Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea-Jinggu White Tea

Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea (Jinggu White Tea/景谷大白茶) is produced in Jinggu County at an altitude of 1,600 meters. Chen Liujian, who went to the banks of the Lancang River (also known as the Mekong River) for business, discovered white tea seeds in a tea field and secretly collected several seeds. He hid them in a bamboo tube and carried them back to Yangta. Initially planted in a large garden, the tea plants grew rapidly over the years and were later expanded to fourteen surrounding tea fields, reaching an area of three to four mu, with an annual production of three to five piculs of tea. The large garden still hosts Da Bai tea trees, including one with a trunk circumference of 88 cm, a chest circumference of 61 cm, six main branches, a height of 4.26 meters, and a spread of 35×360 cm, producing six to seven jin of white tea annually. This tea tree is the first one planted by Chen Liujian and is about 150 years old today. Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea (Jinggu White Tea) is unique to Jinggu, distinguished from regular Pu-erh tea in that regular tea only develops white hairs (white tips) on the young buds during certain seasons. On March 22, 2023, Jinggu County in Yunnan held a press conference at the Haigeng Hall to officially launch its regional public brand “Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea (Jinggu White Tea).”

Summary

Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea is a type of large-leaf, medium-maturing tree. The plants are tall, typically 3-5 meters high, with a semi-spreading growth habit and sparse branching. The leaves are 13-17 cm long and 5.7-7.8 cm wide, oval-shaped, with 11-13 pairs of lateral veins. The leaf surface is raised and slightly curled, with a soft texture, sharp or gradually pointed tips, and a bright green color. The young buds are robust, with an average weight of 0.67 g for one bud and two leaves, yellow-green color, and abundant down. The flowers have a relatively large crown, with a diameter of 4-5 cm and 7-8 petals. The tea has strong cold resistance and high rooting success rate.

Yangta Da Bai Tea is known for having a particularly large individual tree, with the largest having a trunk circumference of 1.22 meters, a main trunk diameter of 0.28 meters, a height of 5.8 meters, and a crown spread of 4.6 meters. Over 100 ancient tea trees are still alive in the area.

Da Bai tea is suitable for making various types of tea, including Pu-erh tea, Dian green tea, and black tea. Traditionally, it is used to make sun-dried green tea, with spring tea being the best, followed by valley flower tea. The best quality is harvested before Qingming Festival, known as “Mingqian Chun Jian,” and processed into pan-fried green tea or baked green tea, which has a better aroma, silver-gray tips, and a greenish infusion. When processed into black tea, it reveals golden tips, with plump, well-formed tea leaves and excellent taste. The processed gongfu black tea features upright buds with prominent tips and a strong flavor. It is suitable for promotion in southern and western Yunnan.

Characteristics

Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea is native to Yangta Village, Minle Township, Jinggu County, Yunnan Province. It is widely cultivated locally and introduced to other tea regions in Yunnan. Characteristics include tall plants with a semi-spreading habit, prominent main trunks, dense branching, and downward-growing leaves. The leaves are exceptionally large, broad oval-shaped, dark green with a raised surface, inwardly curled leaf body, flat edges, shallow coarse teeth, and gradually pointed tips. The buds and leaves are robust, yellow-green, with abundant down, and one bud with three leaves weighs 163.8 g. The flowers have a diameter of 2.6-5.3 cm, with 7-8 petals, a hairy ovary, and a three-lobed pistil. The fruit diameter is 2.2 cm, with brown seeds and a seed diameter of 1.5 cm. The tea plant has strong growth vigor and retention of tenderness, with uniform budding and six rounds of new shoots per year. The spring tea harvest period is in early March, with a high yield of about 200 kg per 667 square meters. The spring tea’s one bud and two leaves dry sample contain approximately 3.8% amino acids, 29.9% tea polyphenols, 15.3% catechins, and 5.2% caffeine. It is suitable for making black tea, green tea, and Pu-erh tea with excellent quality. It has weak cold resistance and poor fruiting capability. It is best suited for southern and western Yunnan tea regions. Cultivation tips include deep planting trenches, adequate base fertilization, double-row double-plant or double-row single-plant transplantation, with about 3,000 plants per 667 square meters, and strict low-position shaping pruning. Frost prevention is essential.

Characteristics

Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea is produced in Yangta Village, Minle Township, Jinggu County, Yunnan Province, China. It features a high-quality tea tree variety with buds and leaves covered in down, resulting in robust, weighty tea. The white tips are prominent, with a silver-white appearance, a clear fragrance, a bright tea infusion, a mellow and sweet taste, and good endurance for multiple infusions, named after its regional characteristics. Yangta is located in the misty mountains with a cool climate and a cultivation history of over 150 years, with old tea trees still surviving. White tea differs from other teas in its distinctive white appearance and appealing appearance. As a result, local officials mandated careful production into “White Dragon Beard Tribute Tea” for tribute to the court, making it a rare and precious item.

Da Bai tea is suitable for making various types of tea, with traditional sun-dried green tea being best, especially if harvested before Qingming Festival, known as “Mingqian Chun Jian,” processed into pan-fried green tea or baked green tea for better aroma, silver-gray tips, and greenish infusion. When processed into black tea, it reveals golden tips, with plump, well-formed tea leaves and excellent taste. In 1981, Da Bai tea was rated as one of the Eight Famous Teas of Yunnan and listed as a local famous tea variety.

History

Historically, the production method for Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea involved picking fresh leaves, immediately hand-frying them, then spreading them out to cool and rolling them. After the initial rolling, the leaves were fully disintegrated and evenly spread on bamboo mats to be sun-dried to half-dry, then rolled again (called “second rolling”), and finally spread out and dried completely.

The finished Da Bai tea has an attractive appearance with prominent white tips, a clear fragrance, and an olive-like aroma. During the feudal era, it was made into Dragon Beard Tea, tied with red silk threads in a grain-like shape, and presented as “White Dragon Beard Tribute Tea” to the court. The method for making Da Bai tea has changed to baking green tea. Harvested before or around Qingming Festival, it consists of one bud and two or three young leaves, processed by hand-frying, rolling, and drying. The tea has a long, robust appearance with shimmering silver tips, a beautiful shape, a rich, fresh aroma, a mellow and sweet taste, and a clear infusion. When brewed in a glass cup, it resembles floating tea petals, making it visually appealing.

Promotion

On the morning of March 22, 2023, Jinggu County in Yunnan Province held a press conference at Haigeng Hall to officially launch the regional public brand “Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea (Jinggu White Tea).” It was introduced that Jinggu Da Bai Cha Tea (Jinggu White Tea) has been promoted and planted in 10 townships (towns) and 142 administrative villages in Jinggu County, covering an area of about 200,000 mu, with over 120,000 tea farmers. It has 80,000 mu of organic tea garden certification and an annual production of nearly 8,000 tons.