“When drinking Tea, choose the great White Tea, it helps with weight loss and lowers blood pressure. Once reserved as a tribute, now enjoyed by common households.” When people talk about white tea, they often think of Fujian Province in China. However, there is also a type of white tea from Yunnan Province that was once used as tribute, which is quite excellent. This tea is known as White Dragon's Beard Tribute Tea.
The raw material for White Dragon's Beard Tribute Tea comes from a tea tree variety called Jinggu Large-Leaf White Tea. This tea tree is native to the Yangta Village area of Minle Town, Jinggu County, Yunnan Province, and is one of the large-leaf sexual population varieties in Yunnan. It has been cultivated for over 200 years.
Unlike other tea trees in Yunnan, Jinggu Large-Leaf White Tea, influenced by the unique natural climate conditions of the region, produces buds and leaves covered in white down, with particularly robust buds that can reach the length of two adult finger joints. According to the Jinggu County Annals, Jinggu Large-Leaf White Tea has a particularly white appearance and good looks, leading local officials to order its careful processing into White Dragon's Beard Tribute Tea to be presented as a tribute to the court.
White Dragon's Beard Tea is made using single buds from Jinggu Large-Leaf White Tea. After withering and drying, the tea is tied into ear-of-grain shapes with red silk thread and presented as a tribute. The name “White Dragon's Beard Tea” comes from the robust buds and visible white down, which resemble a dragon's beard. The tea has silvery-white strands that are not only visually appealing but also possess an aroma similar to Fuding White Hair Silver Needle, with delicate floral notes. When brewed, the tea liquor is clear and bright, with a fresh and sweet taste and a pronounced aftertaste, making it highly re-infusable.
In 1981, White Dragon's Beard Tea was rated as one of the eight famous teas of Yunnan Province at the Yunnan Famous Tea Appraisal Conference, and the Jinggu Large-Leaf White Tea variety was listed as a local tea cultivar. In 1984, the Yunnan Provincial Agriculture Department established the Jinggu County Tea Technology Extension Station to cultivate and promote large-leaf white tea in Jinggu County. In 1995, White Dragon's Beard Tea produced by the Jinggu Tea Factory won a gold medal at the Second China Agricultural Food Exposition.
Jinggu County in Yunnan Province boasts excellent natural conditions and is considered a central region for the origin of tea. It is home to the sole fossil of the broad-leaved Magnolia Jingguensis, dating back 35.4 million years, indicating a long history and deep cultural heritage related to tea. It is understood that there are currently only about 1,000 mother trees of large-leaf white tea remaining in the village of Yangta. If you have the opportunity to visit the Jinggu area, be sure to go to Yangta Village to see the tea king tree, known as the ancestor of large-leaf white tea, which is well worth a visit.