White2Tea – 2016 Daily Drinker

White2Tea says that this Daily Drinker is a tea “for the everyday”, “for the people.” I was like “uh, what does that… mean?”

I’m still not sure what that means.

But I *do* know that this orchid/honey tea is incredibly sweet while still not losing that rustic pu erh charm. It’s aged, but in a way that’s not rancid, or fishy, or musty, or cardboard-y, or whatever else you might fear out of pu erh.

It’s like an orchid oolong that’s in a retirement home, still sweet and sharing jokes that have been worn smooth and refined through multiple retellings. She’s the old lady in the nursing home that has a boyfriend (YOU GO GIRL) and slips other people’s grandkids the best candy.

This is one of the first teas I’ve ever drank that came from a cake, which meant it was a little more work. I had to snap off bits and try to crumble the right amount into my steeper. I think I gave it a good whack.

I don’t know what makes a tea a “daily drinker.” I sort of imagine it as an old shoe that you know will fit you nicely, even if you don’t wear it on special occasions. But that seems… somehow disparaging of the tea? Like “oh, this old thing? I drink it daily. I don’t even notice it any more.”

I think that this tea deserves to be a little more special. I shall drink it only every once in a while, until it’s complete.


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Pu Erh

Where to Buy:  White2Tea

Description

A blend of raw Puer material meant for the daily grind. Sweetness and a delightful fragrance.  Solid, reliable, affordable, and better quality than you’d expect for the price. Tea for the everyday. Tea for the people.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

2017 Old Reliable from White2Tea. . . .

It’s been a while since I have sipped on an impressive Puer. It seems like this one was calling me. The one I am writing about today is 2017 Old Reliable from White2Tea.

The puer was in solid but pieced-up form in the package and the package had Abraham Lincoln on it with the word SPIN placed upside-down.

Old Reliable was pressed in 2017 and according to the company website this is their infamous house blend…so it has to be pretty darn good, right?

As for my own personal findings…upon opening the package I was delighted to sniff a hint of dry berry aroma hiding among the more stereotypical puer smell. Once I infused my first cup I noticed the liquid smelling more like Earthy and that of damp wood. The sip was gentle and woodsy yet creamy and sweet.

The follow-up, second infusion was much darker, bolder, and the aftertaste was woodsy yet minty.

Both infusions were impressive and memorable. If I were to suggest a solid puer to keep on hand to please the masses – 2017 Old Reliable would be it. And in closing…it certainly lives up to its name!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Puer
Where to Buy:  White2Tea
Description

Our infamous house blend; a solid daily drinker ripe Puer tea that you can count on. An excellent combination of value and quality, the Old Reliable is a blend of several years of material, so despite being pressed in 2017, it is ready to drink now and will only continue to improve over the next few years. A smooth, sweet, thick ripe Puer tea with a classic Menghai character.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Rou Gui Oolong from White2tea. . . .

If Big Red Robe (Da Hong Pao) had a brother this would be him.

It makes sense being that they are both Wuyi Oolongs. This one is unique.

Of course all teas are but this one in particular has a unique scent. New car smell? Earthy, woody, new car.

A very delicate flavor. Hits your palette and is gone before you know it. It is definitely earthy but somehow hard to pinpoint exactly what earthy flavors I am tasting.

Smooth mouth feel and golden amber color along with the unique flavor profile make this a must try.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Oolong
Where to Buy: White2Tea
Description

This tea does not appear to be available now but click below for oolongs that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea

It’s been a while since my last Rou Gui Oolong that I had to look it up and I believe the last Rou Gui I did have was from Cloudwalker Teas. So when I noticed Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea I knew I HAD to try it.

This Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea has a bit of a roasted aroma and taste to it. It infuses fairly dark for an oolong which is more or less a medium brown when you look at it in the cup! In addition to this Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea being a bit roasted it also provides a good amount of rock and/or mineral flavor to it, too! This makes sense because it is a Wuyi Yancha or ‘Rock Tea’ after all.

The end sip on to the after taste has a lingering sweetness to it that makes me crave more. There are times I find comfort in the natural creaminess this tea gives off, too! It has a very full taste that seems to comes full circle! Rou Gui Oolong from White2Tea MUST go on my list of top oolongs I’ve tried this year!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: White2Tea

 white2logo_400x100Description:

Our Rougui is a Wuyi Yancha, or rock tea, from Fujian province.

Thick and mineral in the mouth, this tea has a medium roast that combines roasted character with spicy notes that linger in the mouth for a long lasting aftertaste. This tea has smaller than average sized leaf for a wuyi oolong, but the tea packs a punch.

Each purchase is for 50 grams of tea.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

2014 New Amerykah 2 Raw Pu-erh from White Two Tea

NewAmerykahTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pu-erh

Where to Buy:  White Two Tea

Tea Description:

An old arbor Menghai blend. Thick body, lingering kuwei [pleasant bitterness], and plenty of oomph. This tea is a continuation of last year’s New Amerykah. The blend is slightly different, focusing more on sweetness and body than on bitterness.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I was a little worried when I read the description to this 2014 New Amerykah 2 Raw Pu-erh from White Two Tea.  I’m not a big fan of bitterness – although sometimes I find a savory bitterness to be quite pleasant especially when it contrasts with a stronger sweetness in a tea, so I hoped that might be what I experienced with this tea.

My first infusion wasn’t as sweet as I secretly hoped for but there is a really nice balance between the savory bitter note and the sweetness.  It’s not what I’d describe as a sweet tea, this is definitely more a savory tasting tea.  But it’s pleasant and actually kind of a nice change up from some of the sweeter teas that I’ve had.

It’s very mellow and not at all earthy as I would generally expect from a pu-erh tea.  No briny taste, no fishy taste, not even a slight ‘mushroom-y’ taste.  It’s light and slightly herbaceous.  It’s a very mild taste, very pleasant to sip – so pleasant in fact, that the tea disappeared rapidly.

NewAmerykah2My second infusion has a much stronger flavor.  There is nothing mild about this cup!  But it still isn’t what I’d call earthy.  Herbaceous, yes.  There is a distinct bitter note, like a bitter grass flavor, or like what I might experience if I were to eat collard greens.

This cup is not nearly as balanced as the first cup was.  I almost feel like this could use a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar in it to help balance it out and offer some tangy notes as well as a hint of sweetness.  It tastes like it needs ‘salad dressing’, if that makes sense.  It’s not unpleasant though.  I notice that toward the end of the sip, I get some sweetness and almost like a hint of citrus in the finish and these flavors do help balance out the bitter notes.

Interestingly enough, I found that the third infusion was much more like the first than it was the second.  The flavors were stronger in the third cup than the first, but, I found that the strong bitterness had subsided somewhat and become a little smoother and balanced with the sweet notes.

It’s still primarily a savory tea (again, not a tea I’d call sweet) but there is more sweetness now to soften the savory bitter taste.  There is a dryness to this cup too, like a mineral-y dry note just after mid-sip that transcends into a slightly dry astringency.  I notice some grape-y notes here, reminding me just a little bit of a dry white wine.

Later infusions continued to become smoother and more balanced.  I think that my favorite was the fourth infusion, which seemed to me to be the perfect balance between savory and sweet without tasting ‘sweet.’  It was still a distinctly savory tea with its bitter characteristics but there was enough sweetness to soften the bitter bite and keep the taste balanced for the palate.

As I drank the sixth infusion, I felt the flavors were starting to wane somewhat so I decided to stop with this tea.  I suspect I could have still gotten at least two more (possibly more) flavorful infusions, but, I was ready to move on anyway.

What I like best about this particular pu-erh is the lack of earthiness.  No strong earthy notes in the aroma.  Not a strong earthy flavor.  I also like that with each new infusion, I discovered something new about this tea.  It captured my interest with its smooth, mellow character in the first infusion and it seemed to reinvent itself with each new infusion to keep hold of my interest.

A very different pu-erh – but different in a very good way!