Introducing 2015 Ancient Tree Moonlight White 月光白

Happy Spring/Vernal Equinox 春分 to all in the Northern Hemisphere! This year, the vernal equinox was exact on Tuesday, March 19th in the Bay Area, marking a time of balance when the amount of day and night is equal. In the Chinese calendar, we regard the spring and fall equinox as a time of balanced yin-yang, and as a time where we are slowly ebb toward the summer and winter solstices respectively. 

As we welcome longer days and increasing yang (warmth, light, activity), we turn toward teas that resonate with spring. This week, we introduce our 2015 Ancient Tree Moonlight White 月光白 (Yue Guang Bai) aged white tea. This 2015 Moonlight White is selectively harvested as one-bud and one-leaf from ancient trees around 300+ years old in Jing Mai Shan景邁山 in Yunnan, China. Our 2012 Ancient Tree Moonlight White was harvested from the same area but from 100+ years old trees. We can see this higher ratio of buds to leaf in the 2015 Moonlight White in how many thick, fuzzy white buds are visibly pressed into the cake among the dark-colored leaves.

Chih Hui, Sonia, and Katie spent Wednesday morning tasting the new 2015 Moonlight White alongside our 2012 Moonlight White. In our side-by-side comparison, we noticed that the 2015 tea has an aroma reminiscent of sweet hay as we gave the leaves a wash before tasting. The first steep was noticeably rich like smooth, honey liquid. Clean and nectar-like, this tea has a slight dryness that differs from the earthy-sweet, subtle bite that the 2012 Moonlight White offers.

Aged white teas, with their balance of depth and lightness, offer us a transition from the winter and cooler weather into the brighter, lighter spring. It is this reason that we are choosing to serve Moonlight White at our upcoming Spring Wellness Day on Saturday, April 13th, co-hosted by White Magnolia Acupuncture and Tai Chi. This is a day dedicated to aligning with the spring in our bodies and daily practices using the Five Branches of Chinese Medicine: movement, nutrition, stillness, touch, and acupuncture.

The day will feature workshops facilitated by John Luna-Sparks LAc., Katie Tao of Teance Fine Teas, and nutritionist/chef Karen Wang-Diggs. We will cap off the day with Spring Live Jazz in our courtyard. We look forward to welcoming spring with you alongside a pot of aged white tea!