Depending on who you ask, Yabao tea can be categorized as raw pu-erh, white tea, white raw pu-erh, pu-erh buds, or even as a tisane! These are just some of the many categories this elusive Chinese tea falls into. So what is Yabao? Actually, it's quite tricky to define and confine it to a particular tea category. What we do know is that it's incredibly delicious. So let's try to take a closer look at what makes it so.
What Is Yabao Tea?
Yabao comes from Yunnan province, China's ancient tea-growing region. High-quality Yabao comes from wild-grown old tea trees, aged 100 years and up (known as GuShu) – the same tea trees of which Pu-erh tea is made. However, the way Yabao tea is processed does not classify it as Pu-erh, but rather as a White tea.
Tea farmers pick Yabao during the colder months, before the tea plant's leaves begin to emerge, sometimes in late winter, but always earlier than the first flush teas. You may notice Yabao buds have extra layers of "coats" – these protect them from the harsh weather. In fact, if not picked, these buds develop into new branches.
Farmers must harvest Yabao buds sparingly to ensure the tree continues to thrive and produce new growth for later harvests. After harvest, the tea is left to dry, after which it's ready for brewing. The minimal processing of this tea is why it's considered a White tea.
Yabao tea is wonderful when aged. While the crispness fades, spiciness and maturity take place. If you can get your hands on some extra buds, we surely recommend aging them at home and keeping a tea journal to monitor them along the way. You can age Yabao similarly to how you would age pu-erh. Check out this article for more details on aging tea.
Different Varieties of Yabao Tea
Our Yabao comes from a tea plant known as Camellia Crassicolumna. A tea species quite different from our good friend Camellia Sinensis. It's characterized by a much wilder appearance and can reach much greater heights than the commonly cultivated tea bushes. This tea tree variety grows almost exclusively in Yunnan. It is rare to find tea of this species on the market in China, and especially abroad.
Since Camellia Crassicolumna is scarce, the Chinese government encourages tea farmers to adopt sustainable tea production practices. This is achieved by carefully cultivating cuttings of the ancient tea trees and planting more in the area. Furthermore, scarcely harvesting the buds from the existing ancient tea trees.
The buds of this tea plant differ from the more common buds of Camellia Sinensis, which are short, plump, fuzzy, and silver. Our Yabao is large, long, and dark-colored. With tones of purple, green, brown, and yellow.
The more common Yabao
The taste is incredibly rich – filled with notes of pinewood, resin, dried fruits, and berries, and sometimes a hint of sweetness, differing from the more robust and sometimes bitter profile of Sheng Pu-erh. The aroma is that of a fresh forest. The brew – thick, viscous, and rich. It's like no other tea we've had.
Yabao – Caffeine Free Tea!?
What many might be surprised to find out is that Yabao is practically a caffeine-free tea. This is, in fact, a unique trait of its kind. Unlike spring tea buds, which accumulate caffeine during the plant's active growth phase, Ya Bao buds are harvested during winter dormancy, before the growth cycle begins. This is why they are naturally very low in caffeine while still carrying all the complexity of ancient-tree material. Additionally, unlike Camellia sinensis teas whose primary alkaloid is caffeine, Camellia crassicolumna's main alkaloid is theophylline – a related compound with different physiological properties. Caffeine is present only in very small amounts (roughly 2–5% of the total alkaloid content). So feel free to drink this tea in the morning on an empty stomach or even before bed. Yabao is an excellent non-caffeinated tea for those with caffeine sensitivity.
It is also rich in a distinctive set of phenolic antioxidants. A study found a unique profile of antioxidant compounds in Camellia crassicolumna, distinct from those found in standard Camellia sinensis teas. Thanks to these two qualities, our Yabao has a very relaxing effect on the body, yet highly elevating. Read more on the subject here.
How To Make Yabao Tea
This is one of the reasons we love Yabao as much as we do – it's impossible to ruin!
You can use boiling water to brew it gong fu-style. Or, you can brew it on the go in a thermos, making it the ideal travel tea! We recommend using glass or white porcelain teaware to best appreciate the tea's soft colors. This tea really doesn't succumb to multiple infusions when brewed gong fu style, easily going past 15!
Gong Fu Brewing Instructions:
195℉ / 90℃
1g per every 20ml 
15sec + 5sec for each subsequent infusion
Sometimes the brew can be quite light, we recommend experimenting with the infusion times to your liking!
Cold Brewed Yabao Tea
If you would like to try this tea cold-brewed, use 10 grams of tea per liter of water and infuse for about 8 hours.
