On May 5th 2005 flight 5505 took off from The Land Pavilion for the first time from Orlando, Florida as the attraction Soarin debuted at EPCOT. In the days prior in 2005, on the other side of the world, a white tea had just been produced from wild growing trees in a remote village in Fujian China. For nearly twenty years this tea then rested, maturing like a fine wine or whiskey. In collaboration with slow Disney project, in December 2024, we commissioned this very special tea to be pressed into small 7 gram discs perfect for traveling or a special shared session. The wrapper was designed based on The Land Pavilion and the iconic Soarin sign. Tea’s like this don’t come along too often and when they do, you simply can’t ignore them. Drinking them is a journey to times and places of the past, distant landscapes and forgotten energies. It is also a chance to enjoy flavors that have developed and matured over many years. You do not have to be a tea drinker to enjoy this tea and we would recommend it to anyone with a curious palette as it is really meant to be an experience. The tea itself is incredibly complex with rich fruity and herbaceous notes coupled with exotic woody aromas. It’s grounding and relaxing while also being somewhat uplifting, a feeling best described as “calm, but awake.” It has a depth and richness as well as a nice textured mouthfeel. It can be re-steeped many times and can be brewed a variety of ways. This style of white tea does not make use of the buds rather it is composed of more mature leaves. As such this tea was likely harvested later in the season, most likely late April. It was then dried over the course of several days either in the sun or the shade, at this point it's hard to tell. The duration of the drying would be decided by the tea maker based upon the temperature and humidity present. This tea is offered as a compliment to slower artistic and contemplative endeavors but also created in the spirit of movement and travel. They are great companions while traveling and we find it’s nice to carry something more special moment or when you’re looking for something more powerful on the go.
