It has finally arrived - the sequel to the much loved Jade Star.
Afte one and a half years of searching we were not sure we could find another aged White tea worthy of the Jade Star name but whilst travelling through Fujian we found this little beauty.
For those that missed out on the Jade Star frenzy, this is an aged white tea made from a blend of Bai Mu Dan & Shou Mei grade pickings. The tea was picked in 2009 so it is even older than the original Jade Star (and therefore more potent in flavour and effects). It was aged loose for 5 years before being pressed into cakes for further ageing. It is definitely more broken Shou Mei than Mu Dan compared with Jade Star I which makes the tea a little less rushy than the first Jade Star batch.
White tea can be aged (similar to PuErh) because it has not gone through any high heating during processing. This means that the enzymes in the leaf are active and will gradually change the tea over the years. The process is slow due to low oxygen and low moisture levels compared with fresh picked leaves. This slow maturation produces fabulous depth and richness and definitely makes the psychoactive effects of the tea stronger.
While clients enjoyed the original Jade Star for its multifaceted flavour, another draw to the tea was its powerful tea tipsy sensation. Some would find themselves giggly and excitable while others found the tea introverted, thoughtful and revealing, others found themsleves sleepy. From our experience tasting Jade Star II, the tea is equally if not more potent with a more distinct all body tingling and a woozy feeling. This may not be the case for everyone and I am sure (exactly like Jade Star) that everyone will have a different experience.
One thing that is unmistakeable is the taste. Jade Star II has less of the muscatel and nutty notes of the original and is more abundant in a herbal spiciness and warm molasses. Check out our tasting notes on this page for more of our thoughts.
We are so thrilled to release this aged White, as always it is limited batch (300 cakes) so make sure that you do not regret missing out on this beauty.
For brewing this tea, we recommend that after about 8 Gong Fu style infusions you place the leaves in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. This makes a powerful finishing liquor to savour rather than successively weaker Gong Fu brews.
