Anji County, Zhejiang · 2-Week Harvest Window
Anji White Tea — though it is, in fact, a green tea. The name refers to the pale jade colour of its leaves, the result of a rare low-chlorophyll cultivar that turns almost white in early spring. With the lowest astringency of any green tea and a delicate umami character, it is a tea of extraordinary softness and finesse.
| Type | Green tea (low-chlorophyll cultivar) |
| Cultivar | Bai Ye #1 (White Leaf #1) |
| Harvest | Early spring (2-week window, late March – early April) |
| Elevation | 300–600m, Anji County bamboo forests |
| Soil | Acidic, humus-rich, shaded by bamboo canopy |
| Craft | Minimal processing: withering, fixation, shaping, drying. The leaves are handled as little as possible. |
Needle-thin, pale jade leaves. Almost translucent when dry — the colour of young bamboo shoots. When brewed, the leaves are a luminous pale green.
Young bamboo, fresh snow peas, a trace of wild honey. Delicate and green — the fragrance of a bamboo grove after rain.
Exceptionally soft — the lowest astringency of any green tea, thanks to its naturally low chlorophyll and high theanine. Umami arrives first, delicate as dashi, then sweetens into a note of steamed edamame and young spinach. The body is light but present. A tea that feels like a whisper.
Gentle and brief. A clean, slightly sweet exhale. No bitterness, no dryness — just the memory of spring.
75–80°C · 3g · 200ml glass vessel
No rinse. Steep: 90s / 60s / 90s
Three infusions. Use glass to appreciate the pale, almost translucent leaves. Cooler water preserves the umami — too hot and you lose the very delicacy that defines this tea.
4g · 500ml cold water
Refrigerate 3–5 hours
The umami recedes; a delicate honeydew melon note emerges. The most subtle cold brew of the collection — pale, elegant, almost ethereal.