WHITE2TEA'S 2020 I AM PU ER TEA CAKE REVIEW
A package full of fresh spring 2020 Pu Er tea just showed up at my door. To say I’ve been excited to try them would be an understatement...
Not just because I love Pu Er and this is one of my favorite times of the year with all of the new tea available… But because there were some pretty special teas in the box. Including the one we’re looking at today, white2tea’s 2020 I Am Pu Er cake.
I’m talking weird special. Experience special. Spiritual special. This is a tea I feel very lucky to have been able to try that left me with more questions than it did answers.
So grab some tea and let’s get brewin’. I’ll try to unpack this the best I can…
Who is White2Tea?
White2Tea is a small but popular online tea company mainly producing Pu Er tea. Known for their
No-BS approach
And for having some of the coolest wrapper art around
White2Tea is worth checking out. Drinking their tea is more about the experience, not just flavor alone.
I AM Pu Er Cake
One thing I’ve been grateful for during the COVID-19 lockdown is that it’s helped me reacquaint myself with my tea practice. I’ve been able to spend more time drinking tea, checking in with myself, and figuring out why it is I’m so drawn to having a tea practice.
Also, I noticed that every once in a while there’s a tea you have that teaches you something you’re not quite expecting or thinking about. This White2Tea I Am Pu Er is one of those teas.
Expectations?
White2Tea’s description of the tea is pretty limited:
“A blend of high-end regions that are usually sold on their names alone. Complexity, body feel, flavor, aroma, and smooth throughout. It's an experience.”
But with limited information, expectations emerge. At least they do for me… I’m not sure what I expected fully, but drinking this tea was totally unlike what I had thought it would be like.
Not in a good or bad way. But just different. The experience itself was different than what I had assumed it would be. And hit me in a few ways I didn’t think It would.
To be honest, I don’t remember much about the flavor in any way that I’d care to spend a lot of time thinking about. Don’t get me wrong – It was smooth sailing, complex, and beautiful.
But the experience is what I remember. And because it’s so nuanced, I would suggest getting to know raw Pu Er for a few years before trying a tea like this. You’ll learn more from it.
If you’re new to Pu Er tea, no worries. Check out our detailed Pu Er Guide here and you’ll be caught up to speed in no time.
Somebody
As I sat down for tea, I tried my best to be aware of everything around me. The day was sunny, the day warm. A small breeze flowed through the windows. I noticed some light gently flickering in through the leaves of the tree outside.
With all of white2tea’s cakes, I like to spend some time with wrapper art. To me, it adds a layer to the experience – a basis of where to start from. Something to think about while drinking the tea. The wrapper for this cake is simple but powerful:
Somebody, somebody, somebody…. I am… Somebody. This dialog – through art, tea, and culture – all culminates at this time. It’s the thought that sparks the experience and understanding of a specific tea.
This is my favorite part of the entire tea process. This mantra is hard to forget while sipping the tea. Especially as it becomes apparent that this tea makes you very aware that you are there, experiencing something truly human. A very special awareness that comes through something as simple as tea.
Sitting Down to Drink
The first brew was pretty light. The flavor was full, sweet, and a little fruity. The flavor developed a little, but it was sharp and concise.
To be honest, the flavor wasn’t what I had expected. It was pretty humble, not showy at all. Came and went without much attention. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t good…
It’s really tasty. Well made, no unpleasant tastes or aromas, and older tree material from how the flavor persisted and the kind of energy and progression the whole tea had. But the feeling of the tea, the energy – that’s what was different and remarkable about this tea.
Feeling the Tea
Pretty immediately, I was able to tell that I’d have a hard time focusing on the tea as anything other than experience. I tried to jot down notes of flavor and aroma. But I could feel different parts of my body being affected by tea... almost an instant rush of energy and a heavy feeling.
Overall, the tea was extremely grounding. And by that, I mean I kept going inward. I felt myself relaxing, sinking into the floor, and a bit tea-drunk… Truly feel at home inside my body.
Extra info: Yes, being “tea-drunk” is actually a thing. This expression is often used to describe the feeling of being very relaxed or kind of buzzed after drinking a lot of tea.
I’m not sure this will be everyone’s experience, but it was mine. I became increasingly aware of myself, my being, and my presence at the moment. Flavor, aroma, and tea all became secondary.
The more I drank, the lighter I felt. My senses seemed to become more attuned to the room. The flickering of the light through the trees is more important.
The energy of the tea felt like it was pulsing through me. In a way that made me feel like I was somebody. Someone, something, inside this temporary body.
But within that moment, I felt quite safe and cared for. While this might sound strange, I found it to be a really powerful experience. Something I wasn’t expecting.
Demanding Attention
This tea does require specific attention, but it’s the attention that it demands. Good luck trying to drink this casually, it’ll make its presence known pretty quickly.
Overall, I’m really happy to have been able to try a tea like this. I’ve talked about it before, but there's something special to me that happens when the whole picture comes together when drinking tea – the spiritual, artistic, and cultural.
This tea brought me to a place I don’t get to often with tea or meditation. And while you may have a different experience, it’s worth sitting with and trying to see for yourself.
Tea Recap
Tea Name: I AM
Producer: White2Tea
Price: $262.00/ 200g cake ($1.31 / gram or about $9.17 / standard session of 7g)
Year: 2020
Growing Location: Yunnan, China
Tasting Parameters:
Gong Fu Brewing Method
7 grams of tea
110ml Gaiwan
Flash Steeps – 2-5 seconds
Dry Leaf Aroma:
Sweet
Light wildflower
Hay
Wet Leaf Aroma:
Floral
Sweet
Soft
Light earthy tobacco
Slightly fruity
Tasting Notes:
Early steeps 1-5:
Light floral notes, a little bitter, then sweetness emerges
Starts to get a little oily and thicker in texture a few steeps in
Profile of a sip goes something like this: sweet, soft, bitter, then deep tannins on the side of the mouth emerge (drying feeling in cheeks), then a returning sweetness emerges
About 3 steeps in I felt the energy of the tea – a deep, heavy (but airy) feeling in my chest and body
5 steeps in, fruity notes emerge
Hard to pay attention to taste – I was zoning out hard and could feel the individual hairs on my arms
Later Steeps 5-10:
A subtle, blooming floral taste developed in my mouth
Subtle notes of steamed vegetables
My body started to feel really heavy, but very present and at peace
Note: Pu Er tea leaves can give you 5, 10, or even 15 good cups of tea when brewed using the Gong Fu method (meaning with a high leaf-to-water ratio). If you’ve just gotten into Pu Er tea, you might want to read our article on How to Brew Pu Er Tea here. It will answer all your questions and give you clever tips to brew Pu Er tea the right way.
Overall Thoughts
The tea is concise – quick and straightforward in taste, but with a long-lasting feeling. It’s a pretty great tea.
It’s not showy or overwhelming flavor-wise, but it knocked me out...in a good way. It’s a deeply inward-facing tea. And by that, I think I just mean it does something inside you. Makes you think, makes you present, makes you aware.
Would I repurchase it?
Overall, I’d like to say yes. But this isn’t the kind of tea I think I’d be able to keep around longer. I’d drink it all the time. So it’s probably best to only have it once in a while.
The more tea I accumulate in my collection, the more I see the value in purchasing smaller amounts of higher-quality teas. So if you’re in a similar boat, it’s worth having a cake of this around to revisit on occasion.
Brew With Us
If you found this White2Tea I Am review to be helpful, come connect with other like-minded people through tea and art in our Steepers Union Facebook group. We’d love for you to join the conversation! See you at the tea table.
If you have a chance to taste I AM by White2Tea, be sure to let me know what you thought or felt when drinking it in the comments below. And for those who feel like discovering more about this great tea company, you can check out my past reviews on their other Pu Er cakes:
