This herbal tea is the culmination of a long-time dream for us. One of our long-time favorite "teas" at the tea house isn't a tea at all, but Ya Bao - the buds of a tea relative called Camellia crassicolumna that lacks caffeine but is otherwise chemically similar to tea from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. It grows in Yunnan, on Nannuo mountain, among the ancient tea trees and throughout the forest. It is superficially similar to the tea plant except that it buds in winter, not spring, and each bud is actually 3-5 buds nested one in the other, creating a bud set that resembles hops or bamboo shoots. We normally have it in its raw (white tea analog) or cooked tea (sheng pu'er analog) states, but for years we've been asking for a fermented version. This is the first year we've been able to acquire some from Li Shulin.
Like raw ya bao, fermented Ya Bao is also light in flavor and color. The taste moves from a soft floral character to a sunflower seed, earthy charcoal flavor. A completely unique offering in our catalog that we're excited to finally enjoy, and another option for lovers of gong fu cha who want to avoid caffeine.
