Jingdong Bai Zhu

This tea is grown at an altitude of over 2500 metres in the high altitudes near Jingdong/Yunnan. It is very aromatic, with a unique flavour for a white tea. It develops fruity flavours that are slightly reminiscent of apples or pears. As tea production in recent decades has increasingly focussed on low-cost cultivation methods at low altitudes, tea gardens like this one have been completely forgotten. The tea garden has only been made accessible again in recent years and can only be reached by a one-hour drive up to over 2500 metres. The harvest is correspondingly time-consuming. In contrast to the large-scale plantations with the typical rows of tea bushes cultivated at waist height, this tea garden consists of individual, old and tall tea trees. The special thing about Jingdong Bai Zhu was the rediscovery of an old tea variety growing in this tea garden. Similar cultivars are also used in the region for the production of Shengpu Pu Er. However, a white tea is made from these leaves here. Tea garden of Jingdong Bai Zhu at 2500 metres Due to the hot and tropical climate, the production of tea in Yunnan is very difficult without the use of pesticides. Sustainable production is only possible at a sufficient altitude. The climate at this altitude naturally prevents pests from spreading. Soil contamination through the use of pesticides is also a major problem when switching to sustainable cultivation methods, especially if conventional tea cultivation has already been practised there. As this old tea garden has not been cultivated for decades, the soil is also free of any contamination. Only in this combination can the best teas be produced in a sustainable way.