• Nahaufnahme der Teeblätter von Moonlight White, Weißer Tee.
Nahaufnahme der Teeblätter von Moonlight White, Weißer Tee.
Moonlight White Weißer Tee

This beautiful cake comes from Daqing village in Jinggu, which is about 1600 meters above sea level. “Moonlight White” is a unique white tea that lies somewhere between a white and red tea, depending on how long it is withered by the farmers and then how long it is aged after drying. They say that this tea was once withered under the moon, which is why it is named thus, though these days that is more of a colorful tale. Our tea was processed in autumn, when the moon is at its fullest, and since it withered more—most likely overnight—though not outdoors, it is, in its own way, connected to the moon. The extra withering lends this tea a darker, redder liquor. Our tea is truly somewhere between a red and white tea.

This white tea is richer than almost any other white tea we have experienced. This is because it comes from old-growth, large-leaf trees and is withered longer. These wild trees have natural, whitish-purple buds, but the tea is composed of leaves and buds both, lending it a greater depth and more complex body. The large-leaf tea doesn’t wither and dry the way small-leaf white tea does, whether Silver Needle (only bud) or Bai Mu Dan, which has leaves like our tea.

Moonlight White is gorgeously sweet, like dew. It tastes to us the way flowers must taste to hummingbirds. Some sips are fruity and the next are flowery and musky. It is a very deep and complex tea, especially for a white tea. White teas are rarely this rich, either in the mouth or the body—for make no mistake, Moonlight White is also deep and transformative. If you can, drink it outside under a full moon, which will change your life!