeks for me to find a time where I could really focus on tasting but I must admit to sneaking sniffs from time to time. The taste was mellow and sweet with delicate floral notes and an interesting herbaceous quality. After four consecutive infusions these leaves still had a lot more to give. I will have a hard time not drinking it all at once but I’m going to try to hold on to it for a bit so that I can see how it changes over time. +Conceptteas is a Swedish company that specializes in Chinese white tea and if this cake is any indication, they will definitely be one to watch. I also received a small sample of a 2009 vintage of this cake. How cool is that!?! I’ll be publishing a review soon but I think my friend +Geoffrey Norman put it best when he compared these two teas to the movie Looper.
2013 New-Born White Tea Cake sample provided by Conceptteas.