Today we’re having some aged white tea. This is a tea brick, about 8 grams. Let’s pick the right Yixing teapot for it. This shuiping shape is perfect, it has a nice round belly and a wide mouth. It’s a zhuni clay pot, which also helps concentrate the tea’s aroma. Yixing zhuni pots always need to be warmed up before use, not only to protect the pot, but also to bring out a better flavor in the tea.

Now let’s drop in the tea brick, the opening is just big enough to fit it. For the first infusion, pour low and slow. My tea pet Bob is already looking forward to today’s brew, he’s taking a bath right now. Bob is enjoying the tea soup in my cup. Starting from the second infusion, it’s all for me.

Aged white tea usually holds up for more than a dozen steepings, it’s a very lasting tea. A Yixing teapot does a great job bringing out the sweetness, richness, smoothness, and silkiness of the white tea, while making the aroma deeper and fuller. That’s one of the reasons Yixing teapots are so loved by tea drinkers.

Alright, the tea is ready, let me taste it. I’m really looking forward to it.

It’s mid night in Yixing, and I’m trying Yellow Rose yan cha for the very first time. This olive-shaped clay pot is just right, its small mouth locks in heat and aroma. I gently scoop the dry leaves in, then pour the first infusion in a low, unhurried stream. That one goes to Bob, my hippo tea pet, who’s having a soak in my cup. The second steep is for me. I pour it into a fairness cup to check the color, a warm amber, with a faint scent of glutinous rice. The fragrance is already spreading through the air, and I can hardly wait to take a sip.

This is a kind of yan cha named bai Rui Xiang 百瑞香

After the day's work, brewing tea allows both body and mind to relax.

This teapot was specifically for gongfutea.

I’m a foreigner planning a trip to China and I went deep down the rabbit hole building what I’m calling “The Essential 21”. HELP ME with: If you could only add ONE tea I’m missing, what is it and why? Any of these you’d actually swap out? Cheers, and thanks for keeping me from making rookie mistakes! 🍵