Jade Bud (翠芽, Cuì Yá, "Jade Bud") is a classic Sparrow’s Tongue style green tea, meaning it is produced exclusively from the buds of early spring that are flattened to a uniform shape, similar to Lóng Jǐng 龍井 ("Dragon Well"). From the Tái Chá 苔茶 ("Moss Tea") cultivar, a local Guizhou land race of tea plants native to the Shiqian area. These plants turn purple in the late spring as the weather warms and some of the trees are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. Farmer and tea master Xiang Ge has been cultivating these local plants and applying modern growing and processing practices to them, establishing the first organic certified tea farm in Guizhou. Jade Buds, with its refined shape and pure bud content, has a characteristic toasted grain taste - think halfway between puffed rice and popcorn - and a sweet afterfragrance with notes of condensed milk.
