About this harvest:
This batch is from an early harvest of Ya Bao from the early Spring, 2013 season. The buds are quite small compared to later harvests, and the flavor is super fresh and clean.

Overview:
Ya Bao literally means “Bud Treasure.” This white style tea is composed entirely of hand picked tender young buds from a wild growing/undomesticated Camellia varietal specific to the Yunnan/Myanmar border region. Sometimes referred to as “Ye Sheng” or “wild” tea, this is not a Camellia varietal traditionally used to make the more familiar styles of tea; however, Xiaguan tea factory regularly produces compressed Pu-Erh teas incorporating both leaf and bud materials from this varietal.

This Ya Bao is from Dehong in the far western portion of Yunnan province (Lincang, Baoshan, and Dehong all have areas which produce Ya Bao). In early Spring, young new growth buds from these trees are harvested and simply dried in the sun to produce this Ya Bao. The leaves and buds which grow on these trees later in the spring harvest season are used to produce various “Ye Sheng” Pu Erh teas in the factories of the region.

Appearance, Flavor and Aroma:

The steeped liquor of this Ya Bao is really light and clear with just a touch of yellow green. The flavor of the infusion is a bit fruity with hints of evergreen and fresh young vegetable (think squash blossoms), and the mouthfeel is light, crisp, and super fresh.

Steeping Guideline:
This tea is very forgiving to steep. It is not particularly temperature sensitive and does not become unpleasant even when using water at a full boil. For Gong Fu style steeping, I recommend using about 5-7 grams in a 150 ml gaiwan, use approx 195 F water, and start with a quick rinse followed by a 20-30 second first steep. Western style, I recommend treating it like a regular green or white tea.

General steeping guidelines for the different categories of Chinese tea and a short downloadable “how to” video on Gong Fu style tea preparation are available on our Chinese Tea Steeping Guide page.

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