Yueer Bai Zhu 2020

The tea has already reached a good level with a ageing period of 4 years or more. It continues to improve over time, but not as quickly. Most of the harvest is of course drunk fresh. White teas like these are comparable to a good wine. At the beginning, the tea is still somewhat lighter and sharper, while the flavour develops a broader and more rounded profile as it matures. Both the fresher harvest and this harvest are nevertheless both a pleasure. This tea is produced in a small, remote Buddhist temple in the fuding area under the guidance of Chen Yue'er. The production follows that of a classic Spreading on bamboo netting white tea. After plucking, the leaves are dried in the sun on bamboo wicker bases and in an intermediate step they are brought by hand into the typical, portion-sized spherical shape. The monastery is one of the few institutions in the region that is committed to sustainable cultivation in the traditional way. Tea is not grown in the valley. The leaves are harvested from wild tea plants in the difficult to access highlands. This method of cultivation is the most natural way to avoid pest infestation. The slower growth of the tea View from the temple plants in the higher regions also leads to a better aroma of the tea leaves. The monks harvest the tea from wild growing tea bushes that are 20 years old and older. The leaves of these tea bushes do not grow at a uniform height or density as on conventional plantations. However, they have a stronger and better aroma. The method of production in spherical form is a well-known procedure in the area. Outside of China, this form of tea is occasionally found under the name White Pearls (Chinese: Bai Zhu or 白珠)