#white2tea

white2tea gets recommended a ton in gongfu tea circles, especially once you start getting into puerh; they're really well known for their shou puerh selection, though they also draw some criticisms from their lack of transparency regarding exact sourcing and terroir of each tea. if you compare their listings to some other retailers, white2tea gives you the year and some processing information and tasting notes at best, whereas teavivre (just a random example, never shopped with them) will tell you specific origin, tea garden, even the exact tea bush and date of picking. white2tea is much more vibes based, some love it, some hate it. i think their graphic design is sick tbh, but i also think they cater to the hipster crowd and are a bit more dissociated from the regional roots.

nevertheless, the prices are fair, shipping to EU isn't exorbitant and i haven't had to pay customs taxes yet, and i can't argue the tea is pretty fucking delicious, so that's why i shop there. of course recommendations will depend on what you're looking for and their selection skews largely towards puerh, especially ripe, but here are some of my favourites so far*:

2020 waffles (shou puerh)

2025 jonia (charcoal roasted white tea)

2022 dualist (black tea)

stone milk (yancha)

snowflake queen (dancong oolong)

2014 gongmei (aged white tea)

2021 h0t br4ndy (censoring name bc tumblr filter got me last time smh, black/white tea blend)

*i've only started to sample my second order, ask me again in a couple of weeks and i might have new favourites to add!

Good morning

Tea: White2tea Cacao 80 ripe puer

I am very silly, and bought this mini because the reference on the wrapper made me laugh. I love Documentary Now. Maybe I’ll ramble about it over on instagram later, but for now I will talk about the tea itself. The description of this tea that W2T gives is interesting; they note the tea is made of some older material they were waiting to press. Once again, we are all left to ponder what this material exactly “is”, which W2T always leaves a mystery. Aroma hit me as punchy, at first. I was worried about the bitterness as the aroma seemed young and green. But, it also smells sweet, sugary, and fruity. It smells a lot like Yiwu, but I’m uncertain as W2T is a strange mysterious wizard with its sources. Liquor is gold, crisp, soft. Cloudier and thicker than some young sheng I’ve had recently. This tea is a treat for sweeter young puerh drinkers. It’s quite a special tea. Notes of jasmine, wood, and fresh fruit. Leaning a tad on the floral side rather than the fruity. Give this mini a try if it sounds good for you. Maybe snag a cake if you’re feeling ballsy. It’s a good one.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

If you can’t sample it, don’t buy it... unless you are positive.

I tried it when I first got it and then promptly forgot about it as it got buried in my tea cart.

I think the bamboo taste is even more pronounced as it's been untouched for almost 3 years. To me, I get a dense, woody taste, and I'm ok with that 😁

2022 Lich Tears – Shou Puer from White2Tea

Like getting grapefruit rind stuck in the back of your throat— in a good way This is elation. Like those first moments when I pedaled away from my parents. Training wheels discarded. Balanced obtained. Five-year-old-freedom. I’m barely conscious. It’s not my fault. I blame an ornery commitment to scratch cooking. The stuffing recipe alone takes just under three hours. The bread must be torn –…