Big Tree Moonlight White Snow Pearl (大樹月光白雪珠, Dà Shù Yuè Guāng Bái Xuě Zhū, "Big Tree Moonlight White Snow Pearl") - This is a Dragon Ball - a 7g sphere of whole tea leaves - of Big Tree Moonlight White. Not only are they convenient single-serving units of tea, the dragon ball shape is good for maintaining the integrity of the leaves. These charming dragon balls are made of Da Shu Cha 大树茶 - "big tree tea," but how does this compare with Gu Shu Cha 古树茶 "Ancient Tree Tea?"
Like Gu Shu Cha, there is no official metric of size or age that defines Big Tree Tea. So what does it mean for a tree to be "big?"
Big can be the thickness of the stalk - indicative of age - or the height of the tree. These are trees that aren't old enough to be considered "ancient" but may be several decades old. In addition to being good because they're old, they're also more likely to be seed-propagated as that was the predominant form of Pu'er horticulture for most of the 20th century.
Delicately sun-dried, white tea is a great venue for showcasing the depth of this kind of tea. The best way to taste the character of big tree tea - as with ancient tree tea - is to try it. You can compare this with our regular loose moonlight white, which is made from younger trees.
