I’m always excited to see a new white tea being offered by Floating Leaves Tea, as one of my favorite white teas of all time is their Red Peony. Today is a brand new white tea – Nightshade Old Tree White Tea! This is a 2020 Lincang, Yunnan white tea, so a bit different than their usual Taiwanese teas.
Leaf and Steeping Method
Not too much scent from the leaves. There is a powdery sweet scent and lovely grayscale like appearance
I used 1 gram of leaf per 20ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. After a rinse, I got a crisp Maple wood scent.
Floating Leaves Tea’s 2020 Nightshade Old Tree White Tea
First and Second Infusion: 2020 Nightshade Old Tree White is sweet… tomato pudding? It is creamy, sweet tomato flesh, and has a sharp crystalline juicy note. The finish is a sweet underripe nectarine. This reminds me of all the tomatoes and nectarines/peaches I bought at the farmer’s market over the summer.
Floating Leaves Tea always has teas with plenty of feeling and energy, and this old tree white has an energetic peppy already.
Third and Fourth Infusion: 2020 Nightshade Old Tree White is getting sweeter and sweeter – it’s milky, white chocolate, refreshingly fruity, thick creamy texture, and more tomato pudding! In my head tomato pudding sounds good, maybe in actual practice maybe not – but I bet some molecular gastronomist could pull off.
Fifth and Sixth Infusion: 2020 Nightshade Old Tree White is developing a more woodsy note, back to maple wood and sappy tree resin honey. I walked away for a few minutes to drink something else (yes, I drink multiple teas at once) and this actually tasted plummy as it chilled.
Seventh Infusion: 15 minute steep to finish. The tea is so dark it looks like black tea!
2020 Nightshade Old Tree White is a bit astringent, like boiled plum skins and raisins, but it is sweet wildflower and mossy wood. Earlier in this tea session, I was in summer. Now I’m back walking through the rainforest in Alaska – it’s fresh and green mossy mixed with dark woodsy and floral.
I’m also HYPE with my eyes popping and I’m ready to go hike in the rain.
Comments
Floating Leaves Tea’s 2020 Nightshade Old Tree White is a lovely white tea cake with a fruity and woody profile with dense texture. This tea dances from cute and elegant summer to autumnal deep forest. If you are a fan of Yunnan white teas, this one is outstanding!
At 2020, Nightshade Old Tree White is borderline hitting that awkward “starting to age” stage of white tea. So drink now or lock it away for a few years. I’d love to try this again with a bit of age in – the thick textures and already dark notes will be pleasant.
(tea provided as a free sample with order)
