Culinary Specialties CooksShopHere- Green Tea: SunShine Tea- Sun Dried from Centuries-Old Trees

Black

Oolong

SunShine Tea™ Sun Dried Tea from
Centuries-Old Tea Trees Certified Organic

Yunnan Province, China
Sun-Dried and Basket-fired
Open leaf style
Deep, rich flavor
Clean, earthy aroma
Golden liquor

1/4 lb	1/2 lb	lb
15.00 Buy	30.00 Buy	60.00 Buy

Camellia sinensis ( the China tea bush ) has been growing in the southern regions of Yunnan Province in western China since time immemorial. It is quite likely that tea was found growing ‘wild’ in this part of China, as were different varieties growing naturally in both northwest Burma / northeast Assam and along the entire border of what is now Burma and far-western China. While the expected productive life of a cultivated tea plant is 20-25 years, there exist tea plants
in the wild that are centuries-old.

The tea leaves offered here, Sun Dried Tea from Centuries-Old Tea Trees, are from those trees. Found along the tea trail in Southern Yunnan where Burma and Laos mesh with the lush subtropical portion of southwest China, the tea trees that produce SunShine Tea™ are closely watched over and protected by the ethnic minorities that inhabit this region.

We rushed from Tibet to Xishuanbanna (dropping 10,000 feet in altitude, and shifting from 42° F to 92° F in 12 hours) to be certain to attend the Sunday market in Menghun, near the Burmese border. Along the road, silhouetted in the early morning light, we saw native tea plants, mango groves, rubber plantations, and many other fabulous types of vegetation that are prized in this beautiful area.

The following morning we met up with our tea-sourcing companions, eager to be in pursuit of the centuries-old tea trees about which we had heard so much. While not immediately trusted or encouraged, after gaining the trust of our local guides, we first drove to and then hiked up the side of a large mountain where some of these historic tea plants live. Towering over us as do old-growth trees of all sorts, we felt as John Audubon must have when he encountered a sought-after new tree.

The tea that these old plants produce, Sun Dried Tea from Centuries-Old Tea Trees, is limited in quantity ( they are tired! ) and marvelous. The leaves are inevitably large and bursting with the goodness that we want infused into our cups of tea. While it is impossible for these plants to generate small, tender leaf that is brisk and clear, the large leaf is deeply flavored and satisfying.

For most of us, this was the first time that we had seen both the flowers and the fruit of the tea bush, and it was thrilling. We are excited to be able to share this quality tea with you, compliments of our new friends in southern Yunnan Province.

SunShine Tea™ is sun-dried for at least the initial drying stage, a minimal processing that can only occur when the climate co-operates completely. It is often finish-fired to make certain that the leaf is totally dry. Many tea vendors do not know this, and incorrectly state that it is dried completely in the open air. There is so much more moisture in Sun Dried Tea from Centuries-Old Tea Trees leaves than in smaller leaf that finish-firing is necessary to prevent spoilage.

Because the size of the leaf is so dramatic, it is important that you use a large quantity of it when brewing your tea. The 2 grams per cup needed to brew this tea is a large volume. Don’t forget to re-brew the leaves: you should be able to infuse the same leaves 3 times.

Steep 2-3 infusions at 2 minutes each.
Water temperature should be 170˚ - 180˚ F