Aged White teas can be awesome flavour bombs, a worthy part of any veterans collection. Let’s learn more about the taste, how to store and how to pick a good one…
Fresh white tea is one thing, aged is quite another. A fresh, good quality silver needle is exquisite with bright cucumber notes, 6 months to a year later and the bright notes wain but more deeper notes start to emerge. I haven’t tried any aged silver needle, it might be good but in my experience larger leaf Shou Mei / Gong Mei works great. The larger leaf stuff comes out very sweet later on. As with all tea, the better quality (wild, Gushu) examples will always age best. Higher quality starting material will be graceful in the cup. Loose white tea can be aged but it’s better to pick up a cake , maybe 4-5 years down the track is a good sweet spot. Storage should be the same as puerh (60rh). I’ve found more humid stored white tea to be very good up until around 10 years when aged taste can become a little too much for my taste but this is so dependent on exactly how the cake was stored in these areas (climate controlled / fully natural). You just need to taste and see whether it’s good for you. The Chi within a quality white tea is subtle when fresh but will uncover over time. This is because of the processing of white tea. Over the years the chi will strengthen.
Aged white tea is known for its delicate and floral aroma, which are the result of the aging process. As the tea leaves age, they undergo a natural oxidation process that changes their flavor and aroma. Aged white tea is typically lighter in color than other types of tea, and it has a smooth, subtle but deep and fruity flavour. In addition to its unique flavor and aroma, aged white tea is also believed to have a number of health benefits. It is high in antioxidants, which can help to protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals. Aged white tea is also thought to have anti-aging properties and to help boost the immune system. Some studies have also suggested that white tea may have anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects.
Aged white tea is typically brewed using water that is below boiling but this tea is very forgiving. I personally brew this tea like any puer, very hot, straight off the boil. You can in fact boil the leaf for maybe 3 infusions in for an extraordinarily sweet and flavoursome experience… try it! It won’t go bitter!! Fuding area and Yunnan white tea are quite different. Fuding being more refined, graceful and Yunnan more robust with a thick mouthfeel. We have stocked a few great examples over the years, right now we have 2. The stunning ‘BERG’, a Gao Shan Yiwu Gushu white tea, it’s super refined with a nice berry note poking through. And ‘Summer Daze’ a wild tree fuding Gong Mei that is cereal sweet. Both have a nice amount of chi!
