Cold Bloom

Cold Bloom opens like the first clear day after winter — bright, calm, and quietly sweet. Picked in February 2025, this rare early-spring picking from Ming Jian’s foothills captures warmth by day and cool by night, locking in sugars that read as maple and soft wintergreen. As a Taiwanese white tea, it stands apart: buds are handled with kid-glove care to preserve their silver down and satin mouthfeel, yielding a cup that’s naturally sweet, mint-bright, and silky from start to finish. The result is a refreshing yet layered expression of place and craft — a small-batch tea you reach for when “everyday white” just won’t do. Taiwanese white tea of this caliber is scarce, and here you can taste why.

Place & soil

Ming Jian sits on rolling hills at 400 m, a growing environment (soil, altitude, climate) that warms quickly yet cools sharply after dusk. That daily swing slows growth just enough to deepen flavor without harsh tannins, creating the tea’s clean, glassy liquor. Alluvial soils rich in potassium and trace minerals lift a subtle stone-fruit brightness. Mr. Yu’s natural farming — no synthetic inputs, native grasses returned to feed the soil — keeps nitrogen steady and the leaf free of residues, so flavors read clear and precise. In this setting, Taiwanese white tea shows a gentle sweetness and a calm, mint-cool finish that feels effortless, not forced.

Craft & cultivar

The leaf comes from TTES 18 — a tea plant variety also called Hong Yu or Ruby #18 — famous as a black tea for wintergreen and cinnamon notes. Turning it into white tea calls for lighter hands. Fresh buds are shade-withered for about twenty hours until moisture drops and grassy tones recede, then hand-twisted. Those twists open tiny fissures that allow a guided 10% oxidation — just enough to soften mint and round sweetness into honey. A brief, low-temperature charcoal warming halts enzymes without singeing the downy hairs, preserving that satin texture. Pre-Qing-Ming timing matters, too: leaves gathered before the early-April festival carry higher amino acids and fewer catechins, so the cup tastes sweet without bitterness. The season is short, drying space is precious, and most local gardens prioritize oolong or black — which is why Taiwanese white tea like Cold Bloom is uncommon, and why each small lot feels special. Properly stored, it will darken over five to ten years, trading mint for deeper honey and warm spice as the leaf mellows.

FAQ

What makes this different from Fuding white teas?
Warmer nights and low hills in Ming Jian nudge flavors toward honey and soft fruit rather than the hay-bright, coastal snap common in Fuding styles.

Why use TTES 18 for a white tea?
Under light oxidation, Ruby #18’s bold spice relaxes. You get satin texture, clear sweetness, and a cooling finish, without the intensity found in its black-tea form.

How does charcoal warming change the cup?
A brief, low-heat finish stops enzymes gently, fixing aroma while keeping the buds’ silver down intact — more polish, no roast.

What does “Pre-Qing-Ming” imply for taste?
Earlier buds carry more amino acids and fewer bitter catechins, so the liquor is sweeter, smoother, and naturally round.

Can it age well?
Yes. Stored cool and dry, it deepens over five to ten years, shifting from mint-bright to honeyed, with soft spice emerging.