Wild Arbor '15
The 2015 Wild Arbor White Tea Cake is your fast track to complex, naturally sweet flavor without the wait. Pressed from untended bushes growing 900 m up in Fuding and allowed to mellow for two full years before compression, this cake folds eight years of slow transformation into one neat disk. Open it and you unlock dried-fruit richness, velvety body, and impressive stamina — a rare intersection of altitude, wild growth, and careful aging that rewards both everyday sipping and long-term collecting.
Origin
Guan Yang, a mountainous enclave above Fuding city in northeastern Fujian, is known for sandstone soils that drain quickly and force tea roots deep, concentrating minerals that translate into a gentle salinity in the cup. The bushes here grow untended — locals call them “ye fang” or wild arbor — so each year’s yield is modest, and leaf chemistry shifts with the weather rather than fertilizer. At 900 m, cooler nights slow leaf growth just enough to pack extra amino acids, laying the groundwork for the honeyed sweetness you taste today.
Craft
Harvested in August 2015 at the Shou Mei stage — larger leaves plus soft stems — the pluck delivers a bigger canvas for Maillard reactions during aging. After a day of sun-withering to lock in floral volatiles, the leaves finished drying indoors on bamboo racks. They rested loose in Fuding’s humid subtropical climate for two years, letting surface oxidation progress gently before being stone-pressed into 350 g cakes in 2017. Cake format slows further airflow, encouraging sugars to polymerize while preventing the sharpness that can develop in loose storage. The cakes then continued to sleep in Fuding until August 2020, gaining depth without losing clarity.
Tasting Notes
The first infusion pours a clear amber with flashes of copper. Aroma leans toward dried fig, pine honey, and a hint of cedar. On the palate expect caramelized pear up front, a mid-note of oat biscuit, and a cooling evergreen finish that lingers for minutes. Texture is notably thick — almost broth-like — thanks to high-altitude polysaccharides. Successive steeps reveal candied orange peel and a soft mushroom earthiness. Energy feels centered: uplifting enough for morning focus, gentle enough for late-night reflection.
Aging
At ten years since harvest, oxidation has caramelized brisk catechins into smoother, darker molecules, turning fresh hay into dried-fruit depth. Yet the cake is far from finished. Kept in a cool, ventilated spot, it will continue to soften tannins and build woody nuance for another decade. Because compression moderates oxygen exposure, flavor will evolve steadily rather than spike, letting collectors track year-to-year changes with confidence.
Brewing
Use 5 g of leaf per 100 ml of water at 95 °C. Start with a 30-second infusion, then add 10 seconds each round. The thick leaves stay resilient for eight or more extractions; push later steeps past the two-minute mark for syrupy sweetness. All measurements are metric to keep dialing in precise and repeatable.
FAQ
Is this the same as Bai Mu Dan?
No. Shou Mei uses slightly older leaves and stems, giving a deeper, more autumnal flavor.
Why press a white tea into a cake?
Compression slows oxidation, helping sugars develop evenly and making the tea easier to store long-term.
Does “wild arbor” mean the tea is organic?
The bushes grow without inputs, but no third-party organic certification is claimed.
How long will the cake last once opened?
If kept dry and odor-free, flavor will keep improving for at least five more years.