Zi Ya "Purple Bud"

A unique pu'erh raw from one of our favorite tea craftsmen, Mr. Tang, in Jinggu, Yunnan who planted these Zi Ya trees 25 years ago in his personal tea garden.

Zi Ya 紫芽 (purple bud) is a Yunnan Big Leaf varietal of pu'erh tree that has significantly higher anthocyanin in the developing buds than other pu'erh trees. The young leaves emerge purple, and then turn green as they mature. This varietal is usually used to make black tea, so we consider this an experimental gesture from Mr. Tang.

He made his first batch of pu'erh with the Zi ya leaves in 2016 and has repeated it frequently ever since. To craft this tea he hand picks one-bud-two-leaves in early spring and allows them to wither naturally on bamboo mats under the morning sun. The leaves are pan-fried in charcoal-fired steel wok, then rolled and air-dried following the traditional shai qing 晒青 (sun wilted) process. The tea is aged for one month, then steamed to be pressed into individual cakes. Lastly, the tea cakes are dried naturally.

The resulting tea cake is stunning: the leaves are plump, defined, and have a beautiful dark blue sheen. Brewed, the tea has very unique, almost purple smelling, floral aromatics. On the palate it is gentle and smooth, with depth and a slight smokiness. This is a particularly nice pu'erh raw for gentle mornings in the fall and winter months as it brings clarity without being too stimulating.