Friday, March 23, 2012

Sun Dried Buds

Lately, I've been enjoying a unique and delicious tea made entirely from the sun dried buds of wild camellia trees growing in Yunnan, China. These wild trees can be used to make puer tea but, as you can see, their buds look quite different from typical tea buds.



The best way to brew these buds, in my opinion, has been to put a heaping teaspoon into a glass or jar, pour in ~8 ounces of boiling hot water, and then wait until the clear liquor develops a slightly yellow tint. Sip the tea leisurely throughout the entire day and add more water whenever the volume dips below half full. Most of the buds will sink to the bottom after a few hours and it will not get bitter.



The flavor is spirited and herbaceous. I get notes of pine and sage with a little bit of fruitiness. The body is light and refreshing and the throat-feel is wonderful.

Cinnabar's and my tea shop, Phoenix Tea, has these buds for sale here on our website.

4 comments:

Miriam said...

My friends thought I was trying to serve them grasshoppers when I first showed them what I was going to brew. Hahahaha! Talk about a hopping taste though! It's like spring just starts dancing in your mouth! Super delicious. :) Definitely a favorite of mine from your guys' shop.

The Lazy Literatus said...

I've actually had the pu-erh and bud version of this...AS WELL as a black tea made from the same Camellia species. I'm a huge fan and really glad you guys are carrying the buds.

Green Stone said...

Grandpa-style yabao! I like the idea.

Alex Zorach said...

This looks really interesting...I've never seen anything like it. I love how much fascinating stuff comes out of Yunnan province.