The 2015 Lao Bai Cha white tea cake is made from leaves harvested and aged in the Fuding area. When talking about aged products, puer rather than white teas are mentioned much more often, but even the latter have excellent flavor evolution over time. Unlike products from Yunnan, however, white tea usually ages in the loose leaf state and is pressed into cakes only a few months before being sold. This expedient is necessary for the purpose of more uniform ripening because the leaves of this type of tea are much thinner and smaller than those of puer, leading to the inner cake material not receiving enough air and developing much more slowly. This 2015 product of ours, following this preservation principle, presents down all the leaves of a pastel brown color among which some buds of a dull silver color stand out.
The infusion of these leaves aged by the Fuding exits on the palate and sides of the mouth with woody flavors related to the oxidation undergone over time. Despite the maturation on the vegetal front, one can still trace some youthful flavors such as that of some pungent mountain herbs or roots. As the tasting continues, however, the sweetness of which these teas are capable will begin to make its way onto the palate. In particular here there will be a hint of sugar cane supported by a slight mineral presence. Overall, the body of the drink maintains a full and round character devoid of any dryness giving, on the contrary, from the very first sips, a slightly moist mouthfeel.
Location of origin
Fuding, Fujian - China
Production
The leaves once harvested are left to wither in the sun for some time before moving on to the next stage where they will dry naturally or with the help of hot air jets indoors. The few steps in the processing of this tea aim to make the leaf lose water very slowly thus achieving a low level of oxidation unable to alter too much the herbal flavors of the infusion but, at the same time, provide the drink with more structure and body. Once dried, the leaves are selected and then allowed to age at will and then pressed when the desired degree of ripeness is reached.
Preparation
We strongly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation, 5.5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 100 ml to obtain multiple infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 85°C, an initial infusion of 10 seconds can be made, and after that, keeping the water at the same temperature, the time can be increased each time by 10 seconds from the previous infusion (10 - 20 - 30...).
This tea has a longevity of about 7 infusions.
For a classic preparation according to the Western style we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 150 ml cup with water at 85°C for an infusion time of one and a half minutes.
The tea can be filtered for ease when tasting and also the infusion times given here above are meant to be purely indicative so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.
We recommend storing in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
