Ming Qian Anji Baicha is a masterpiece of traditional Chinese tea craftsmanship, requiring skill and dedication to preserve its distinctive flavor and unique characteristics. Here’s a look at the intricate process:

1. Harvesting: Anji Baicha is handpicked in early spring, typically before Qingming (Ming Qian). Only tender buds and the youngest leaves are selected, ensuring a fresh, light flavor. The tea is harvested during a short window, making it exceptionally rare.
2. Withering: After picking, the leaves are spread out to wither naturally, allowing moisture to evaporate while the leaves retain their vibrant jade-green color and fresh aroma.
3. Fixation (Pan-Firing): The leaves are stir-fried in traditional woks to halt oxidation. This step locks in the tea’s bright green color and enhances its mild, vegetal sweetness.
4. Rolling and Shaping: The leaves are gently hand-rolled to preserve their tenderness and shape. This step also helps release the tea’s internal flavor compounds, enhancing its rich aroma.
5. Drying: Finally, the tea leaves are dried at low temperatures to reduce moisture and ensure the tea’s freshness, longevity, and signature smooth taste.

This detailed process, perfected over centuries, ensures that every cup of Ming Qian Anji Baicha delivers a clean, refreshing taste that reflects its origin in Anji’s pristine tea gardens.

Premium Ming Qian Anji Baicha tea features slender, tender leaves with a pale green to light jade color. The leaves are smooth and uniform, indicating their early spring harvest and careful crafting.

When brewed, the tea produces a clear, pale yellow infusion with a fresh, floral aroma and subtle notes of chestnut and bamboo. The taste is exceptionally smooth, with a mild sweetness and a delicate umami finish that lingers on the palate.

Lower-quality Anji Baicha may have uneven, broken leaves or a dull, yellowish color. The brewed tea might appear cloudy, with a harsh or overly grassy flavor that lacks the refined balance of premium-grade tea. To ensure you are enjoying the finest Anji Baicha, look for its signature pale green leaves, clarity in the brewed infusion, and its elegant, mild taste.