Teas arriving in May !

Here are some of the teas that are arriving in May !

2020 Nightlife from white2tea

From white2tea:

“Nightlife is a bud heavy, high grade production of yueguangbai [moonlight white] style tea, commissioned from large leaf varietal material usually destined for raw Puer tea.

The tea has a heavy, creamy mouth feel with an airy sweetness and aroma. An enduring white tea with distinct character.”

I can’t wait to try this one out, I ordered it about 10 days ago, so it should be arriving soon ! (I hope).

2018 Hot Brandy from white2tea

From white2tea:

“A blend of both white and black tea experiment gone horribly right, this is the latest incarnation of oursold out 2016 Hot Brandy. The soup is thick, smooth, and fragrant. It fairs well with both gongfu style and western style brewing. The tea has excellent endurance and can steep for a very long time and can even withstand being simmered or boiled without becoming acrid.

Both the white tea and black tea have been sun dried and should age well together. However, we are only two years deep on this experiment; though the results are promising, how it will age in the long term is anybody’s guess.”

This tea is a popular one on Steepster, can’t wait to see how good it really is !

March 2024 Tea Club from white2tea:

I got myself a subscription to the white2tea tea club, they were kind enough to send me the March 2024 tea club with it, because after reading its description online, I just couldn’t resist to get it !

Here are the teas that are included in the March 2024 tea club, along with white2tea’s description of them:

2002 LC Brick from white2tea

”An aged raw Puer tea made with Lin Cang material and a warehouse find that surprised us. If you gave this tea to an aged Puer aficionado with deep pockets, they likely would point to numerous flaws in the tea. However, I’m here in this tea club to remind everyone of a very little spoken of fact; if you want an affordable tea that’s over 20 years old, you have two choices: graciously accept imperfections or take out a loan. All too often people expect a Ferrari at bus fare prices. Just enjoy the public transit! This tea is affordable, gets you from point A to point B, and it’s a smooth ride. There might be some bumps on the drive (or in this case, hairs in the brick… a common occurrence with rural products from Yunnan), but if you’re an aged Puer lover, we think this brick is a solid bargain and worthy of stocking up on. Cleanly aged teas with a smooth, sweet profile in this price range are increasingly rare and should be hoarded accordingly if you enjoy them as a daily tea.”

2003 Yiwu

”Ok, so you want a Ferrari. Well, maybe this is a high-end Porsche. I’m not a car guy and my analogy is running out of gas. This is high quality Yiwu material, made in a small production by a private collector in 2003, or such is the story we were told, everything within buying aged teas quickly becomes a game of telephone unless you pressed it yourself. What’s apparent with this tea is that the sweet and smooth Yiwu experience has layers upon layers of complexity over an elegant session. It also costs upwards of $800 per 357g cake. You may think, “Wow! That’s a lot.” and you’re right, but despite the plethora of cheap aged “Yiwu” cakes in the market, this is not even the top end of what tea from this era costs. For some of you, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that emphasizes diminishing returns in the wild world of aged tea, where the offer you’ve been seeking and will inevitably, detrimentally overspend on finally arrives.”

2024 Jamrock Steady and 2024 Riparian

”If you’re wondering which is which, get out your jeweler’s loop and see the English names printed on the wrapper in tiny fine print usually reserved for legal agreements. Both of these teas are blends of aged raw Puer maocha and light ferment shou Puer small batches that we made ourselves. Our goal with teas like this is to offer a smoother drinking and complex alternative to the oft faked/misrepresented aged cakes in the market. It’s complicated to discuss in short form, but if you desire affordable teas with decades of age, there will always be an unscrupulous vendor to fill that void, but for actual teas like the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s at this point in 2024 you’d need to go to an auction house from Sotheby’s. If that explanation and the 2003 Yiwu above didn’t make it apparent, aged tea costs. Actual tea from the 1980’s costs upwards of five figures USD for one cake, whereas these teas are an attempt to mimic the experience with a price in the two figures USD range that a normal non-tycoon could afford and drink daily. Did we hit the mark? Well, hopefully as these teas age and calm down (they were just pressed mere weeks ago) they will be a sustainable alternative. Riparian contains tea that is already over a decade old, so they’re by no means young teas, but whether they serve as a suitable alternative to a few decades of time will be your judgment to make. It’s tricky trying to get one over on father time. We hope you enjoy them!”

^ Jamrock Steady

^ Riparian

Thé du Louvre Coté Jardin from Palais des Thés

From Palais des Thés:

“The fruit of a collaboration between the Louvre Museum and Palais des Thés, the thés du Louvre are fragrant new blends which pay homage to the two faces of the Louvre: the monumental aspect of the palace with its elegant architecture and the poetic charm of the Tuileries Garden.

The Thé du Louvre - Garden Tea is reminiscent of a gentle stroll through the Tuileries Garden, between colourful flowerbeds and shady copses. A gourmet green tea with notes of apple, plum and quince.”

I already recieved this tea, and I’ll review it in a few days, so stay tuned !

Chaï Impérial from Palais des Thés

From Palais des Thés:

“Inspired by the Indian tradition of spiced tea, Chai Impérial is a delicate black tea paired with a sumptuous blend of green cardamom, pink peppercorns, cinnamon, ginger and orange zest.

Scattered with precious spices, this flavoursome and warming tea can be enjoyed on its own or with milk, in the Indian tradition. Perfect for sharing.”

After recieving this tea, I couldn’t wait to open it up and smell it, if it tastes as good as it smells, I’m in for a treat !

Goût Russe 7 Agrumes from Palais des Thés

From Palais des Thés:

“An outstanding blend of black teas, evoking lemon, lime, sweet orange, bitter orange, grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin. Created by Le Palais des Thés during its first years of existence, this cocktail of 7 citrus fruits was later added to different base teas. An exclusive recipe. Can be served hot or iced.

Different of the teas produced in Georgia, Russian blends are the ones that have been drunk regularly in Russia since the 17th century. These latter teas, which in the beginning were blends of black Chinese teas, became more diversified at the end of the 19th century by the introduction of Indian teas at the Russian court, most notably Darjeeling. Since then it has been the custom to refer to all blends of Darjeeling and different Chinese black teas as Russian blends teas, whether or not they are scented with natural citrus extracts.”

While I’m not the biggest fan of citrus, this one caught my eye because of the history behind it, let’s see if Palais des Thés knows their stuff !

I can’t wait !

I can’t wait to try out all of these teas, my tea cabinet is already full, and my pockets are empty, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it !

Stay tuned for the reviews of these teas !

- yaro