Laoshan White & Tea Blossoms

This is a rare white tea from Mr. Tang's small family farm in Laoshan, Qingdao. The tea blossoms come from the same tea trees that bore the leaves.

It is uncommon to find white tea from Qingdao, as white teas are usually from southern China. This is where Mr. Tang learned to craft white teas, when he visited the renowned tea forager, Hunter, in Zhenghe, Fujian, which is considered to be the birthplace of white teas.

The semi-wild tea trees that make up Mr. Tang's farm only blossom once a year. To craft this tea their flowers are carefully harvested as they bloom, dried in the sun, and finished over charcoal. The flower's nectar makes them very attractive to bugs, however Mr. Tang remains committed to farming and producing his tea without the use of sprays or chemicals. Dried, the organic flowers look like potpourri, having all been captured at slightly different stages of their opening.

The tea leaves are handpicked in October and are processed following traditional methods of withering for white tea, before being dried in the sun. Combining them with the blossoms has resulted in a brilliant experimental white tea with a flavour that points to the mineral basin of Mount Lao, and the methodical craftsmanship of Zhenghe.