Anji Baicha
Sweet, brothy and umami-rich with almost no astringency. A green tea from an albino cultivar.
Anji Baicha (安吉白茶) is, confusingly, a green tea — the "white" refers to its cultivar, Bai Ye No.1 ("White Leaf No.1"), propagated from a single ancient albino bush rediscovered in Anji County, Zhejiang, in 1982. In cool early spring the new leaves cannot make chlorophyll and emerge pale jade-white; in this albescent window the leaves' amino-acid content spikes to around 6%, roughly double an ordinary cultivar.
That amino-acid surge is the whole point: the resulting green tea is exceptionally sweet, brothy and umami-rich with almost none of the astringency of normal green tea. The picking window is short and yields are low, so authentic early-spring Anji Baicha is prized and frequently imitated.
Teas produced
Flavor signature
Growing regions
- Zhejiang (Anji)
Origins where Anji Baicha grows
Brands likely carrying Anji Baicha
Direct-sourcing operations with focus areas that align with this cultivar's typical growing regions.