white2tea

Post Reply
Auxilium
Posts: 29
Joined: Mon Jun 15, 2020 6:36 pm
Location: USA

Sat Aug 22, 2020 6:59 pm

mod edit:
discuss white2tea here :mrgreen:

Hey! Just letting everyone who didnt know white2tea is offering free global shipping on orders over 20$ till tommorow with the code back2noschool
Last edited by pedant on Tue Sep 08, 2020 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
pedant
Admin
Posts: 1516
Joined: Fri Sep 29, 2017 4:35 am
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Sat Aug 22, 2020 8:04 pm

not bad, thanks for sharing. does anyone have any strong recommendations? i'm not much of a young sheng guy, but i really enjoyed 2015 72Hours.
User avatar
Iizuki
Posts: 78
Joined: Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:23 am

Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:40 pm

I'm thinking about dropping an order. Not fan of their marketing so mostly just samples to see what they're about. That being said, I'd welcome some sheng recommendations!
User avatar
Nis
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:13 am
Location: France

Wed Nov 04, 2020 12:27 pm

Sheng
My experience with his sheng is somewhat limited, but I can recommend the 2009 Jingmai brick and 2016 Diving Duck.
If you're into huangpian, the 2016 Fade would be worth looking into, I suppose. Personally I don't care much for huangpian, though, so... meh.
The Green Hypes are solid, if somewhat pedestrian.
The 2017 Poundcake I found rather boring. It was sweet, yes, but not much else.

Shu
His shu is solid, although I lean more towards the Yunnan Sourcing profile. He's all-in on small batch productions this year, including this $120/200g blend, so could get really interesting.

White
I quite like his white teas.
The Turtle Doves (any year) are no-brainers, if you ask me. Heavy on the honey notes. The 2013 Gongmei is also really good, with a sort of hazelnut nougat flavour profile. The 2017 Bamboo Dove works well grandpa-style.
karma
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 2:14 pm
Location: Texas

Fri Nov 06, 2020 7:13 pm

Iizuki wrote:
Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:40 pm
I'm thinking about dropping an order. Not fan of their marketing so mostly just samples to see what they're about. That being said, I'd welcome some sheng recommendations!
Personally w2t actually has my favorite marketing of any western vendor. I feel like Paul's art school background really factors into his wrapper/tea design, typically succeeding at the "product an artistic message" strategy he goes for.

Ironically, I don't really like the "house style" all too much -- his particular flavor profile is pretty middle of the road for me, compared to say BYH or CLT.
User avatar
belewfripp
Posts: 70
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:10 am
Location: Pennsylvania

Thu Feb 18, 2021 1:22 pm

I've ordered from White2tea a couple of times. On the plus side of the ledger, I really enjoy his white teas - the 2020 Zero Sum in particular was very nice, and the 2019 Milan loose leaf was also good. And his 2002 "Yiwu" Huangpian sheng brick is quite alright given the low price (driven in part by uncertainty over the tea's true provenance). I'm also intrigued by the small-batch shou - still need to try the bing of 2020 Nameless One I got.

However, while I don't think there's anything I've gotten that I would describe as bad, I'm not sure my tastes in sheng and/or cha qi receptivity is the same as his, as the 2005 Naka, which seems reasonably well-known online, was fine but only that. Flavor was monotonous and I got little cha qi from it (as opposed to his whites, which usually wallop me).

The marketing is also interesting. There is a good deal of irreverence and skepticism regarding traditional tea marketing, and some of his satirical bing wrappers are pretty funny. Yet, when browsing the product listings I sometimes feel that you could play a game of, "Puer Tea or Indie Band?" (e.g. if there isn't a band called "Hotline Space Coyote" there should be).

Overall, I have positive vibes towards White2tea and will likely order again (eventually - first, I need all of the tea I've already ordered to get here...).
User avatar
YahYue
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:23 pm
Location: Canada

Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:57 pm

So here is a silly question: For White2Tea's tea club is there, like, a pattern in what is sent out?

I know it is supposed to be a surprise and that it logically would follow the seasonal production of specific types of tea, but I've found it hard to set expectations.

I am hesitant to go into monthly blind boxes and I know W2T isn't going to send low quality stuff, but just that it might be something that isn't right up my alley.

Granted, I've only had 1 monthly order so far (August 2021 and it was previewed) and, when I get it, I am sure I will be pleased, but any thoughts or advice would be nice.
User avatar
Nis
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:13 am
Location: France

Fri Sep 24, 2021 10:44 am

YahYue wrote:
Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:57 pm
So here is a silly question: For White2Tea's tea club is there, like, a pattern in what is sent out?
Not particularly. There are some months where you can expect a certain type of tea, but other than that it can be basically anything. It can be just some tea (that may or may not end up for sale on the site), or there can be an educational aspect to it.

Here's what current traditions predict:
  • January: Shu pu'er. Tea club exclusive.
  • April: Spring green tea.
  • May/June: Spring sheng pu'er. Tea club exclusive.
  • June/July: Green Hype cake.
  • October/November: Autumn sheng pu'er. Exclusive.
  • December: XXXmas huangpian sheng pu'er cake. Exclusive.
Oolong Owl has reviews of nearly every month on her blog, if you want to get a better idea.
YahYue wrote:
Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:57 pm
I know it is supposed to be a surprise and that it logically would follow the seasonal production of specific types of tea, but I've found it hard to set expectations.

I am hesitant to go into monthly blind boxes and I know W2T isn't going to send low quality stuff, but just that it might be something that isn't right up my alley.
I think this is actually one of the best reasons for getting a subscription like this: That you get to try some teas you might not have tried otherwise.
Post Reply