During one of Mei Leaf’s previous sales, I picked up a 70g pouch of 2018 Moonlight White. It was relatively cheap and the reviews were good so why not? I’m a big fan of their white teas so I had high hopes for this one. I also bought a new gaiwan, which is what I used during the session.
Don’t know where to buy tea online in Europe? I made a list of over 60 online shops and I keep updating it regularly. You can check it over here.
Moonlight White
This tea is unusual in a sense because it is made from Camellia Taliensis trees, rather than Camellia Sinensis. The vast majority of teas in the world are Camellia Sinensis, so this one is an exception. This tea comes from Jinggu in Yunnan Province and is probably from trees that are around 100 years old. They made this tea by picking the leaves and then withering them indoors by using hot air.
The dry leaves are a mixture of a lot of different things: large leaves, smaller leaves and the occasional bud. The colours are mainly light and faded greens. The aroma is minty but I’m also getting some notes of hay and something really sweet.
Once the leaves are wet, the sweetness and notes of hay have disappeared. I’m still getting minty notes. The smell is a bit like a mint syrup and the colour is a uniform kind of green.
Tea Tasting
- Water 90°C
- 4g for a 100ml gaiwan
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Infusions
1st infusion (15 sec): the liquor looks really thick and the colour is a lighter kind of yellow. This infusion starts out with minty flavours but it’s not edgy or harsh; it’s more a creamy kind of mintiness. Not 100% creamy but the flavours are full and round so creamy is the best way to describe them.
2nd infusion (20 sec): the colour of this infusion is a bit darker. The aroma resembles a cool minty syrup and the liquor is really thick again. There is also a kind of sweetness going on. Now I get why the package says this tea is supposed to have some sherbet flavours.
3rd infusion (25 sec): very thick liquor! The creaminess is fading and the mintiness is a bit softer as well. The minty flavours are becoming a bit sharper and edgier. There is also some astringency going on after swallowing.
4th infusion (30 sec): the mintiness has returned to its former glory and is full-on again. The sharp and edgy notes and the astringency have disappeared. Even though this is the fourth infusion, the liquor is still thick and syrupy.
5th infusion (35 sec): the aroma coming from this infusion is pure bliss. A subtle mintiness with notes of ripe and sweet melon. While tasting, I notice that the mintiness is softer again and I’m also getting notes of ripe melon. These are, however, barely noticeable.
6th infusion (40 sec): this infusion has a very sweet aroma. The liquor is not as thick anymore, but still thicker than other teas. It’s mainly a pleasant mintiness at the start that fades out slowly.
I did some additional infusions and it just kept producing amazing steeps.
I recently did a session with a green tea from Tanzania! If you want to read my detailed notes, you can read all about it over here.
Conclusion
I got this tea during one of Mei Leaf’s sales and I am happy I did! It’s an amazing tea that offers a creamy mintiness at the beginning of the session. This slowly evolves into a subtle mintiness with sweet notes of ripe melon. It’s almost as if you’re eating a piece of candy; it’s that sweet for me! This is one of the better teas I have tasted recently.
If you want to buy this tea, you should do so as soon as possible because Mei leaf is having a sale! This minty tea is on sale right now! Click here to go to the store.
