Elder White has become a crowd favourite at Mei Leaf over the years. Floral and powdery but with a wood and resin structure.
Ya Bao is a special bud tea made from the ancillary buds of wild tea trees growing in the Western border of Yunnan.
These tea trees (Assamica Dehongensis) can be used to make Yunnan Black and PuErh tea but in late Winter some of the ancillary buds are picked in small quantities. The ancillary or lateral buds are the first shoots of the year which will become stems. This is different to the terminal buds used in most tea production (which will become leaves). These ancillary buds have a unique cone-layered appearance and have to be picked sparingly otherwise the tea trees will not grow enough branches.
The aromatics of Elder White are unmistakeable. Floral, fruity and zesty!
The issue with Ya Bao can be that it is all fantastic aroma but in the mouth the texture and physicality can be empty.
This year, we found the most amazing Ya Bao producer who sent us a couple of batches of Ya Bao picked a few days apart. Both were amazing in different ways.
The smaller tighter buds of the earlier picking had creamier aromatics, a ticker texture and a more woodsy structure.
The buds picked 3 days later were bursting with bright aroma with alighter finish.
So we decided to blend them!
If you buy a pouch of this Elder White then you will see a lovely mix of tighter and opened buds to make the ultimate Ya Bao.
Resinous pinewood and mineral talcum blends with zesty elderflower, pineapple, gooseberry and freshly cut ginger. It is sweet, bright, powdery and floral but with grounding forests and creams from the younger pickings.
The perfect blend of a totally unique White tea.
