Rare Orchid Fragrance Oolong | Bai Ya Qi Lan Wu Long Cha - Option: 50 g

Bai Ya Qi Lan is produced in Pinghe County of South Fujian. It is one of the four famous teas of Fujian, with the other three Tie Kuan Yin, Wuyi Rock Tea and Zhangping Shui Xian. It is the tea of outstanding quality. While its processing is similar to a processing of Tie Kuan Yin, it has a very special character of its own.

Records show that in the Qianlong Era of Qing Dynasty (around 1750s), a farmer found a strange tea tree growing at the side of Pengxi Well at the foot of Daqinshan. He plucked a small amount of fresh leaves and made a oolong tea with South Fujian tea processing style. This tea turned out to be a great success. It had fantastic long lasting orchid flavor, and mellow sweet aftertaste. So this tea was named as Qi Lan. (Qi Lan is Chinese meaning ‘strange orchid’). And later, because the tea trees germinated greyish white color tea buds in Spring, they added Bai Ya (White bud) in front of the name. So it became Bai Ya Qi Lan.

Bai Ya Qi Lan cultivar can be found in Daqingshan and surrounding areas. Daqinshan is the highest mountain of South Fujian which has dense forestry covering and good ecological system. Tea gardens are generally built above the altitude of 800 m and utilize organic ways of agriculture. The plucking standard of Bai Ya Qi Lan is one bud and 2-3 leaves, a plucking requires sunny days. Tea leaves picked between 9 am and 4 pm makes the best quality Bai Ya Qi Lan according to the experience. Spring harvesting period starts at the middle of April and ends at early May.