White 2 Tea

This is a queued tasting note.

Many thanks to Veck for passing along two of these bricks for me to try out during the Slack Secret Santa exchange! I actually almost ordered this for myself during Black Friday but opted not to at the last minute; so this is kind of the best of both worlds! Sampling without actually purchasing!

I weighed out the first of the mini bricks and it was 7.7g which is pretty perfect for a session so I just went with that. I took jot notes down in my journal throughout, and just had a small playlist going on repeat in the background of songs I was both in the mood for and that I preemptively thought might pair nicely.

Stream of consciousness style review.

Started with a five second rinse and then a rest…

5 Sec.
- Very light liquor
- Super faint notes of earth but no lingering notes of any kind

5 Sec.
- Already seeing a huge jump in liquor colour
- Has a clean earthiness (as much as ‘earth’ can be clean)
- Some surprising fruit sweetness like that of stewed fruits or even dates

7 Sec.
- More robust/full bodied notes emerging now
- Wet earth/wood, petrichor, sweet stewed fruits and dates
- Lingering earth notes in finish

10 Sec.
- Liquor/leaf has an almost “salted meat”/gamey sort of aroma??
- Liquor is like the last steep but stronger
- Top note has some of that same salty/meaty quality though; it’s strange

10 Sec.
- And just like that the saltyness is gone??
- Wet wood/earth/petrichor and the same stewed/cooked fruit and dates
- Bit of a molasses undertone
- Really smooth!

15 Sec.
- Mellowing out just slightly
- Back to a more “clean” earthy note
- With some more generic fruit notes and cane sugar; the latter is interesting to me

20 Sec.
- Liquor colour declining a bit
- Basically a repeat of last steep
- Enjoying the sweetness of this shou a lot though

25 Sec.
- Shifted the leaf around prior to the steep and saw a reemergence of salt notes???
- Still puzzled by the sporatic presence of this flavour
– Lots of sweetness in the top notes still though

35 Sec.
- Still some salt but not nearly as much; otherwise the same

45 Sec.
- Same as steep 8 & 9 but milder

60 Sec.
- Mostly just a sort of “crisp” earth note but also some wet wood notes
- So light/noticeably fading though

…And it was at this point I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearing eleven at night and I had to get up at 6:30 the next morning. Since the tea was mostly brewed out anyway, I just ended the session. Let me tell you though, I paid for the caffeine consumption so late at night though because I finally managed to get to sleep sometime after two in the morning after hours of tossing and turning in bed. The session was worth it though. Sure, some odd notes were picked up throughout salt but overall it was really nice. My favourite thing about this one was the date notes, for sure.

yeah… i like this tea. i think of myself as not liking oolongs but some from w2t and blt have been changing my opinion lately. i know some people don’t like w2t’s oolongs much… maybe 2dog picks oolongs for pu drinkers? :P

probably gonna have to order some.

not feeling tasting notes lately, but this one is very sweet.

I had first steeped this gong fu style and didn’t come away too impressed. I had a feeling I made a misstep which is why I didn’t review it at the time. I know that sometimes with white tea gong fu works nicely and with some other white teas, western style seems to get better results.

So last night, I brewed this western style for my tea book club. We read Devil in the White City which is why I picked a white tea as one of my teas. I made a point to overleaf in the pot and it paid off. The brew was thick and flavorful. And well received. We brewed two rounds of this last night. I had forgotten to empty the leaves out of the pot last night so I decided to see if I could coax a third brew by steeping it for about 8 minutes. It was still delicious.

I’m excited I found the best way to brew this because it is really good when done western style.

This was very different than other shou Puerh I’ve had. It was much sweeter and less earthy, which surprised me. A mushroomy scent at first. Very smooth. Some may really like this. Personally I prefer a less sweet blend that’s more earthy. I made it in a gaiwan. After the initial 15second rinse, I had two drinkable steeps so far. The first me 20s, the second one 30s. I’m curious to taste the next steeps to see how it develops.

I received this tea as part of the White2Tea club box.

I’m not sure why, but I usually end up drinking this tea in the evening. I find it relaxes me somehow. As I begin writing I’m on the 2nd steep of this 60ml session and I can feel some warmth coming into my chest and up into my cheeks. The taste seems more mellow than the first couple times I brewed it when it arrived. The wet leaf still has a light smokiness and tobacco scent. I can feel the sides of my mouth and jaw being stimulated. Onto the 3rd steep the taste is still fairly light in bitterness and is a bit difficult to describe. It feels as though this tea has some age on it but retains some of its brash youthfulness. I can imagine this tea would have been a teeth clencher in its early days. It’s too bad there was such a limited supply, as the only ways to obtain this tea from white2tea would have been to spend a handsome sum and receive one for free during the 2015 Black Friday event, or to go through the club. I would be very curious to taste this tea in another 15 years with good storage. Unfortunately at the rate I’m drinking it I will be lucky to have any left after 5 years let alone 15. My mind is starting to wander and I can’t help but think that this loosely organized stream of thoughts will soon fall apart so I’ll have to cut this rambling short. This tea is very special to me. From the moment I opened it the smell of the wrapper and tea were intoxicating and the liquor it produces is so relaxing and comforting. As others have pointed out it’s a bit difficult to put a finger on what the flavour notes might be, but I can say that this is a tea with an inoffensive taste that lets the drinker wander off without demanding attention.

So I feel like, as time goes on, I grow to appreciate roasted oolongs more and more. I got this as part of December’s w2t sub box and it has been waiting to be tried. Decided to move on to this one after enjoying a session with a 95 TGY that spanned two days (and will probably keep on going) and continue winding down from the wedding earlier.

Threw 7g in the gaiwan and hit it with boiling water. First steep is super quick and the resulting liquor is roasty and sweet, with an appreciable minerality. Enjoyed relaxing with this one through the afternoon, but wish it had lasted longer!

First of all, the middle of this damn thing is absolutely stupid. It’s like the equivalent of an iron cake but much thicker. Whoever has broke one of these up has experienced what it is like to train in the gravity chamber… just saiyan.

Anyways: This is an easy tea to brew that provides a solid orange liquid showing that there is some age to it for sure. Depth is at the mid range, but easily appreciated. For the price it’s great, but dang… the middle of this thing turns me off of it. It’s the same reason that I don’t like iron cakes though; just losing the ability to get a nice piece off and having an easy brew session is gone once you get those chunks off that look like those pieces of blocktop that are 3×3 inches at a playground (anyone else remember those?).

Got this from Roswell Strange in the slack secret santea exchange! Thanks again!

Brought one of these in to have at work today, since one was already broken up, I wouldn’t have to worry about damaging it bringing it here. Quick rinse, let it all sit in the gaiwan, quick first steep.

The liquor is super dark. The aroma is definitely that of shou, but the mandarin skin is definitely in there as well. The texture is extremely smooth. Thinking I should have maybe done another rinse or two to start, though. rhinkle likens the first steep to shoe polish, and in the second steep I can start to see where she’s coming from. Then I see w2t recommends tossing the first couple of steeps for some. There is an enjoyable creaminess behind it all, though, and I get the mandarin rind coming through, as well.

After a couple of steeps, the mandarin aroma really starts to explode out of the gaiwan, and the flavor pushes to the forefront more, as well. A blend of smooth earth and citrus bite. Definitely one to sip on slowly for me. I’ll continue with this one for the rest of the day and update notes accordingly.

So it’s been a couple of days, but I had saved these leaves so I decided to give them another try this morning. Basically seeing how far I can push leaves I’ve got laying around from earlier in the week before tossing them. Mellow and smooth with an up front sweetness and a persistent aroma. The liquor has lightened up but is still dark. I would say the flavor of the mandarin is pushing into the forefront more and more.

Texture of the tea was soft but not overly thick. The most pronounced flavor note was a fairly strong (but not altogether unpleasant) sourness with standard “green” flavors – almost reminded me of a less-floral unroasted tie guan yin. Not much bitterness there at all, but a very noticeable mouth drying effect. Just the slightest hint of sweetness on the tip of the tongue after I drank it.

This one I found to be pretty harsh on the stomach. Actually, it’s the first sheng I thought that about.

Not terribly impressed, probably wouldn’t get more.

The cake is hard pressed and it really is chocolate-bar thin. it’s very easy to snap off an approximately 7.5g square, but if you want an amount of tea that isn’t a multiple of that, good luck.

The orange taste and aroma is subtler than I was expecting. I had never had these aged oranges before, and it is really nothing like fresh orange peel. Still, I might have preferred more orange in the mix. The good news is that the orange really incorporates into the flavor making it feel like one thing, not like just puerh and orange coexisting seperately in the cup, if you know what I mean. The orange really seems to want to be brewed hot and long for best aroma. There was only a slight pleasant bitterness present, even when brewed long. Texture wise, I prefer a thicker creamier shou then what this offered, but it was still quite smooth.

Overall I’m happy I bought it, but I don’t see myself buying more. That being said two caveats: I brewed this with a 7.5g square when I normally brew with 10g in an 150ml gaiwan because I prefer things on the stronger side. Also, it hadn’t rested at all before tasting. I’ll try it again in a smaller vessel in a week or two and see if my impression changes.

Thick, smooth, semi-earthy, & creamy. The liquor is dark. I can drink this for a long while. Currently working through my 15th infusion, with longer steeping times (90-120s for the meantime). This tea can go on, & on, & on, & on….

On initial steeping wet leaves have a subtle aroma of tobacco and peat smoke. This bears out in the flavor of early steeps, but goes away quickly. Early steeps needed to remain short to avoid bitterness, but with steeps kept short was very pleasant. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, especially on the early steeps. Later a slightly citrusy, fruity tang creeps in.

I enjoyed this tea and would consider getting more.

I couldn’t find this tea in the database so added it. White 2 Tea doesn’t seem to carry this year anymore either. It was only a sample size I have. I had it before but didn’t leave a review and noted on the package that it was too mild and that I needed to use more leaf for next time.

So I emptied the entire contents into my clay gaiwan. It was about 8-9g. That’s a lot of leaf for me but I am so glad I used that amount. This tea is sweet like honey and a bit of hay. There’s a note of sweet dates too. Very delicious. Not strong at all yet it brews up a medium golden colour.

I’ve had a few infusions so far and am pretty sensitive to caffeine. With most pu-erh teas I would be feeling the caffeine rush at this point. With this tea , I don’t. It seems to be very light in caffeine.

I am quite impressed with this tea and may buy some of this from White 2 Tea for the 2014 version. They actually have it listed as a white tea and not pu-erh. This one I had was in a pressed cake so I assumed it was a white pu-erh.

Nice. Just what I was looking for as a daily drinker to grab when nothing else strikes me.

From the Pu’erh Plus TTB (last sample). My second Huang Pian. Still in new territory.

Brewed in a ceramic gaiwan. Gave the leaf a flash rinse and a 5-minute rest. Steeping times: 8, 10, 10, 10, 8, 20, 20, 30, 30, 45; 1 minute, 1’ 30’’, 2, 4, 9.

I couldn’t smell anything from the dry leaf, grass at best. The leaf does have an aroma after sitting in the pre-heated gaiwan – apricot, white sugar – though it is weak. The wet leaf aroma, in contrast, is far stronger, smelling of apricot and white grapes.

The soup looks like Welsher’s white grape juice. (I forgot to take note of body – it’s been days since I had this session). The first infusion tastes like a second rinse – far too weak to determine anything about taste and texture. I still don’t taste much in the second infusion, but I do get notes of what I tasted in W2T’s 2014 Huang Pian: marshmallow root and vanilla. Also a similar huigan. The third infusion has a thick and smooth texture, and feels buzzy.

Still light in flavor……I up the temperature to boiling. The fourth infusion tastes the same (sweet, marshmallow root, vanilla) but has a silky texture. There is a change in 5 and 6, which are delicate, floral, and wispy. No change in flavor intensity. I decide to go back to my initial temperature (200), if this is what I’m getting out of Fade. Infusions 7 through 12 are exactly like 5 and 6 in taste and feel. I’m liking this wispy quality. It’s like airy but cloudier. My teeth feel smooth.

No change in 13 and 14 except for the menthol note that appears in the huigan. There has been huigan during the entirety of the session.

Having just my second Huang Pian, I can’t make conclusions, as the sessions with this and W2T’s other Huang Pian were educational. I found out I like stronger flavors in young sheng. I’m curious about aged Huang Pian.

From the Pu’erh Plus TTB. My first Huang Pian sheng. I’m entering new territory.

Brewed in a ceramic gaiwan. Gave the leaf a flash rinse and a 5-minute rest. Steeping times: 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 10, 20, 30; 1 minute, 2, 4, 9.

Note: I unfortunately don’t have an un-biased 100ml brewing vessel. I realized that 5g of sheng in a 60ml vessel would produce a very bitter soup, so I tried to minimize the potential bitterness brewing a number of flash steepings in the beginning.

The dry leaf smells mostly of grass and smoke, and there is some sweetness. After I let the leaf rest in the pre-heated gaiwan, the leaf purely smells sweet – the familiar apricot. Same with the wet leaf.

The soup is light in color and has a medium body. The first infusion tastes very light and sweet, with notes of marshmallow root and vanilla, and just a bit of apricot. Immediately there is huigan. The marshmallow root and vanilla don’t quit. The second infusion is bittersweet, and this is where I step in with the 3-second times. Infusions 3-8 are stronger with flavor, still tasting sweet with the marshmallow root, vanilla, and apricot notes. Same huigan continues. The marshmallow root and vanilla disappear, so 9-15 taste solely of apricot. The huigan still continues, with an added menthol note. Overall, the soup felt airy in my mouth. No qi felt.

I chose Little Walk to christen my new (first!) tea table, more for the fact that it was already out than really for anything else.

It tastes like a green. It’s grassy, but the grass needs some water it’s looking a little brown, grass. For that though, it’s more astringent than a green and more pungent as well. It’s not a bad tea, but ehh. I don’t remember if I have a full cake floating around or not. I’d drink it up, but I’m not particularly impressed?

Sipdown (161)!

Ugh; nothing like your laptop dying mid tasting note…

Laptop died around the third steep, so rewrote those based on memory.

I’ve tried mandarin stuffed pu’erh before – but this is by far the smallest one I’ve ever had. I wasn’t sure if I should crack the casing for it, because in the past I’ve had to crack the casings because the size of the orange has just been so large that it was enough, easily, for multiple sessions. Not the case with this one. Further inspection on W2T’s site reveals cracking it is not necessary, but since there was a large crack along one side of my drop in the first place I just cracked it in half anyway.

Started with a 5 sec rinse

5 Secs.
Smells lightly of sweet mandarin oranges
Flavour is smooth; not bitter like anticipated??? Or like the W2T site suggests is should be
Damp/wet wood and earth: very petrichor
Dull mandarin orange segment flavour

5 Secs.
More robust/juicy mandarin smell fills the whole room
Also a bit floral/like fresh flowers???
Aroma translates to flavour; minus the floral component
Stronger wet earth; reminds me of the forest floor
Having an issue with the very fine broken leaves getting through my gaiwan
Perhaps that’s why it shouldn’t be cracked!? Learn from me, tea friends.

7 Secs.
God, that mandarin aroma is so intense and beautiful
About equal in taste to the earthy notes
Wet wood/earth, moss, minerals, wet stones… basically all the wet stuff
Thick soup/liquor

12 Secs.
Picking through the leaf in the gaiwan a little… the mandarin casing is intense!
Liquor is getting a little sweeter
Taste in my mouth after swallowing is like the flavour of honeysuckle
My brother, cousin, and I used to suck the honey/nectar from honeysuckles as kids and it’s just like that!
Doesn’t mean a lack of earthy/brothy body

20 Secs.
More mandarin than pu’erh
Sweet, and feels almost like a perfumed mandarin? Or orange blossoms?
Very smooth; strong flavours but still feels delicate at times

20 Secs.
Mandarin starts the sip and ends it
Mid sip feels equal parts like wet earth/wet stone and fresh flowers
With a brothy, game-y component?
Really well rounded, supple
Getting stronger/more intense now

25 Secs.
Essentially a repeat of last infusion…

30 Secs.
Really strong mandarin – in smell and taste
Otherwise the same/very similar
Perhaps I’ve hit the sweet spot, now

30 Secs.
Sweet/bright overall
Earthyness somewhat overshadowed by the mandarin
Orange blossoms

45 Secs.
Liquor colour has SIGNIFICANTLY lightened from how opaque it started
Just a little weaker overall
Mandarin has a little tartness/sourness in the finish

60 Secs.
Mostly just mandarin
Can tell this is close to being brewed out

60 Secs.
Weak and watery, with whispers of mandarin and wet stone notes
Could continue until it’s completely brewed out, but I’m happy to stop here

Really happy with this purchase! I got many, many really lovely infusions from it and enjoyed every single one of them greatly. The mandarin was super lovely, and surrounded by a family on Christmas munching away at Mandarin oranges it felt perfectly appropriate as a choice for a tea session.

Even though I own this, I tried a sample from the Puerh TTB+ box to see if an older/different sample was any more mellow. I also switched up my brewing parameters from last time and used lower temperature water with shorter steeps.

Still a lot of bitterness here. And since I’ve tried nice shengs from white2tea this is just kinda meh. I think I’m actually going to toss the remainder of my stash in the “Here’s Hoping” box (yes I currently have two tea boxes).

Eh.. drinking this tonight and not sure how I feel about it. I tried boiling first and that makes it waaaay to astringent. I brought the temperature down to 180-190 and it was still bitter. When I let it cool to green tea temperatures it got a lot better. But man, this tea is a lot of work. Out of 10 total steeps I probably got maybe 2 or 3 good ones. I might try another session and start out with just 170 or 160 water.

Been looking forward to trying this one. Was glad to be able to get some of this from JWhisk’s stash. Steeped it at work to produce a nice, dark, thick smooth liquor and I had to come back to this one after a couple of days because I just couldn’t finish the session in one day. I got sweetness out of this one right from the start, but it took a few steeps for more flavor to really start emerging, after which point the taste of the storage became very apparent. The sweetness persisted and I started to get some mustiness and wet soil, along with lingering camphor. I found there to be so much depth to the flavor that it was hard to put words to some of it, and I look forward to another session with this one.