I really wanted to try this tea, as it’s the base for butterscotch and hazelnut mocha candies tea, and I was curious as to what the base adds to the flavor. I also think it’s so unusual, brewing up a lot darker than other white teas, and tasting really different. I had a cup the other morning, brewed western style, but I had a hard time describing what I was tasting, so I brewed it up gong fu style today.
The first 20-second steep actually tasted like an almond pastry with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Nice! The subsequent steeps turned into more of a honey, malty flavor, with maybe a hint of licorice sweetness. It reminded me a lot of those leaf hopper teas, which is super weird, because this is a white tea, right? I’m really glad I gong fu’d it to tease out the notes, and I might even prefer it brewed that way. At least I’ll know what I’m tasting now, when I make it western style!
