Silk Chrysanthemum Bud

Our Silk Chrysanthemum Bud Tea is made of Hangbai Chrysanthemum, one of the four famous chrysanthemum varietals native to China. This varietal originates from Tongxiang County of Zhejiang Province, where it has been cultivated for roughly 400 years. These small, yellow flowers are one of Zhejiang Province's 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' items.

As highly regarded as these flowers are, they are hardly grown in this region anymore. The chrysanthemum is an annual plant, which means it requires transplanting and propagation each year. On top of that, the traditional method of processing the flowers involves complicated techniques that require a great deal of time. Since cultivating them is so labour intensive, the cost of carrying it on is too high for most families living in the area today. As a result, this tea tradition that has lasted for over 300 years has quietly almost disappeared.

Our Silk Chrysanthemum is made by a couple, Mei and Yu, who are consciously resisting this trend. They have a keen interest in the revitalization of traditional craftsmanship and cultural heritage, which motivated them to convert a small plot of land on their family property to a biodynamic farm for the purpose of cultivating and processing Hangbai Chrysanthemum using traditional methods.

Each chrysanthemum bud is harvested carefully by hand in the morning. At night, they are processed using a centuries-old steaming method: wood from local camphor trees is used to start a fire, small batches of 250 grams of fresh chrysanthemum buds are placed inside handwoven bamboo baskets and are steamed for 4 to 5 minutes over the fire. The buds are then baked for 4 to 6 hours, then sun-dried for 2 to 3 days on the bamboo baskets. A final round of baking over camphor charcoal dries the buds thoroughly. When prepared this way, this tea will last a long time and be able to travel great distances without the preservatives.

Hangbai Chrysanthemum is famous for the intensity of its golden colour and the concentration of its medicinal properties. Even in the dried buds we see the striking yellow center contained by thin, curled petals and the silver-green flower cap that once attached to its stamen. This year's harvest brews a strong, vibrant liquor. Its medicinal qualities are less forward than previous years, allowing its dusty sweetness and beautiful florality to appear more prominently.