Aged White Tea 2012 (Lao Bai Cha)

Aged White Tea 2012 is a Fujian white tea that has been naturally ageing for over fourteen years. In Chinese tea culture, there's a saying: "one year it's tea, three years it's medicine, seven years it's treasure." At fourteen years, this Lao Bai Cha (老白茶) has developed a depth you won't find in younger white teas — herbaceous notes with a honey-like sweetness and a smooth, rounded body.

The tea comes compressed into small biscuit-shaped pieces, which is the traditional way to store white tea for ageing. You'll notice how different it looks and tastes compared to fresh white tea — the leaves have darkened over the years, and the liquor brews a warm amber rather than pale gold.

How it tastes

The first thing you'll pick up is an herbaceous quality — think dried herbs and a gentle woodiness. Then the honey sweetness comes through, especially as the tea cools slightly. The body is smooth and full compared to younger white teas. If you've only had fresh white tea before, this is a different experience — warmer, richer, more settled.

One customer, Miguel, told us he was sceptical when our staff at Salamanca Market suggested boiling the leaves after a few infusions. He tried it anyway — and was surprised by a pronounced Chinese dry date flavour that came through. That's something you don't get from regular steeping alone, and it's one of the reasons we keep recommending the boiling method.

A note from Joanne: "This is my go-to tea for chatting or just relaxing. I'll put on a few infusions in the gaiwan, and once the flavour starts to mellow, I transfer the leaves to a kettle and boil them — that's when the dry date sweetness really comes out. Several of our customers buy this one repeatedly. One told us it's her third purchase because 'every cup is consistent in its honeyed sweetness.' That's exactly what I love about well-aged white tea — it's reliable."

A note on this batch: this is a single 2012 lot, and once it's gone, the next aged white we offer will be from a different year. The 50g tins have sold out and we only have the 100g size left. If you've come back for this one before, now's a reasonable time to grab a tin to keep ageing at home.

A few of our customers drink this after dinner — the caffeine is low enough that it doesn't interfere with sleep. If you're visiting Hobart, come try it at our Salamanca Tea Bar. Quite a few people discover this tea in person and then reorder online from interstate.

Tea profile

Taste: Herbaceous, honey sweetness, smooth
Type: Aged White Tea
Origin: Fujian Province, China
Form: Compressed biscuit shape
Harvest: Spring 2012
No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

Brewing instructions

Western brewing: Half a piece (approx. 2.5g) per 250ml teapot. 95°C water. Steep 3 minutes — up to 3 infusions.

Gongfu brewing: 1 piece per 150ml teapot. Pre-warm the vessel. 95°C water, steep 30–40 seconds for the first 4 infusions, add 10 seconds from the fifth. Up to 8 infusions.

Try this: After 2–3 gongfu infusions, transfer the wet leaves to a heat-resistant kettle and boil for 3 minutes. This brings out richer flavours and a rounder mouthfeel.

Storage and ageing

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Unlike most teas, well-stored white tea continues to develop over time — so this one will keep changing if you hold onto it.

Pairs well with Gaiwan for gongfu brewing. If you'd like to compare different aged white teas, our 2008 Wild Aged White Tea Cake has been ageing even longer.

New to white tea? Our White Tea Collection is a gentler starting point.