Ai Lao Mountain Jade Needle White Tea

There is a glorious sweet spot to this tea. If steeped at just the right (mysterious) parameters, it smells and tastes a little like brioche, wheatgrass, and osmanthus (edit: originally mixed up my flowers here). It’s mildly sweet, verging on buttery, as well as slightly nutty and honey-infused. It’s thick feeling — even rich at times. It reminds me of the sweet-smelling grasses and vegetation in Hawaii (also, the sweetgrass in my own region). It’s such a joyful flavour/aroma profile.

I’m not sure if this is characteristic of this tea or because it’s oxidized overtime to the point that black tea characteristics are now present (it’s a 2021 harvest). I love it though! (OK, looking up the website’s description, sounds like this is just what this tea is like. Amazing).

In other steeps, I sometimes get a slightly bitter and sour vegetal-wood note (think asparagus and pine notes) in addition to the above-mentioned characteristics, That also is an enjoyable cup; the nippier quality of this profile mellows and diversifies out as it cools too. The general complexity and richness makes it a dynamic multi-steeper and a rewarding tea to commit to.

Steep Count: 4

A nice Yunnan white that is indeed a bit more grassy and green tea like as you would normally expect. It doesn’t stand out all that much, but it does have a very nice thick buttery texture and a balanced taste profile.

Dry leaves smell of nuts and hay, while wet leaf aroma is more sweet and floral, akin to tree sap and honey. Taste-wise, the tea reminds me of apples, green wood, pine, cream, asparagus, and grass. Aftertaste is then sweet and floral again. It is somewhat biting in the throat and at the same time mouth-drying without being astringent.