Puerh “Moonlignt”

Puerh “Moonlight” 月光美人

As the tea industry continues to develop the traditional classification of tea is under pressure. In a recent post, we’ve explained why ‘Shai Hong tea’ is a special kind of tea between black tea and pu erh.

The “Moonlight White” is again one of those teas don’t fit in one of the usual categories. It’s name suggests it’s a white tea, yet often times they’re presented in the form of a tea cake, which makes you think it’s a pu erh tea. Before we dig deeper into the unique characteristics of this tea, let’s first learn more about its origin.

The Origin of Moonlight White Tea
In China, this tea is also known as “Yue Guang Bai” (月光白) or “Yue Guang Mei Ren” (月光美人, Moonlight Beauty). The raw leaves of this tea are from Jinggu big white leaf cultivar trees in Yunnan Province. It’s therefore not strange that most of today’s Moonlight White tea is also produced in Jinggu.

Health benefits

Chinese Puerh has repeatedly proved its invigorating and beneficial effect on the human body. It can be used boldly to strengthen your health: It is effective for elevated cholesterol, helps to gradually reduce it, and is also a good prevention, especially if there is a tendency to increase this figure. The ability of the tea to normalize cholesterol was proven by researches from French scientists. If you drink Shud regularly, the result will be a strengthened immune system. The body can easily cope with attacks of various viruses and infections. The healing process is also taking place due to the release of toxins and slags. Guaranteed positive results ensure that you fight overweight. Nutritionists have long since added the list of slimming foods.

Brew tips

Traditional Preparation Steps of Moonlight White Tea
This tea is very flexible when it comes to brewing. Prepare a chunk of it in a mug, will result in a good tea. It’s a very forgiving tea that’s hard to over steep. Yet, if you want to enjoy the preparation process and get the best flavour out of the leaves; go for traditional brewing!

Prepare a small teapot or gaiwan.
Pre-heat the tea set by rinsing it with boiling water 95-100 degrees.
Drop 5 grams of dry tea in the teaware and perform a quick rinse by adding water in the pot and discarding it immediately. This allows the leaves to somewhat unfurl, preparing it for an optimal brew.
Now brew the tea again for 10-60 seconds and serve. Increase the steeping time by 5 seconds for every next infusion. Typical White Moonlight can be brewed 8 to 10 times.