Baihua Tan, affiliated with the high-quality tea production area Tongqing River in Pu'er tea, has become an emerging micro-production zone due to its highly distinctive taste experience. It is a delight for tea enthusiasts and a valuable treasure. Speaking of their current status and position, they stand out among the rapidly rising micro-production zones in Yiwu in recent years.
They are truly favored by tea enthusiasts, like a cherished possession in one hand and a precious gem in the other. As for the taste characteristics, they are distinct and hard to rank. Similarly rooted in the fairy-like secret realm of Yiwu, they are naturally nourished by high mountain mists, have little human intervention, and the tea trees are not dwarfed, thus naturally possessing a wild Beauty and the essence of the mountains and forests.
Tongqing River, which could be considered as coming from the same lineage, each has its unique mountain and Forest essence. Those who have tasted both teas will easily find that even with the same “mountain and forest essence,” what we taste and feel can be very different.
The tea from Baihua Tan has a mountain and forest essence more akin to floral fragrance and wilderness charm, known for its rich “hundred flower aroma,” with a softer and sweeter flavor style; while the tea from Tongqing River, though lacking the captivating hundred flower fragrance of Baihua Tan, has three layers of fragrance—flower, fruit, and Honey—that progress one after another, making its aroma enchanting enough. Its mountain and forest essence is more pure and direct.
It usually comes in with a strong tea energy surging forth, coupled with a rich and intense tea flavor, giving the tea a characteristic blend of the gentle and smooth side typical of Yiwu tea, along with the exhilarating sensation of drinking Lao Banzhang.
The ecological environment of Baihua Tan, hidden deep in the old forest for so many years, must be excellent. The tea trees in the ancient Baihua Tan tea garden grow very scattered. It is said that these are early planted cultivated large tea trees, much older than those planted by the people of Shiping and Yi Wu village.
Walking along the Tongqing River, fragrant tea gardens cover both sides of the mountains. Heading over the hill on the right side, you arrive at Baihua Tan. To visit Baihua Tan, you must traverse winding mountain roads and then trek upstream through dense forests for two to three hours to reach it. With an altitude ranging from about 1,500 to 1,900 meters, the state-owned forest background allows it to retain a complete primitive forest ecosystem.
The ancient tea trees in Baihua Tan reach heights of several dozen feet, with deep roots and broad crowns, and large leaves. But in this era where there is a pursuit of ecologically sound teas, no matter how deeply hidden, they will ultimately be discovered, impossible to remain hidden. The moss-covered, slippery riverbed.
Ferns several meters tall, dappled sunlight through the trees, the secluded and idyllic environment of Baihua Tan, with high organic matter content in the soil, high forest coverage, and a complete plant symbiotic ecosystem, is a fairyland for ancient tea trees to grow freely.
To pick the tea from Baihua Tan, you must hike the entire way, crossing mountains and rivers, requiring over six hours to travel back and forth. Anyone who has personally visited the ancient Baihua Tan tea garden knows that reaching the tea garden requires crossing mountains and rivers. Along the way, rare Herbs and unknown flowers and trees are everywhere.
This natural ancient tea garden hidden in the remote deep forest is surrounded by lush vegetation, with birds singing in the ravines, and the scent of flowers carried by the wind. The natural ecological environment and scarce yield of ancient tree tea make the Baihua Tan tea leaves exceedingly precious.
The ancient trees of Baihua Tan are amidst hundreds of flowers, and upon tasting, the floral fragrance of the mountains and forests immediately fills the mouth, captivating and enchanting. The perfume and tea are integrated, leaving the mouth full of floral fragrance during the aftertaste, with an aroma similar to a mix of jasmine and lemon essential oil.
Baihua Tan is also like a wild lily. When discussing the characteristics of Pu'er tea from Tongqing River, one prominent feature mentioned was its wildness, which is hard to find. Baihua Tan also possesses this feature; its rich mountain and forest flavor is bestowed by the primeval forest, with a full-bodied taste that has captured the hearts of many tea enthusiasts.
The unique wild honey fragrance, the myriad flavors, and the elusive wildness. Such naturally grown Baihua Tan ancient tree tea is abundantly wild, like a wild lily blooming in the mountains, dominant, unrestrained, free-spirited, elegant, pure, and embodying many qualities.
Its rich mountain and forest essence is bestowed by the primeval forest, with a full-bodied taste that has captured the hearts of many tea enthusiasts. Upon tasting, the floral fragrance of the mountains and forests immediately fills the mouth, and the return of sweetness almost coincides with the passage of the tea soup down the throat, swift and intense, with a deep and lingering aftertaste.
The tea fragrance is restrained and not overly exuberant, perfectly blending with the tea soup. After drinking, the aroma lingers between the lips and teeth, permeated with a mountain and forest essence and a touch of coolness, making it hard for tea lovers not to succumb to its charm. The tea soup entering the mouth is very sweet and smooth, thick but light in taste, with a very mellow and refreshing mouthfeel.
The burst of saliva production is extremely strong, followed by continuous waves of increasingly intense return of sweetness, rich in fullness and layering, and the mouth is filled with floral fragrance when tasting the aftertaste. After three cups, the body heats up, palms sweat, and the tea energy is abundant.
The features of Baihua Tan Pu'er tea: Baihua Tan raw tea has a high degree of recognizability, with three prominent features: straight, hard, and heavy tea quality. This is because the tea leaves contain a high amount of pectin. Baihua Tan ancient tree tea belongs to a category of teas that are not bitter, with extremely high sweetness and smoothness, a swift return of sweetness, and weak intensity.
The tea soup color is light golden yellow, very glossy. The floral fragrance of the mountains and forests upon tasting. The tea soup entering the mouth is very sweet and smooth, thick but light in taste, with a very mellow and refreshing mouthfeel. The burst of saliva production is extremely strong, followed by continuous waves of increasingly intense return of sweetness.
It is rich in fullness and layering, and the mouth is filled with floral fragrance when tasting the aftertaste. After three cups, the body heats up, palms sweat, and the tea energy is abundant. The leaf base, with a deep yellow-green color, is fresh and lively, the leaves are thick, the stems are stout, and very supple.