Last Christmas I did not give you my heart, but I took advantage of Mei Leaf’s Christmas sale. I bought several teas and I still have some unopened packages left. While I was browsing the offers, I saw they offered two white peony teas that were picked in a different way: a fine pluck white peony and an open pluck white peony. In essence, these are similar teas, except for the picking method. For today’s session, I brewed the White Peony Open Pluck.
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White Peony Open Pluck
The White Peony Open Pluck is a white tea (白茶) from Fuding in China’s Fujian Province. This batch is from April 2019 and was grown at an altitude of around 650m. The White peony (or bai mu dan) has been sun-dried and was made using the more standardised form of picking: open pluck. This means that they picked buds and young leaves.
The colours are mostly green and I also see some beige tints. It consists of leaves, stems and hairy buds. The aroma is sweet with a sour hint.
The sourness in the aroma is gone in the wet leaves and it’s mostly sweet and grassy with some hints of a stony minerality. Everything has turned green.
Tea Tasting
- Water 90°C
- 3.5g for a 100ml shibo
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Infusion 1 (15 sec): right from the start, I feel that this one has a sourness that makes your mouth water. It reminds me of a fresh and juicy green apple and changes into baked cookies. It’s similar to what you smell when cookies are baking in the oven and the whole kitchen is filled with the aroma.
Infusion 2 (25 sec): the colour is more yellow. There is no sourness and the sweetness has changed as well. It’s still sweet, but it’s quite different. I’m not really experiencing a warming sweetness because it’s more refreshing. Some light hints of jasmine as well; a lot is going on to produce a complex and delicious infusion.
Infusion 3 (35 sec): it didn’t change much and it feels really silky. There is a strong taste, but also feels delicate at the same time. A refreshing sweetness that goes on into the finish and aftertaste.
Infusion 4 (45 sec): the green apple from the beginning is back. It adds a certain character to the sweetness and it also stings a bit in my throat, which is a pleasant sensation.
Infusion 5 (55 sec): this one is the best infusion so far. There is a lot of flavour, but it’s not too intense. It feels just right. Sweet with some light hints of grass.
Infusion 6 (65 sec): the flavours have faded a bit, but it’s still enjoyable. Refreshing sweetness that is even more enjoyable in the morning sun.
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Conclusion
This tea is definitely one I will drink again in the coming days. The flavours were really enjoyable because I got a lot of flavour out of them without being overwhelming. It started out with a light sourness that is similar to green apples and quickly gave way to a refreshing sweetness. It wasn’t like a typical candy sweetness, but it was fresher and more invigorating. Throughout the session, it didn’t change much and it felt really delicate. I can definitely conclude that this is a fantastic tea, especially to drink on a spring morning in early May. It feels as if I was in a green meadow somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
If you want to try this tea, you can buy it over here.
