Lao Bai Cha White Tea Cake 2015 350g

The 2015 Lao Bai Cha white tea cake is made from leaves harvested and matured in the Fuding area. When it comes to 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 that conservation 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 debuts on the palate and sides of the mouth with woody flavors related to the oxidation undergone over time. Despite the ripening on the plant front, some young flavors can still be traced, 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 sugarcane 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 first sips, a slightly moist mouthfeel.

Place of origin

Fuding, Fujian – China

Production

Leaves once harvested are left to shrivel in the sun for a while before moving on to the next phase where they will dry naturally or with the help of hot air jets indoors. The few steps in the making of this tea are aimed at making the leaf lose water very slowly therefore obtaining a low level of oxidization incapable of altering too much the vegetal flavors of the infusion but, at the same time, giving the beverage a better 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.

How to prepare

We highly recommend infusing this tea in the traditional Chinese method (gong fu cha) to best enjoy these leaves. Following this preparation it is possible to use 5.5 grams of leaves (about 3 teaspoons) in a gaiwan of about 150 ml (3 fl oz) in order to obtain more infusions with different tastes. After a quick rinsing of the leaves in water at 85° C (85° F) it can be done a first infusion of 10 seconds and, after that, by keeping the water at the same temperature, it can be done increasing every time the time of 10 seconds compared to the previous infusion (10 – 20 – 30…).

This tea has a longevity of about 7 brewings.

For a classic Western-style preparation, 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 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.