Shout-out to Norbu Tea

One of the White teas we tasted in the Teacal this week was from Norbu Tea.  Norbu generously donated several teas to the class, and on Tuesday we brewed their delicious Ya Bao Wild Camelia White.

Ya Bao dry leaf

The dry leaves are beautifully furry and you can see the whole buds.  One take on its dry smell was "vegetal."  We decided that it is a very herbal white tea, as opposed to sweet.  The brew is light and I liked its calming characteristics.  In the class, people described it as "peppery," "like a hot, dry sauna," and "like a silkworm cocoon" - all very genuine and observant descriptions of the flavor and aroma.

Senchas from Norbu

A beautiful Sheng Pu-erh cake that we will taste later in the semester.