Right after breakfast, I wanted to drink something refreshing. I still have a couple of samples Tea Joint kindly sent me a few weeks ago and I picked a white tea for today’s session. Once in a while, I like to drink fresh white tea because it is something that is both refreshing and warming at the same time. That was also the case for today’s tea: a Bai Jian white tea.
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Bai Jian
The Bai Jian is a white tea from Yunnan province and mostly consists of large buds. Now that I started learning Chinese, I actually know what bai jian means. Bái (白) means ‘white’ and jiàn (剑) means ‘sword’ or ‘blade’. I definitely see where the name comes from because the leaves really look like white blades.
The leaves consist of big, beige and hairy buds. The aroma has a candy-like sweetness to it and also some light notes of incense.
A tiny bit of sweetness and some sour notes of green apples once the leaves get wet. The colour has darkened a bit so it’s dark beige. Still amazed by the size of the buds.
Tea Tasting
- Water 80-90°C
- 5g for a 100ml porcelain gaiwan
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Infusion 1 (30 sec): the liquor is really light, but that is something you can expect from a white tea. Flavours are subtle, so I’ll do a longer infusion after this one. Light sweetness with a soft hint of sour apples in the finish.
Infusion 2 (45 sec): the colour seems to be a tiny bit darker. Now the flavours are starting to come through. Fruity sweetness that slowly enters the mouth and keeps on spreading in my body. I expected this sweetness to keep on going in the aftertaste, but that is not the case.
Infusion 3 (55 sec): the intensity keeps increasing and it’s still sweet and a tiny bit fruity. In general, it’s definitely what you can expect from a good silver needle. The flavours are noticeable in the finish as well.
Infusion 4 (65 sec): the colour is a deep yellow/orange. No big changes in flavours; only soft, sweet and fruity ones. I feel that the flavours are fading a bit.
Infusion 5 (long): subtle, sweet and fruity. I’m also getting some sharper notes during this one and the flavours are fading.
Infusion 6 (long): more of the same flavours, but the leaves are spent now. I’m getting more harsh notes. There is still a sweetness somewhere in there, but you really have to look for it.
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Conclusion
This was a good session. The flavours were enjoyable and are what you can expect from an entry-point silver needle. The sweetness I experienced during the second and third infusion was fantastic. During the final infusions, some harsher notes were popping up, but I could still feel the fruity sweetness underneath. This is a decent tea, especially at this price point. It’s basic but good. This is what you can expect at 24 CAD for 100g.
If you want to buy this tea, you can do so over here.
