Wild Ancient White

大雪山野白

Harvest
February 2025

Origin
Jinggu, Yunnan

This pristine white tea is made entirely from wild pu’erh leaves foraged on Daxueshan Big Snow Mountain. Its producer, Mr. Tang, has been gathering wild pu’erh shoots from the same mountains for the last 10 years to produce a very special tea we are also fortunate to receive small quantities of. He crafted this white tea for the first time in 2023, after his annual foraging trip, making something we rarely ever see from the leaves of ancient pu’erh trees.  Each year he will only produce less than 10 kilograms of this tea. 


At 8200 feet elevation, the jungle terrain where these wild pu’erh trees stand is extremely steep, and a ways away from the nearest village. The trees have grown wild since they were planted by the ancestors of local, indigenous tribes over a thousand years ago. Unlike cultivated tea trees, wild trees only sprout once each spring, making their single bursts of life particularly precious. These leaves are in good hands with Mr. Tang, who has been crafting white tea for over 3 decades, and who understands it to be the purest of all teas due to its gentle and minimal processing.

The tea leaves are harvested at the beginning of spring, in late February to early March. They are processed very carefully to preserve as much of their living enzymes and vitality as possible. First, the freshly harvested leaves are spread on bamboo mats to wither, with rounds of gentle piling initiating subtle micro-fermentation. Then they dry naturally under the cool rays of the alpine sun. The dried leaves are stored in big clay jars for one month to deepen their aroma and taste. Then, in April, they are roasted over a gentle flame, using as little heat as possible, before being steam pressed into small tea cakes. 


Mr. Tang gave us a sample of this wild white last year when he first released it and we were astounded by how phenomenal it looked, pressed into bright green, paper thin miniature cakes. The leaves revitalize instantly in the gaiwan, as though they were picked yesterday. They smell tropical, like dehydrated pineapple and coconut nectar, and glow with colour. Tropical notes appear on the palate as well, where we taste fresh longan and fruit peel, amidst a bouquet of roses. 

Foraged in such an extreme landscape, this tea bears the markers of its wilderness, and yet, through delicate craftsmanship, reveals its gentleness, generosity, and sweetness. Mr. Tang has managed to preserve its wildness, something no cultivation could ever imitate, while producing one of the most refined teas we carry. Its energetics are stunning, like a cross between pu’erh raw and medicinal white tea. It feels both grounding and expansive, offering comfort and clarity in equal measure. This white tea, with all of its purity and unmediated presence, will remain consistent for around ten infusions. It's a wonderful thing to spend this amount of time with. 

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Brewing guide

Cold Brew Guide