Anji Bai Cha, 2021 1st Flush Whole Leaf China Green Tea from A Thirst for Tea

Anji Bai Cha, 2021 1st Flush Whole Leaf China Green Tea

Tea type
Green Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Apricot, Asparagus, Bamboo, Butter, Cannabis, Chocolate, Citrusy, Cotton Candy, Cream, Creamy, Drying, Herbaceous, Lemon, Melon, Mineral, Nutty, Oily, Orchid, Roasted Nuts, Sakura, Salty, Seafood, Seaweed, Silky, Soft, Sweet, Tangy
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by derk
Average preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 30 sec 4 g 5 oz / 150 ml

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  • “First time with Anji Bai Cha green tea and first time with Frankee Muller’s educational A Thirst for Tea, which is based in Oriental, NC. I’ll get more into how I stumbled upon this business in...” Read full tasting note
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From A Thirst for Tea

Ours is the first plucking of this wonderful tea, representing the purest, most distinctive representation of this tea’s character. The leaves are slender, delicate & a bright vivid green, with an abundance of fine white fuzz on the undersides. The scent has notes of citrus & nuts. The liquor is a lively pale green with the bright clarity of a classic high-grown mountain tea. The taste is a complex mix of tangy fresh, floral & mellow with lovely lemony notes, & a creamy soft, silky mouthfeel with a sweet lingering aftertaste.

Ingredients: Artisan green tea
Origin: Anji County, Zhejiang, China

Brewing Instructions

Water Temperature: 160 -175 degrees
Water Quality: Best with Spring Water
Amount of Leaf (per 6 fl oz water): 2 full Tbl. (4 grams)
Steep Time: 2-3 minutes
Number of Infusions: 3

I especially like using a high leaf to water ratio and steeping this tea with slightly cooler water. Our Anji Bai Cha may be prepared in a standard teapot, or in your favorite mug or lidded gaiwan. For best results, we recommend that you pre-warm your vessel, and place 3.5 — 4 grams of leaf per 6 oz of liquid, before infusing with 160-175 degree water for up to 2-3 minutes. As with all green teas, Anji Bai Cha can be infused at least three times (and up to 5.) Increase the time and temperature slightly with each subsequent infusion. Experimenting with your own temperatures and steeping times is encouraged, especially with such a forgiving tea. Cooler temperatures and shorter times yield more mellow, fruity elements, while hotter water and longer times produce a sharper flavor. Always use the best-tasting water you can find, and adjust steeping times, quantity of leaves, and water temperature to your personal preferences.

We highly recommend brewing your tea in a teapot or mug with a removable infuser so that you can remove the leaves at the end of the steeping time. Whole leaf teas of this quality need room to unfurl and expand in the water in order to perform their “magic.” If you don’t have a removable infuser, you can brew the loose leaves directly in the pot. At the end of the steeping time, pour all of the tea into a warm serving pitcher or pot.

Anji Bai Cha has become the most sought after green tea amongst tea afficionados due to its limited production. Our Mingqian Anji Bai Cha is plucked 2 days before Qingming (April 5) in Tian Huang Ping, Anji county. This is the first plucking of this wonderful tea, representing the purest, most distinctive representation of this tea’s character. The leaves are slender, delicate and a bright vivid green, with an abundance of fine white fuzz on the undersides. The scent has notes of citrus and nuts. The liquor is a lively pale green with the bright clarity of a classic high-grown mountain tea. The taste is a complex mix of tangy fresh, floral and mellow with lovely lemony notes, and a creamy soft, silky mouthfeel with a sweet lingering aftertaste.

Anji Baicha, (translated Anji White Tea) is grown in Anji County, Zhejiang province. Although the name indicates a white tea, Anji Baicha is definitely processed as a green tea. The term “white” in this instance refers to the appearance of the plant itself, the leaves of which are very pale, almost white, as is the color of the liquor. One of the characteristic of Anji Bai Cha tea plants is that they produce very little chlorophyll during the winter when temperatures are quite low (ranging from minus 8 to 10 degree Celsius). As a result, since less theanine is converted to chlorophyll, the tea buds contain higher levels of health enhancing theanine. The tea buds are white in color. After processing, the tea leaves acquire a pale yellowish-green color. The plucking season is very short, only about 30 days in early spring. Once the temperature rises to above 25 degrees celsius the leaves are noticeably greener and have changed in flavor.

Anji Bai Cha has a long history dating from the Song Dynasty (960 to 1276 a.d.) The famous Song Dynasty Emperor Huizong -who was known more as a gifted artist than as an emperor-wrote a book on tea called General Remarks on Tea. In it he wrote about a tea plant with jade white leaves. This tea plant remained a mystery for 900 years until in 1980 a single white tea bush (now known to be the ancestor of Anji Bai Cha) was found in Anji County, Zhejiang province. Experts believe that this was the tea plant mentioned in the book. All Bai Cha bushes are descended from this one tea bush which is estimated to be approximately 300 years old. It has taken since 1980 to propogate enough bushes to produce a commercial crop.

About A Thirst for Tea View company

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2 Tasting Notes

85
1548 tasting notes

First time with Anji Bai Cha green tea and first time with Frankee Muller’s educational A Thirst for Tea, which is based in Oriental, NC. I’ll get more into how I stumbled upon this business in another note. I still need to email her and ask permission to use her pictures and descriptions.

[3.5g, 150mL glass gaiwan, 160F upped to 175F, first steep of 30s]

Dry leaf in the bag smells like cannabis and melon; in hand it’s sweet and dry like dark cocoa powder and roasted nuts. When warmed, the leaf smells very intense like a Japanese green with a sweet and flowery chocolate undertone.

The first infusion is light, sweet and very clean with a touch of cream that further develops in the aftertaste. Delicate. Oily with a layered astringency, cool breaths. I smell the wet leaf in the gaiwan and am greeted with the smell of roasted nuts that is common with pan-fired Chinese greens, fried squid, orchid, simply syrup with lemon juice and dense notes of kelp, steamed asparagus and blanched nettles.

With the second infusion, the aroma is light and flowery. The tea in my cup is very clear, little tea hairs floating throughout. The color reminds me of spring, a light yellow like filtered sunshine with a pinkish silvery tint. The taste is very similar to the first infusion, smooth, and reminds me of fresh bamboo. I notice the aftertaste, lightly fruity with the melon and cannabis of the dry leaf. The tea is drying now and reinforces the notion of bamboo, it’s drying like a bamboo basket might taste. Salty feel.

The third infusion is fruitier on the sip, a notion of apricot appears and the melon becomes more pronounced. Tongue-numbing, mouth closed, I sit with the tea. The aftertaste here is beautiful and silky, a refreshing, fruity breeze of lemon, melon and the impression of silica-rich horsetail. I smell the bottom of the cup for the first time and breathe deep the scent of cherry blossoms. The aftertaste lingers so long. So calm, warm.

Fourth infusion develops a delicate creamy and nutty taste. Fifth, lord, the aftertaste! It’s so coating — ghee and melon something — cotton candy? I haven’t put anything else in my mouth since I took the last sip over an hour ago. The wet leaf in my gaiwan shows a high quality picking.

Overall, this is a very structured, nuanced yet delicate green tea with strength in all facets. The aroma is understated but it fits the experience beautifully.

Flavors: Apricot, Asparagus, Bamboo, Butter, Cannabis, Chocolate, Citrusy, Cotton Candy, Cream, Creamy, Drying, Herbaceous, Lemon, Melon, Mineral, Nutty, Oily, Orchid, Roasted Nuts, Sakura, Salty, Seafood, Seaweed, Silky, Soft, Sweet, Tangy

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 30 sec 4 g 5 OZ / 150 ML
1 comments
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derk
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A heads up for anybody considering this tea or maybe trying it from another vendor for the first time: it’s most definitely a gongfu tea, a beautiful one. I did a few western steeps yesterday and it basically tasted like hot water with a roasted nut nose.

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