This spring harvest pre-Qing Ming white tea is traditionally scented and made with Da Bai varietal white tea. This white tea is not sprayed with artificial oils or aromas. Instead, it is dried together with fresh jasmine blossoms scattered among the buds, allowing the natural aroma of the jasmine to absorb over several days into the tea itself. The process of adding fresh wild Yunnan jasmine blossoms is repeated six times over six days to get a full rich and creamy infusion that holds its intense sweetness and natural potency over many steepings. The creamy dessert-like Yunnan silver needle white tea is the perfect delicate pairing with Lincang's local luscious jasmine.

Lady Zhu Rong was a legendary dagger-wielding warrior-queen of Yunnan descended from a god of fire. The toasty-savory spice and sweet, creamy boxy of this Yunnan black tea evoke the kingdom of Dian, an independent state before it was conquered by China and renamed Yunnan. Dian Hong is a relatively new kind of tea introduced in the 80's that has recently taken China by storm for its full body and depth of flavor that comes from its signature downy buds. While budset black teas from Fujian tend to be very crisp, Yunnan golden bud harvests like this Zhu Rong are much bigger and creamier.

This exquisite offering from Wang Yanxin combines the very best of two of our favorite teas - Yunnan White Jasmine and Golden Fleece. Huge buds are picked from Yunnan Da Bai, a varietal normally used for white tea. These buds are allowed to fully oxidize into black tea, but during oxidation and drying, wild jasmine blossom are scattered among the buds, allowing the natural aroma of the jasmine to absorb over several days into the tea itself. The jasmine flowers have to be changed and renewed six times over six days to get a full aromatic infusion that lasts over many steepings. The old craft of true jasmine scenting is a slow laborious process, but the results are worth it. This tea is as rich and sweet as Golden Fleece and as luscious as Jasmine.