Moonlight Imperial white tea from Jinggu

Moonlight Imperial White Tea from Jinggu, which is called yue guang bai in Chinese yue guang bai presents some controversy regarding its definition since, due to its processing, it can fall into as many as four of the six known types of tea. This tea essentially follows a similar processing to that of a white tea, so it is very basic, but during processing a part of the leaf oxidises a lot, almost resembling a red tea.

Because part of the leaf is very oxidised and another part is not, some call this tea an oolong and even others put it in the pu er category because it is made in Yunnan from a particular variety of camellia called taliensis which is only found in this region.

We therefore leave it to those who try Moonlight Imperial White Tea to figure out which definition is most suitable for these leaves because even when tasting the infusion there will be different flavours ranging from the four categories mentioned above.

The drink will be orange in colour and very full bodied, typical of a white tea, although the oxidised character of red tea combined with the sweet, fragrant flavours of an oolong will be noticeable during tasting. At the end of the tasting, the sweetness of this tea will linger in the mouth as it often does when tasting puer.

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Tasting – Sight and smell

Moonlight Imperial white tea has strikingly variegated colors that one would not expect from a white tea: the leaves are in fact very dark, deep brown with brown highlights, while the many buds are green and silver, covered with soft white fluff. Once infused, they release sweet aromas reminiscent of honey and floral, with a fresh note of very delicate green wood. In the cup the tea is a beautiful golden yellow color, which intensifies in gaiwan as the infusions proceed until it almost approaches orange. There is no bitterness or astringency, only sweetness and a fruity softness that pleasantly envelops the palate.

Tasting Notes

GONG FU CHA

The first infusion of Moonlight Imperial white tea is sweet with sugary hints of acacia honey, with a slight woody note that hints at young branches and gives freshness. With the second infusion, hints of fruits such as yellow peach and apricot emerge strongly, as well as hints of wild flowers and a distinctive vanilla cocoa note. With the third and subsequent infusions, the sweet component returns to dominate, with notes of lime honey a little stronger than at the beginning; the floral part is also more intense and the whole is somehow softer and perfectly balanced.

WESTERN

The first sip of Moonlight Imperial white tea gives fresh hints of green wood and floral notes of wildflowers and chamomile. The sweetness of lime honey then appears almost immediately, followed by notes of yellow fruits such as peaches and apricots, in the form of compote or jam. In the floral notes , which remain on the finish along with very sugary hints, osmanthus also seems to emerge now.

Place of origin

Jinggu, Lincang – China

Production

The leaves of Moonlight Imperial white tea are usually harvested very late in the day and then left to wither overnight inside the production facilities.

After this process, the leaves are placed in heated chambers with temperatures of around 40 degrees to allow for stronger oxidation while the product continues to lose moisture. This type of tea has a fairly recent production: that is why there are various techniques and experiments around its processing, which may vary little from the method we have indicated above.

Preparation of Moonlight Imperial White Tea

We highly recommend infusing Moonlight Imperial white tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves.

Following this preparation, 5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) can be used in a gaiwan of about 150 ml to make several infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinse of the leaves in water at 85°C, an initial infusion of 40 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 (40-50-60…).

This tea has a longevity of about 8 infusions.

For a classic preparation according to the Western style, we recommend 3 grams of leaves (about 2 teaspoons) in a 200-mL cup with water at 85°C for an infusion time of 3-4 minutes.

The tea can be filtered for greater ease at the moment of tasting, and also the infusion times indicated above are intended to be purely indicative, so you can also adjust according to your personal taste.

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

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