Formosa Special White Tea (TT95)
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From Upton Tea
This white tea from Taiwan has loose, wiry pale green leaves. It is certified organic. Overall, I was disappointed with it.
When brewed, the aroma of the tea is more characteristic of a green tea than of most white teas, but the flavor is radically different. There is a clean crispness similar to a good Japanese sencha, but without the biting quality and with minimal bitterness. Some grassy tones hit you at first but then dissipate into a mellow sweetness and a honey-like quality reminiscent of a good Taiwanese Pouchong tea. It has some slightly fishy qualities in the aroma too. This is a very complex tea but I'm not sure how much I like it. It is subtle and gentle, perhaps bordering on weak, and there are some unpleasant tones in the aroma. Those who prefer more powerful teas will definitely want to avoid this one.
As with most white teas, I prefer steeping this one longer than recommended. I also prefer using more leaves, because it is so gentle. If brewed as instructed, it is far too bland. But steeping too long brings out a fishy quality that I don't like. Using more leaves for a single, slightly longer infusion places this one at the price of almost a dollar a cup. At this price, this tea is competing with some of the priciest teast out there, and thus I do not think it offers a reasonable value.
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?itemID=TT95&from=cazort.net