2022 Yueguangbai White Tea, Ancient Tree Stone-pressed cake

We have already proposed our Ancient Trees Yueguangbai for four years, since 2019, when it was prized with the gold medal at Prix Epicures for its amazing complexity. At that time, however, the variety of aromas of the fresh leaves was still delicate and soft in comparison with what is now represented by the 2022 harvest, in which we have almost as rich a flavor as in aged white teas. 
The pure whiteness of the youngest buds and leaves is here overtaken to give predominance to a more intense flavor, a thicker liquor, and a great potential for aging. It is a tea that surprises regularly each year, and continues to age and develop its aromas longer than any other tea of the same category.

This cake is a portray of the growth environment of the centuries-old trees that nourished its leaves. The surprisingly mature leaves, darker in color than the precious fresh apical leaves, present few buds, yet their presence in the aromatic qualities of this tea is still evident, hinted by a great freshness in the first brews, which gives a pungent twist to the otherwise extremely mellow aroma of ripe apricots and wood.
The first brews have that oily texture that is so unique of this year's harvest, and the dance of flavors in the liquor opens with the entrance of unripe hazelnuts, joined by the fruity apricot taste typical of our Yueguangbai, floral hints of wildflowers, and a whisper of softwood, that will take predominance over the course of the aging process.

Our Yueguangbai has been farmed and processed by Eastern Leaves in our Lunan tea forest of ancient trees; it is available in pressed cake format (Pasha Dabai cultivar) or loose-leaf package (Jinggu Dabai cultivar).

Plantation altitude: 1850 meters
Origin: Lunan Mountain, Xishuangbanna prefecture, Southwest Yunnan.
Production date: April 8th 2022, harvested by hand
Storage: the leaves can be stored in their original package or in ceramic vases. Avoid heat, light, and moisture.

Infusion Parameters

EASTERN BREWING
Quantity: 1 gr. of tea every 30 ml of water
Rinse: before starting the infusion, rinse the leaves with a very fast washing in order to let them rehydrate and release a more intense brew. Gently cover the leaves with warm water and pour it after a few seconds.
Brewing time: Begin with a 40-second brew. Increase with each successive brew as needed. 
Water temperature: 85°C
Number of brews: 10

WESTERN BREWING
Quantity: 1 gr. of tea every 100 ml of water
Brewing time: 4 minutes
Water temperature: 85°C

COLD BREW
Quantity: 1 gr. of tea every 100 ml of water
Brewing: put the tea leaves in room temperature water and steep for 7-8 hours. Filter the liquor and drink within 24 hours.