Creamy, honeyed and syrupy White tea wuith a very distinct black and white appearance and thick buds.
A fascinating White tea made from Old tea trees in Jinggu Yunnan. The tea trees are around 150 years old and are probably Camellia Taliensis which makes it a very unique tea since 99.9% of tea is made from Camellia Sinensis varieties.
There are many stories about this tea. Some say that it is picked at night and that the leaves never see the sunlight, other say that the tea is picked during the day but dried indoors and in low light conditions.
I have to say that from my visits to Yunnan I am seeing a lot more Yue Guang Bai being produced in recent years (clearly, it is growing in popularity) and a lot of it is being produced pretty much like all Whites - picked and dried in the sun.
This tea has been picked during the day and then actually dried indoors with hot air. Withering fresh leaves and drying in this way does take longer time than drying in the sun but that gives the tea that extra level of oxidation and sweetness.
The taste is reminiscent of drinking a comforting milk tea with honey but with the added complexity of lilies, honeysuckle and a tropical note of overipe mango.
Moonlight White is suitable for ageing and the flavour will shift over the coming months and years to become darker, sweeter and even more funky!
