The texture is silky, creamy, and full-bodied, with a sweet flavor that captures the essence of a lush stone fruit garden. Its bright aromatics shine as clearly as a full moon on a cloudless night.
Curating the best material for our very first aged white tea cake under the Teasenz label wasn't easy. Thus, we're proud to introduce 'Moon Garden': an aged white tea cake which we believe excels in taste, complexity, quality, and aging potential.
The label concept is inspired by classic Chinese 'Bird & Flower Paintings' (花鸟图) featuring elements and colors that represent the aroma of this tea cake. The wrapper is drawn by our artist Suyi in Chinese water-painting style (水墨画). It's so beautiful, it might just belong in a frame on your wall.
Origin & Production
This tea cake is crafted from tea leaves hand-picked in Spring 2024 from ancient tea trees near Dahusai village in Yunnan’s Lincang region (elevation: approx. 1800m).
After picking, the leaves were naturally sun-dried and stored loose until December. We prefer to age tea leaves in their loose form for a specific period before pressing them into cakes. While this approach involves higher storage costs, it's a worthy investment, enhancing their long-term aging potential of the tea.
In December 2024, the tea leaves were carefully steamed, pressed into cakes, and left to dry naturally at room temperature. Once dried, each cake is double-wrapped in two layers of paper. Finally, sets of five cakes are bundled together in an additional layer of paper and wrapped in dried bamboo sheets, safeguarding them from humidity, odors, and damage during transport.
Appearance, Taste & Aroma
Visually, this tea cake is a feast for the eyes. Once the 'Moonlight White' cultivar tea leaves are carefully wilted and dried, one side of the leaf showcases a rich dark hue, while the other displays a warm brown tone. These colors beautifully contrasts with the silver-colored, downy tea buds.
The deliberate selection of tea leaves with fewer buds was a conscious decision, resulting in a tea cake that offers a sweeter, creamier, full-bodied flavor, and complex aroma, while also benefiting its aging potential.
The endurance of this tea is remarkable, and as the tea cakes continue to age, their quality will only improve, becoming even more exquisite over time.
