Aged Gong Mei
Gong Mei — white tea from seed-grown Cai Cha stock rather than the Da Bai cultivars — kept for years. Because Cai Cha is a mixed population rather than a clone, aged Gong Mei is noticeably more variable from batch to batch than aged Shou Mei.
Character
More herbal and less date-like than aged Shou Mei, and less consistent, because the seed-grown stock varies from garden to garden.
- Flavour
- Sweet, Fruity, Woody
- Aroma
- Caramelised
- Mouthfeel
- Full bodied, Smooth
- Complexity
- Layered
- Notes
- dried fruit, herbs, warm wood
- Aftertaste
- Sweet and herbal.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Zhenghe
- Cultivar
- Cai Cha
- Oxidation
- Minimally oxidised
- Post-fermentation
- Natural ageing
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Drying → Ageing and storage
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 90–100 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
4–6 g/100 ml · 90–100 °C · 5 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Aged Shou Mei
Two aged white teas from different stock. Gong Mei’s seed-grown material makes it more variable batch to batch, which is a feature and a risk.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Aged Baozhong
Shares 6 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: fruity, sweet, woody, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Aged white tea cake
Shares 6 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: sweet, woody, fruity, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Chen Xiang Tie Guan Yin
Shares 6 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: sweet, woody, fruity, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Hong Shui oolong
Shares 6 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: fruity, sweet, woody, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Liu Bao
Shares 6 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: woody, sweet, fruity, smooth, full bodied and caramelised.
- Aged GABA oolong
Shares 5 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: fruity, sweet, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
- Dong Ding
Shares 5 descriptors with Aged Gong Mei: sweet, fruity, full bodied, smooth and caramelised.
Journeys featuring this tea
- Exploring white tea — Someone who found white tea thin and suspects they are missing something.