Moonlight White Tea Cake

Moonlight White Tea (Yue Guang Bai) is made up of fleshy, silver-colored budsets covered with tiny white hairs or “down” as well as the two leaves below the bud; collectively known as the “budset.” It is a quite uniqe tea coming into being only about ten years ago made with an unique processing method these leaves undergo: they are withered by moonlight.

The Moonlight White Tea for this tea cake comes from high in the mountains of Jinggu at an altitude of about 2200 meters (7200 feet) from 100-300 year old Arbor tea trees. The picking standard for the Moonlight White Tea is one bud to one or two leaves, and the tea leaf is very fuzzy. The freshly picked leaves are withered under moonlight, resulting in a longer withering period and more oxidation compared to Fuding White tea such as Peony White tea withered under sunlight before the tea is pressed into cakes. This gives a darker color and a rich aroma to the tea. The flavor is smooth and fruity, with a full-bodied texture.
Supply: QianYe Tea, 2008

1 Tasting Note

Scharp

I just received this tea today. I ordered 3 cakes (1 to try and two to age). They also sent samples along with this for me to try. This is the first Moonlight White tea I’ve tried.

Leaf Quality:
The tea cake was very beautiful. There were nice browns, black-greens, whites and yellows. The dry leaves had a very faint scent that I couldn’t fully discern. The wet leaves, however, smelled very fruity, sweet, and floral. There was a slight hint of banana among the floral aroma. The leaves didn’t change color much in the short brew time.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea was very light in color; clear golden-yellow. The scent was also light, and smelled floral, sweet, and a tiny bit earthy. The taste was much the same as the scent, with a very nectar-like aftertaste. What a silky-smooth tea!
Second Steeping
This was more sweet and fruity than the first steeping. It was absolutely delicious. The fruit was more of a peach or plum now.

I really liked this tea. I hope the other two will age well. It had great character. Hopefully soon I’ll get better, as this cold is lasting a while.

2012-10-23 21:11:06 -0400

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