The 2020 November White2tea club by volume doesn’t have much tea but it is quality! This month has a 50 gram cake of 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng Puer and 25 grams of Yan Hong, a Fujian black tea, both tea club exclusives.
2020 November White2tea Club’s Yan Hong
On top of being a Fujian black, this tea comes with 1 year of rest. Over the years I’ve also come to notice a lot of black teas, especially compressed, taste best after a year. That is something you’ll want to taste yourself as I know some who dislike black teas after a year.
The first sniff it is quite chocolatey, but further smells yan Hong is heavily fruity. Yan Hong’s leaves are enormous and I had to switch to a gaiwan instead of the teapot I wanted to use.
I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, steeped gongfu style with boiling water. While I was pouring, I could smell Yan Hong’s strong fruity black currant and blackberry scent.
First, Second, Third, and Fourth Infusion: Holy hoots, this hong is FRUITY AF. Yan Hong is light in flavor but it’s sweet wild blackberry fruit and malty in the background, with a tangy fruity floral in the aftertaste. The texture is thick with a buttery lip balm feeling. Overall, I dig the aftertaste and aroma a lot – which is most of what Yan Hong is.
Strangely, I am getting the tea drunk feeling of my scalp being massaged. I had a lazy style hong this morning and lunch, so it isn’t me.
Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: Yan Hong immediately dropped the fruity, only lingering in the strong aftertaste. The tea itself is staying light in intensity with mineral notes. These last infusions showed some astringency as the tea dried out my tongue. On the final infusion, I did a 10 minute infusion and the fruity flavor was back, but it was drier.
I enjoyed drinking Yan Hong as I’m an aroma aftertaste junkie, but it is quite light in flavor. I feel this is a good one to blend other black teas with to add aroma oomph.
2020 November White2tea Club’s 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng Puer
From the handout, it seems there was difficultly picking and processing this tea due to heavy rains, which will affect the kill green step and transported.
This one has a mysterious buttery grass scent that tickles my brain. I admit, I am drinking this tea right after the Yan Hong and I’m already fuzz brained.
My gongfu ratio is 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, steeped with boiling water in a fast pour glazed teapot. After a rinse, this tea has a sticky rice and grass scent.
First and Second Infusion: 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng strangely reminds me of white tea for the honey and straw notes but then I’m brought to young sheng land with the green apricot floral aftertaste. The texture here is buttery.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Infusion: The texture is showing here with a sticky feeling. 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng has opened up to a vegetal edamame bean note, a bit astringent sticky, and lovely floral aftertaste.
I am also feeling this tea hard – it has a crushing brain massage and eye drooping effect, with a bonus headbanging dance party and jittery hands.
Sixth Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Infusion: 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng is biting back. This young sheng is bitter green peppers but has a buttery edamame taste, still holding on to a jasmine aroma. The bitterness should be stewy, but I’m still drinking this enthusiastically as I’m digging the aroma and buttery.
Tenth Infusion: I did a long infusion that was about three Children of Bodom songs (RIP Alexi Laiho). 2020 November White2tea club’s Old Arbor Autumn Sheng very light and saline in taste, though dry enough to kill my gums. I’m still blasted with a floral aftertaste.
These club months are my favorite as I love getting the high quality mini puer cakes!
I know I’m off my infusion count, there were at least two more steeps gauging how I had to refill my kettle, I got so spaced out I just kept steeping than writing. 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng certainly tastes very fresh off the presses young and I cannot wait until it settles down.
