Yue Guang Bai Cha

When our team at bodhi set out to craft a white tea for shiloh, the process proved to be an interesting challenge for our artisans at the Garden of Eternal Peace in Yunnan, China. Shiloh sought a sweet and elusive tea that had come into her possession a few seasons ago called Moonlight White, which had inspired many late nights, deep conversations and heartfelt connections at her tea house in Los Angeles.

Moonlight White, like its older cousin Pu'er, is a regional designation for white tea made from Yunnan's large-leaf species of trees. It originates from the town of Jinggu, the hometown of our founders' ancestors, and is known for its candied-fruit sweetness. The challenge that we faced was how to craft tea with the same signature sweetness as Jinggu bai cha, while allowing the leaves at our garden to express their own character with true sincerity.

Some techniques will remain the secret of our craft, but we will reveal the one method that gives this tea its namesake. While most famous white teas are sun-dried, shiloh's moonlight white is hand-picked from our ancient trees, then slowly withered under pale moonlight for three nights.

The result is a tea that possesses true character. Appropriate to the tea house she was crafted for, she reveals herself the way a good conversation does: slowly, and only if you are willing to listen. Over several steeps, she reveals something different about herself. At some points, she sings of the freshness of spring grass. At others, she reveals her slow and syrupy sweetness. And, just like us, she can become quite bitter when mistreated.

To fully enjoy the many layers of Moonlight White Tea's character, we encourage you to brew in the traditional Chinese gong fu cha style.