SUMMER HUSH – 50 Gms

AV2 White tea from Arunachal Pradesh

Far from any need – need for any refined and nuanced expressions, grows this AV2 with its rural simplicity in the east – an east, as far east as possible – with a simplicity much easier to understand and appreciate. No need for exactitude and rituals – approximate will work equally as well. When you’ve chosen calm, a quiet, a hush, you realize that the exactitudes, elaborations and rituals were the only means to arrive at the calm, the quiet, the hush. Oh yes, the hush? That would be the tender whole of the leaves – so much sweeter, than the sum of its vibrant parts.

Vibrant and bustling, however, is what it’s not. Calm, Quiet and much sweeter than the sum of its parts; hushed but not brief and easy to understand is a better description. Bolder – which is to say its simpler than the White teas of Spring – a flavor of Vanilla and leather most likely unrealized, present in the aroma of old hardbound books and paper, until this White tea puts you up to its revelation. Sweet to say the least, it is thick, syrupy and fruity – honey and cake icing make up most of the taste that’s only hushed when it settles down into a sweet, fragrant and woody and papery aftertaste.  With buds of Summer – buds taller and ‘thornier’ than the leaves – making most of the harvest of mid elevations, it is fruity and smooth – about as far away from floral, dry or astringent as possible – about as far away as growing a watermelon in easter hay is – and yet, a watermelon in easter hay it is.

Brewing instructions: About 3Gms – a little over or under, will work equally as well – at 90 Degrees celsius for 4 minutes. “You can’t miss it.”