Our tea producer, Cindy Chen, slipped some samples into our Spring harvest taster pack of this little paper wrapped tea cake. As soon as I tasted it I knew I had to bring it into my collection and share it with you. It represents the innovation and enjoyment of tasting new teas that is what I care the most about.
These White Tea Hand Pressed Cakes were a new experiment for the Chen family in 2022. They have taken a winter crop, processed it as a white tea and injected some of their art and craft of Wuyi oolong production to create a delightfully sweet and refreshing tea.
Due to the manual pressing, the weight of the tea leaves vary from 5g – 8g.
Origin: Guwan Keng, Fujian province, China
Flavour profile: Semi-sweet | Hay | Stone-fruit
Processing highlights: Fresh tea leaves are picked and withered outdoor for about 45 minutes at a temperature of 20˚C. The tea leaves are subjected to hand-shaking which oxidises the leaves similar to the production of oolong tea. The tea leaves are dried for 3 days outdoors and baked for shelf stability.
The cultivar used in the production of these winter white hand pressed tea cakes is Da Bai. Plucked from tea bushes that are estimated to be 80 years old.
Harvest: Winter 2022
Cultivar: Zheng He Da Bai
Plucking standard: Tender young leaves and some buds
Tea Master: Ms Chen
Produced in the northern Fujian province where it is believed white tea originated. The mountainous area is often enshrouded in a sea of clouds and the tea growth benefits from fertile soil and a subtropical climate.
Elevation: Produced at an elevation of approximately 1,000m
Our Winter White Pressed Tea Cakes are clean and fresh with a high floral fragrance and a delicate sweetness that resembles peach and fresh hay.
Enjoyable for anytime of day. Drinks beautifully on it's own and makes a perfect pair with a semi-hard goat milk cheese that has a nutty flavour on it's second brew.
Leaf appearance: A loose pressed tea cake of tender leaves and some white downy buds.
Aroma: High floral aroma with notes of straw and fresh stone-fruit reminiscent of peach.
Liquor colour: Clear orange-yellow liquor
