Aged white tea is highly valued for its medicinal properties. As the old Chinese saying goes, white tea is deemed a tea after 1 year, a medicine after 3 years, and a treasure after 7 years.
This white tea is harvested in spring 2015 from wild growth tea plantation in Panxi region in Fuding, China. The Panxi region, with average elevation between 500m to 800m, is highly regarded in Fuding and produces one of the finest white tea.
This tea is Shou Mei grade and consists mainly leaves with some buds. It has aged for more than 3 years and will continue to mellow in taste over the years and many years to come. While it has been compressed into a tea cake, the leaves can easily be loosened with a light twist at the edge of the tea cake. White tea of different vintages will vary in flavor and bioactivity. For the first time, recent study revealed that a new compound, EPSF (8-C N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinone-substituted flavan-3-ols), is formed over the years of ageing from theanine and flavanols during storage. EPSF has been identified in aged white tea, serving as a potential marker for the long term storage of white tea.
The best way to enjoy aged white tea is by boiling it over a stove for about 3 to 5 minutes. Although less conventional and more time consuming, you will be rewarded with a fuller extraction and release of the jujube flavours and herbaceous tones found only in premium aged white tea.
In the old days and to this day, it is common practice for family households in the remote villages of Fujian, where medical facilities were lacking, to store away some aged white tea. Aged white tea has been the best medicine for the villagers and the best defense to fight against common ailments like the common cold, flu and minor stomach discomfort.
