Huli Jing Wild White Tea Coin (野生白幣, Yě Shēng Bái Bì, "Wild White Coin") comes from the Camellia crassicolumna tea trees. Known in Yunnan as "Wild Tea," these trees are the source of Ya Bao and Qian Nian Ye Sheng Cha. While Ya Bao is made from the mid-winter buds of the Camellia crassicolumna plants, Wild White is made from the fully emerged, open leaves of these trees. While the exact relationship between these trees and the cultivated Camellia sinensis plants (as well as the cultivated Pu'er plants which are their own subspecies) is unclear, the prevalent theory is that they are one of the wild ancestors of the cultivated tea plants. Studies show that Camellia crassicolumna likely does not produce caffeine, although it does contain L theanine, EGCG, theobromine, and many of the other tea phytochemicals. This white version is picked and sun-dried with no cooking process, giving it a sweet, soft flavor that is reminiscent of Raw Ya Bao but slightly more robust. The Qi, like Ya Bao, is euphoric and floating, but with a more grounded and active character. An excellent tea for those avoiding caffeine but want to drink actual tea.
This tea coin includes 7g of pressed tea. The base color of the wrapper is blue, indicating that it is an herbal tea (we categorize it this way due to the likely absence of caffeine). The ring color is tan, indicating that it has been prepared as a White Tea.
