Happy Holidays! As a tradition, the White2tea club sends out a 200 gram huangpian cake for the month of December. Like previous years, this is the 2021 XXXmas sheng puer!
Yes, I am missing a few months of the club and skipping ahead to the December box. Blame the current chaos that is international shipping so I have tea clubs out of sync. I rather drink this tea on Christmas than 3 months later when I catch up on tea clubs.
Leaf and Steeping Method
The leaves have a faint nutty floral scent.
I used a gongfu ratio of 1 gram of leaf per 15ml vessel size, steeped using boiling filtered water. After a rinse, XXXmas sheng’s leaves smell of astringent steamed rice with nuts.
Tasting of White2tea Club’s 2021 XXXmas Sheng
First, Second, and Third Infusion: 2021 XXXmas sheng has a custard thick texture with soft notes of peaches and cream oatmeal with a vegetal aftertaste. The flavor is quite gentle and soft.
Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: XXXmas has finally gotten peak flavor, biting back with a soft bitterness tickling the roof of the mouth. This tea starts sweet, peachy fruity with a contrasting stewed bitter arugula finish. If I slow down drinking I am rewarded with a lip balmy feeling from the broth and a soft fruity floral aftertaste.
Eighth Infusion: The final infusion is light and syrupy wood, but quickly slips to strong bitterness. Despite all the infusions, this tea is still custard and balmy in texture.
Comments
White2tea Club’s 2021 XXXmas sheng huangpian cake is a light, fruity leaning tea with promise. It is still a fresh pressing and I had this tea for only a few weeks. Maybe best if I did wait a bit longer to drink, but it’s not bad as is. If you are a fan of huangpian like White2tea’s Fade, XXXmas is a delight. 2021 XXXmas sheng was light in flavor, but I enjoyed just sipping away, waiting for my holiday cookies to cool from the oven.
