‘Polycrystal’ is a special commission production of high-end Yunnan white tea, in a yueguangbai (月光白 yuèguāng bái) or 'moonlight white' style. The tea was picked with a high proportion of buds and dried over a couple of days in the dark, leading to the characteristic camouflage-esque inclusion of silver needle buds with green-black older leaves. 

The large amount of buds in this tea results in an intense fragrance as well as an extra caffeine kick as younger tea leaves have more caffeine than older ones. This tea is intensely floral and fragrant, with a thick mouthfeel owing to all of the trichomes (small hairs) on the buds.

Most teas of this style are from Fujian and are often called baimudan (白牡丹 bái mǔdān) meaning 'silver needle' - the Yunnan material here lends itself to a much stronger flavour, more potency, and greater endurance when brewing. You can re-steep this tea many times; when brewed lightly, the tea is soft, delicate, and very refreshing. When brewed stronger, you can expect more potent honey and herbaceous flavours. 

Overall, 'Polycrystal' is a strong contender if you're a fan of white tea and interested in exploring a unique style of processing and type of tea material.

Wrapper artwork by Sage Jenson.
Pictures by Pingle Pictures.

2020 tea material produced in Yunnan, China.

200g per compressed cake, with 5 cakes per traditionally wrapped bamboo tong. 25g samples are cut or broken from the cakes and sealed into bags.