Description
This is one of the highest quality shu pu'er cakes, if not the highest quality, that Dayi makes. Pressed in 2020, the cake actually contains a blend of top-grade aged shu pu'er material from various years, usually varying from 1 to 7 years old. Originally a loose tea, it was first pressed as a cake in 2005 and is highly sought after by fans of shu pu'er.
Each cake is approximately 357g, and each stack comes in the decorative box pictured here.
Please note that we have a limited quantity of this tea for sale, and may not be able to restock at this price.
Tasting notes
This is an above-average year for the Golden Needle White Lotus cake, in my opinion. For one, the lotus scent is obvious right off the first rinse. The first five infusions have an oily, thick mouthfeel and deep forested flavors of aged bark/wood, earth and lotus root, with a slightly floral aroma lingering. Later infusions become sweeter and "cleaner" tasting, with less earth and more wood. It's well worth taking past infusion 8-9 gongfu style, when it begins to take on the "sweet water" taste typical of finer pu'er teas.
Brewing tips
This tea is tribute-grade, which means it's made of very small buds and tips. This small leaf size means it infuses very quickly gongfu style, so be sure to adjust your brewing parameters accordingly. We suggest using less leaf than you usually would if brewing in a teapot, because of the extra time it will be steeping while you decant the pot. If brewing in a gaiwan, we suggest very short infusions once the tea has opened, usually after the first or second infusion.
Storage
This tea was stored in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province until we purchased it in 2020 directly from Dayi. It has been stored in Seattle since then.