Moonlight White Pu'erh, Bana Tea Company

Moonlight White Pu'erh, purchased from Bana Tea Company

2007 vintage from last spring harvest

Raw pu'erh, Grade 1

Production area: Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province

Beautiful dried leaves with a mixture of pale yellow green and black, showing the slight oxidation present. The write-up on Bana Tea's website reads:

"This tea is produced using a special technique wherein the leaves are dried at night, allowing a slight amount of oxidation. The result is a peach-yellow colored tea that exudes a mellow nectarine flavor. The aroma permeates the room as the tea is brewed and the taste is very pleasing, particularly in the morning or afternoon."

True to the description, the aroma has a strong clear nectarine scent. Below the nectarine fragrance there is malt and some subtle floral. The color of the liquor started with pale yellow in the earliest infusions deepening to a rosy-orange by the 8th infusion, pictured here --

Like the aroma, the taste started with a light sweet fruit across the tongue. With subsequent infusions the fruit would linger off with echoes of coffee and eventually woods. The aroma of the leaves stayed predominantly nectarine but by later infusions started to reveal some sweet caramel.

My cat decided I was paying too much attention to my tea session so she inserted herself onto my lap and did some reading on the internet :)