Pu Er Bai Ya

At first glance, white pu-erh tea might seem like a contradiction to any Chinese tea aficionado. After all, the terms each refer to the opposite end of the spectrum of tea processing. Cultivated in the Chinese province of Yunnan, a good 1500 meters above sea level, it is a particular strain of twig buds from ancient wild tea trees traditionally used in pu-erh production that lend themselves so unexpectedly well to gentle white tea processing. The plump, fresh buds are harvested in early spring and carefully sun-dried. The result is a tea that offers a completely unique yet pleasantly subtle, delicately flavored aroma.