It's finally here after nearly a year of waiting! This is the fourth in our Jade Star series of Aged White Tea cakes. A special blend of 2010 Bai Mu Dan and Shou Mei for flavour and Tea Drunk effects.
We have been searching for over a year to find the right tea batches of Mu Dan and Shou Mei to blend together to make Jade Star. We have tasted so many aged Whites and most are underwhelming in flavour and effects. We know how revered Jade Star is amongst Teaheads and we have been very careful to honour the reputation by being very picky with our selections. Finally, this Spring, we found a couple of delicious 2010 Fuding teas in their own right and together they are unmistakenly Jade Star material.
Compared with our previous Jade Star's this one is super-buddy - with lots of fat, furry, silver buds to give a brighter taste and stronger effects. In my opinion, JS4 is most comparable to Jade Star 1 in terms of flavour but with a much happier (less introspective) high to keep you grinning long after your session.
Due to the higher proportion of buds, this tea takes a few steeps to get going and I would recommend using 20 second infusions as a starting point rather than the 10 seconds written on the wrapper (unfortunately we have to print the wrappers before the cakes are pressed and therefore we are always taking guesses). The first couple of infusions are delightful but once the buds and leaves open up the true taste of this tea emerges - a great balance between the nutty, creamy buds and the resinous, fruity leaves.
The psychoactive effects of JS4, like all teas, are very individual. In my experience, I have felt a really warm, happy and relaxed high with a slightly giggly, stoned feeling (including the munchies). Definitely worth having some nuts or snacks nearby!
As with all Aged Whites, you can boil the leaves after your session for a strong and tasty (more herbal) finale. Drop the leaves into about 300ml of water and bring to the boil before simmering for 15 minutes or longer.
These Jade Star teas are getting harder and harder to source so we do not know if there will be a Jade Star 5. This tea will get stronger through the years so we advise getting yourself a Tong for your collection.
