Price range: $12.00 through $50.00
The annual return of a peony grade white tea from impressive, old bushes in the Guanyang area of Fuding. Guanyang is a bit more inland and higher elevation, on the outskirts of the core production area of Fuding.
Less overt in its outer expression, Chen’s teas all contain a thick textured and layered sweetness that lies ‘underneath’ the eq that most teas express at. In a scene that favors immediate top notes, this underneath fullness sets his teas apart of the typical Fuding processing. IMO, this deeper fullness gives Chen’s teas a leg up in terms of ageability, and doesn't disappoint in its fresher, less-aged years either.
Comparing to other year-of whites often presenting as quite green, it’s clear that Chen allows for a bit more oxidation to set in before drying.
Chen, who comes from a family with an astounding 30 generations of tea farming, is the main subject of the later half of this docu-series episode:
The tea cake inkwork for this release was penned by our friend Green, a tea friend we met in 2019 during our travels in northern Yunnan
This is a perfect example of what old trees/bushes bring to the tea table. Warm and smooth, the liquor clings to the lips, tongue and throat much like the qi as it coats the soul. I'm floating somewhere between vanilla chai and Captains Morgan!