An Ji Bai Cha

A very famous rarity, which is currently considered one of the best green teas of China. An Ji Bai Cha is a needle-shaped tea (Zhengxingcha) that was roasted in a revolving drum or a shaking machine. This tea is produced by the family of the man who discovered the white-leaved tea bush and they keep the secret of one of the steps in the production (possibly a light rolling) between the roasting in the revolving drums and the shaping in the shaking machine.

The tea is called Bai Cha, "white tea", because the leaves are of a pale green, almost white, when plucked, resulting from a very small quantity of chlorophyll in the leaf. However, it is produced in the manner of green tea. These tea plants with the whitish leaves had already been described during the Song-dynasty (960-1279), and were thought to be a myth ever since. At the end of the 20th century, however, a wild tea tree of this kind was (re-?)discovered. Teas from this tea varietal are very smooth and incredibly sweet in aroma. Because of the high degree of a certain amino acid in the tea plant these teas have a pronounced umami-taste.