When it comes to drinking tea, one often encounters a dilemma: should one start with the expensive or the cheaper teas? This question requires a nuanced approach. When drinking Wuyi Rock Tea, Han, the shopkeeper, generally advises beginners to start with slightly more expensive, higher quality teas. These premium rock teas have a sweet and smooth tea soup that is neither bitter nor astringent, allowing us to quickly understand the characteristics of rock tea. Starting with lower-grade, poorer quality teas can lead to confusion and dull the palate, making it difficult to appreciate good teas in the future.
With successful experiences in drinking rock tea, many tea enthusiasts begin to apply the same pattern to white tea, starting with the most expensive Bai Hao Yin Zhen. However, when they first taste Bai Hao Yin Zhen, they are puzzled: is this tea supposed to be so light? White tea, of course, is not light, but beginners may have chosen the wrong tea and their tea-drinking skills are not yet refined enough to appreciate Bai Hao Yin Zhen.
Bai Mudan: Compared to Bai Hao Yin Zhen, Bai Mudan stands out with its exuberant presence. It leaves a gentle impression of fine downy aroma and rich floral fragrances, such as gardenia, osmanthus, and orchid scents, among others that are hard to name. After sipping, it refreshes the spirit and quickly captures the hearts of tea enthusiasts. Shou Mei: As the roughest among white teas, with large leaves and thick stems, Shou Mei has a unique characteristic. When brewed with boiling water, its aroma becomes even more pronounced. Spring Shou Mei contains a variety of floral scents, including gardenia and orchid, which can be described as a complex floral blend. Autumn Shou Mei has a sweet, mature aroma with an added herbal scent, making the spring and autumn-picked Shou Mei distinct in their own unique temperaments. Gong Mei: The most abundant variety in white tea, accounting for more than half of the total white tea production. Made from the buds and leaves of the vegetable tea plant, Gong Mei has a curled, uniform appearance with a noticeable downy heart and clean, debris-free leaves; they are either grey-green or dark green. When brewed, the tea liquid is light orange in color, with a fresh aroma and a sweet, mellow taste, and the leaves have tender, bright tips. Over time, the aging of white tea’s content becomes more mellow, and time precipitates the unique aged fragrance, downy aroma, and fruity scent of white tea. The taste is rich, and the tea liquid is amber-colored, bright, and transparent. In summary, when choosing white tea, Han Zhanggui suggests that beginners start with Shou Mei or Gong Mei, followed by Bai Mudan and Bai Hao Yin Zhen, which helps us understand the characteristics of white tea. Han Zhanggui’s advice for selecting white tea is simple: Bai Hao Yin Zhen for its freshness, Bai Mudan for its sweetness, and Gong Mei and Shou Mei for their richness. White tea is a long-term storage tea, and enthusiasts can also choose based on the year of production. White tea is divided into new white tea (1-2 years), medium-term white tea (2-4 years), and aged white tea (over 5 years). For beginners, starting with new white tea is best. First, it is not affected by the vintage, avoiding the purchase of mislabeled vintage white tea. Second, the price is more affordable, allowing for a trial with a lower cost. Third, new white tea has a rich and lush aroma, making it perfect for those who prefer green tea or floral black and oolong teas. From these three points, new white tea is undoubtedly the best choice for new tea enthusiasts. When starting with white tea, enthusiasts should not blindly choose Bai Hao Yin Zhen as their entry-level white tea due to its high cost. Not only does it involve a significant investment of money and time, but it may also result in not fully appreciating the tea. Therefore, those with limited financial resources should start with Shou Mei or Gong Mei, followed by Bai Mudan, and finally Bai Hao Yin Zhen.
Wealthy tea enthusiasts are encouraged to stock up on Bai Mudan, especially high-grade varieties like Peony King. After all, when it comes to collecting white teas, Bai Mudan is a hallmark. It can also be enjoyed alongside Gong Mei and Shou Mei, offering a comparative tasting experience that is full of pleasure.
