Recently I first tasted a Ya Bao Tea, which is a white tea picked from wild tea plants grown specifically in Yunnan province, China.
I've gotten quite into tea the last two years, and have developed favoured tastes for white teas and oolong teas.
This Ya Bao was seriously special, and just looking at the dry leaves was a delight. The texture was incredible.
The tea is usually harvested in late winter or early spring. This is when new buds begin to form just before harvesting, while still having a protective casing of harder leaf around the bud left over from winter to protect it from the cold. The buds are then left out to sun-dry.
Brewing Ya Bao in a gaiwan (Chinese brewing vessel) is a therapeutic experience, and the leaves looked even more incredible when infusing in the water.
The brewed liquor was clear and light, and developed a slight yellow green colour as we continued to brew it over multiple steeps in the gaiwan.
Flavours of tomato vine, pine resin and crisp evergreen were apparent as we tasted each cup.
It was an absolutely outstanding tea and honestly one of the best I've ever had! I highly recommend the Ya Bao for new tea drinkers getting more into the traditional, pure teas out there.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to check out my other posts on my blog! More tea and travel adventures coming up soon.
Eleanor :)