Bai Mu Dan White Tea - Fukien Tea Shop

 

I was in Hong Kong in 2008 sampling tea at Fukien Tea Shop, when the owner Mr Yeo asked me whether I wanted some white tea.  He said he had ordered some new Bai Mu Dan and found them to be quite good.  I purchased 500g and requested that the tea be packed into 4 smaller packets. Upon reaching home, I stored them in empty tea tins and only trying this tea today. 

This white tea was very aromatic even when I was unwrapping the wrapper. It was like a light perfume with nice floral notes. I used about 5g of tea in a 180ml teapot and I could get more than 6 good infusions. Lightly sweet in the aftertaste. I could enjoy the tea hot and even when it had cooled down. I think it will make a cold tea as well. 

Though this white tea tasted very light and delicate, I hesitate to drink this tea in the evening as my last experience drinking white tea kept me awake way past midnight.  An enjoyable tea and I am happy to have it in one of my tea caddies.  

An Older Mei Zi Jing Pu erh Cake

 

I opened an older Mei Zi Jing raw pu erh cake. No date chop on the wrapper but I had kept this cake in my collection for more than 12 years.  Mei Zi Jing is an area or region in the Lincang district of Yunnan, China. This 400g cake was produced by Yongde tea factory. 

Most of pu erh tea in my collection that were harvested from the Lincang area had a smoky background. This cake was non smoky and It was interesting when I had a tea session of this tea. 

With more than 12 years of storage in my collection, this tea is mellow and smooth.   The taste of the tea was mainly dominated by a woody taste. It was a little bitter but I could not detect any other flavours in the tea.  The after taste is nice with a pleasing salivating sensation after I had drank a cup of this tea. 

But I digress. Tea collectors like myself store away our pu erh for 10-15-20 years.  Even though we take pains to ensure proper storage for the pu erh to age, there will be many instances where the aged tea will not be what we imagined or desired. We may wish for a strong aged tea with complicating taste and aroma but there will be some tea that will come out extremely well and some not too well.  If you are intending to store and age your pu erh tea, be prepared for a wild adventure.