2012 "Maple Tree" Shoumei Aged White Tea

There is a famous Chinese saying for aged white tea that goes “1 year is tea, 3 years is medicine, and 7 years is a treasure”. This is in reference to the different stages in the aging process for white teas, where most tea drinkers will only drink aged white tea after it has aged for at least 7 years and has developed its full complexity. This 2012 “Maple Tree” Shoumei Aged White Tea has been aged for 12 years and has well ripened into a beautifully complex and well balanced tea with notes of maple syrup, sweet oak, and cocoa nibs that spread across your entire mouth. 

Not only has this tea been fully aged since 2012, but 2012 is a vintage year for white tea, where the climate and harvest of that year was especially good and produced a batch of white tea that is highly sought after. Because of this, it is hard to find this specific year that has not yet been sold out. Leo went around China specifically asking for this 2012 vintage aged white tea and was very excited when he was able to find this “Maple tree” Shoumei White Tea that was both from this vintage year and also such a high quality tea with excellent mouthfeel and flavor.

We recommend brewing this aged white tea specifically by boiling it over a long period of time in a glass tea kettle to get the best flavor. 

When brewing this way, the aromatic notes of cocoa and baked cookies are more pronounced and fills your entire mouth with this mouthwatering aroma, giving you a darker and richer tea experience. This tea is a very smooth tea that likes to spread across your entire mouth and coats your throat and chest with the same smoothness and warmth. Only with premium aged white tea, will you get this pleasant mouthfeel and overall healing body experience. Other aged white tea with poor tea quality, especially when aged for a long time, may be able to replicate the complexity in flavor, however, its quality is apparent when drinking the poor quality white tea from its drying mouthfeel. 

Boiling Tea Kettle Method: Use 9 grams of tea leaves in a glass kettle with a strainer. It is very important that the kettle is made of glass and not stainless steel since the stainless steel will change flavor of the tea. Boil it for at least 30 minutes and enjoy. This tea can be boiled all day in the same kettle without becoming even the slightest bit bitter or astringent, making it very easy to brew and a tea you can enjoy all day. If anything, the longer it boils, the depth of flavor deepens and more of the sweetness shines through.

Although, this is our preferred method of preparing this white tea, you can also brew this Gongfu style with a 90ml gaiwan. When brewing this way, the flavor profile is more woody, has a lighter color, and has a sweet aftertaste of maple syrup instead of the dark toasted notes of cocoa and baked goods. 

 Gongfu Brewing Method: Use 8-9 grams of this tea in a 90ml gaiwan with 208°F (98°C) water. Rinse the tea with boiling water very quickly before steeping for 30 seconds for the first infusion. Once the tea leaves open up, you can steep for about 5-10 seconds on your second infusions. Add an extra 5 seconds for each additional infusion. You should be able to get at least ten infusions. 

This 2012 “Maple Tree” Shoumei Aged White Tea feels like a warm hug with every sip and is perfect for a cozy night in with some warm tea on a cold day.

Notes: Maple Syrup, Sweet Oak, Cinnamon Cookies, Cocoa Nibs