DETAILED TASTING NOTES

Dry leaf aroma: characteristic golden flower aroma: mushrooms, undergrowth, with notes of blackberries
Wet leaf aroma: shoumei shows through, antique wood, barberry, hibiscus
Texture: medium-thick, milky
Taste: chamomile, damp autumn forest, thyme, root syrup
Finish: nice sweet finish, quite mellow, pleasant, dry then juicy
Empty cup aroma: pine forest
Aftertaste: dried culinary herbs, raspberry leaf
Body sensation: warm, soothed, meditative

Category: White Tea
Original name: 金花寿茯茶
Harvest: Spring 2020
Origin: Fuding, Ningde district, Fujian province; processed into Fu brick in JingYang, Shaanxi province, China
Cultivar: Fuding DaBaiHao
Altitude: 500-800m

Forest Saint-Germain is a white tea hand-pressed into a Fu brick (FuZhuan) in Jingyang, Shaanxi. Processing a white tea in this manner is truly rare. But the main appeal lies in how it balances the herbaceous sweetness of a well-aged white tea with the sweetness and mushroomy notes of golden flowers (JinHua). The golden flowers are present but not overpowering, just as in our Golden Loaf, the classic Fu brick from the same producer. The hand-pressing also means it breaks apart effortlessly.

GongFu Infusion:
100°C
6g /100ml
1st infusion: 15sec, subsequent: +3sec/infusion
15 infusions

Boiling: Excellent for cooking — as an alternative or after GongFu infusion. Use 5-10g per 500ml and add 1-2 crystals of good mineral salt. Simmer over low heat and top up with water as needed. The longer it boils, the thicker, darker, and sweeter the broth. Leave at least a third of the liquid in the pot and extend with hot water as many times as you like.

On the Go: Put 5-10g in a one-liter thermos, fill with boiling water (100°C) and drink throughout the day.

Fu brick (FuZhuan) is a type of tea that undergoes a unique fermentation, during which a fungus called eurotium cristatum develops inside the brick in the form of characteristic golden spots, known as golden flowers (JinHua). JingYang, in Shaanxi province, where Fu tea is believed to have originated, has been perfecting this art for about six centuries.

JingYang Fu teas often use raw material (HeiMaoCha) from other regions. The raw material for this brick was harvested and processed into ShouMei in Fuding, Fujian, renowned for its white teas. It was then transported to JingYang, where it was inoculated with the brand's own golden flower, and hand-pressed into bricks before 45 days of aging in dedicated chambers. Entirely handmade.

The story of this tea with Tea Drunk Monkeys begins in Xi'An, where Efim happened to meet a JingYang native who produces and sells his teas locally. He opened his shop just for us during the holidays, answered every question directly, and showed us what he and a close friend are quietly experimenting with. Their teas are almost impossible to find elsewhere in China, let alone abroad.

The golden spots you see in the brick are not harmful mold. They are eurotium cristatum, a fungal culture intentionally cultivated in Fu tea production for hundreds of years, valued for the depth it brings to the taste and for its purported digestive and metabolic benefits.

We have encountered online reports of gluten-sensitive individuals reacting to golden flower, although we have found no concrete evidence explaining this phenomenon. No gluten was used at any stage of this tea's processing. If you have known intolerances, we suggest starting with a small amount.