Description
An Ji Bai Cha (安吉白茶) is a famous Chinese green tea hailing from Anji County of Zhejiang Province in China. This tea is made from fine, select buds that are carefully picked and processed by hand. It produces a bright and crisp liquor with fresh, smooth, delicately herbaceous flavours. This particular batch was picked 5 April 2023.
You may also be interested in our early spring Ming Qian An Ji Bai Cha.
An Ji Bai Cha is sometimes mistakenly described as a white tea. While ‘Bai Cha (白茶)’ does translate as white tea, this only refers to the appearance of the leaf of the tea plant rather than the tea type. In reality, this is a delicate green tea.
The leaves of the cultivar that is utilised for An Ji Bai Cha do have a distinct white appearance when picked and when brewed. This quality has even earned these tea types an albino tea nickname. The cultivar known as Bai Ye No. 1 (白叶一号) has only been used in making this tea since 1982, when the white ‘mother bush’ was discovered in Anji County. While there are legends about white tea bushes going back about 1,000 years in Chinese tea folklore, An Ji Bai Cha is the first known albino tea that was actually produced.
The leaves of this An Ji Bai Cha are long, thin and very fine. They consist of buds plus 1-2 small, young thin leaves. When brewed, it is very easy to see that the leaves have a much lighter, almost white colour. The liquor produced is bright, clear, with a light yellow-green colour and a herbaceous, savoury brassica aroma. It has a smooth and crisp character with a verdant profile. The taste is herbaceous, savoury, lightly vegetal and grassy. There are nutty, umami notes and a hint of oily herbs like sage and rosemary. The aftertaste is creamy-smooth, without astringency or bitterness. This is a light and delicate tea that nevertheless delivers plenty of complex flavours.
This An Ji Bai Cha green tea is best brewed at 80°C for about 2 minutes according to your taste and can be brewed multiple times. Due to delicate nature we suggest using good quality spring water to get the best out of this tea.