Tea: 2023 Old Arbor White (Gushu Bai)
Type: White Tea
Harvest: Spring 2023
Press Date: Spring 2023
Region: Kuashan, Lincang, Yunnan, China
Producer: Sister Lan
Tasting Notes: Cantaloupe, Black Cherry, Sweet Grass, Honeydew, Cream
This item is a small 7 gram single-session pressing of the larger similarly named 200 gram cake: same material, same maker, same press date. We offer them individually or in sets of three.
The green leaves of this white tea are large and wild, made of the Big Leaf Varietal common to Yunnan and picked from a mix of Old Arbor and Gushu Trees. The fragrance on the dry leaves is melon sweet reminding us of honeydew or cantaloupe. Once infused, the leaves begin to give off the Yunnan White characteristic tannic fragrance that is redolent of malted barley and something akin to condensed cherries.
The marvelous part about this tea is how deeply imbued the sweet fragrances are with the brew itself. Every brew turns out candy sweet in the mouth while still being as refreshing as cold fruit on a summer's day. Despite this light refreshing quality the brew is thick on the tongue and very rich in the mouth providing a pleasant huigan when drunk in quick succession.
We recommend brewing this tea in a gaiwan or porcelain teapot. Our brewing ratio is typically 6 grams of tea to 100-120ml of water in flash-fast infusions. We enjoy using boiling water when brewing our whites, but experimenting with cooler temperatures can create a more textured cup of tea.
