"White Moonlight" Yue Guang Bai White Tea

 High up in the cloudy mountains of Yunnan, the Wise Tea Master Lao Cha was drinking tea with his disciples. 

Taking a sip, Lao Cha spoke:

— Look at this tea, take a sip, feel its Qi. Farmers crafted it from the mighty tea trees that have been native to Yunnan for centuries upon centuries. Even in such a raw state, you cannot mistake its presence.

The leaves, reminiscent of fallen tree leaves in autumn. The brew, a majestic gold color. A tea so full of spirit and character that you can mold it any way you wish — and you'll still have a quality Yue Guang Bai.

Yue Guang Bai White Tea is a very peculiar tea. Harvested early on in April, the tea undergoes minimal processing — typical of a white tea. A legend goes that the beautiful girls of Yunnan come out at night, under a full moon, to pick the tea leaves. Hence, the tea's name – "Yue Guang Bai" (月光白 – White Moon) or "Yue Guang Mei Ren" (月光美人 – Moonlight Beauty).

In reality, farmers pick the leaves in daylight, like any other tea. However, once picked, the tea leaves are withered indoors and then further dried overnight. There is no oven-roasting or kneading involved. This tea receives very little, if any, direct sunlight. It helps the leaves accumulate more amino acids than they normally do. Yue Guang Bai is among the teas with the highest amino acid content, ranging from 6 to 9%. Some samples reach a whopping 11% – twice that of an ordinary green tea!

Our White Moonlight White Tea is a high-mountain tea grown at an elevation of 1,300 meters above sea level, in the mountains of Yunnan, China. The taste is pure and straightforward, with notes of sweet apricots and honey, and at the same time, akin to malty Chinese black tea.

Historically, to produce Yue Guang Bai, farmers used the leaves of Camelia Taliensis (大理茶), which contain both theanine and caffeine, and have characteristics very similar to those of var. Assamica. But nowadays, Camelia Taliensis has become an endangered species due to over-picking.

The farmers we work with pick one bud with one leaf of the Camellia sinensis var. Assamica tea tree variety – Da Ye Zhong (大叶种), meaning "Big Leaf" in Chinese. Indeed, this Camellia Sinensis variety is known for its larger tea leaves. When allowed to grow wildly, the tea trees grow large and tall, with sturdy and wide trunks and strong roots that reach deep underground, from where they obtain essential nutrients.

This tea variety is known to have a slightly higher caffeine content than Camellia Sinensis var. Sinensis (the tea bush most often used for Chinese tea production outside of Yunnan). Thus, Yue Guang Bai is an excellent tea that helps you focus, providing a soothing and calming energy. Farmers produce this tea from the same tea trees used to make pu-erh.

Our White Moonlight tea can withstand many steepings without losing its characteristic flavor. We recommend that the tea drinker not be shy and experiment with this refreshing tea. Experiment with various brewing vessels, water temperatures, and steeping times. Furthermore, it's highly delicious and refreshing as a cold brew tea. Perhaps you wish to age it? Go ahead! The taste will transform into something new and inspiring, without losing taste.