A Fujian proverb says that white tea: “One year a tea, three years a medicine; seven years, a treasure!” and this one classifies as treasure.
To be honest, it could be one of the oldest white teas I have ever tasted, and I have to say it was pretty different. It had a rich woody, foresty and spicy feel to it. It was not as sweet as some fresh or younger white teas I had. It was not bitter neither. It had a smokiness and a pu-erh like earthy character to it. It did not have floral or mineral notes that I would find in different white teas. In terms of tasting notes, it was closer to black tea.
Judging on the colour of the dry leaves, one could easily mistake this tea for black tea. And the liquor colour and the taste also do not easily give away that this was a white tea. Offered to me by @chayungu01 (and the owner Madam Qin is a white tea expert), I find that this is the tea of the first choice on a cold winter day in Beijing. Madam Qin organises tea tasting sessions and whatever the tea type to be testes that day, she kicks off with an excellent white tea and says, “good for our throats, it is cold out there”. It is also kind of familiar that after the tasting finishes, Madam Qin offers this tea again and this time in a boiled form.
I have to say, I did like my white teas but thanks to Madam Qin, I am diving into aged whites, and I am really enjoying them.
Tea profile:
Type: White
Origin: Fujian Harvest time: 2013
Leaf colour: Dark brown with some lighter tips Liquor colour: Deep orange
Tea Aroma: Woody and earthy
Tea Taste: Smooth with smoky, woody and spicy flavours
Steeping: Place about 6 g of this tea in a gaiwan or teapot and add hot water around 100°C. After rinsing the leaves, you can steep for 10 seconds and add 10 second to each consecutive steeping. You can multi-steep this tea about 7 or 8 times. You can also boil this tea and drink until it loses it taste.
Shelf life: Can be aged