“This tea is quite unique – I opened the package and I wasn’t even sure that it was tea inside! Instead of the usual dark, curled pu-erh leaves, this one is in little buds with very short, tight,...” Read full tasting note
“Thanks to the Steepster TTB, I’m sampling this interesting tea today. TeaSpring sells this as a pricey loose-leaf puerh tea. My (other) Ya Bao leaves from Norbu Tea are sold as a moderately priced...” Read full tasting note
This very special and rare tea is made using tea leaves picked from aged wild Arbor tea trees that grow in the high Shi Zi Mountains of Wu Ding County. The tea leaves can only be picked once a year during the early spring season. This and the fact that aged Arbor trees are limited in number make Ya Bao tea leaves very precious.
It is not uncommon to find some Ya Bao tea leaves blended into tea cake. Usually, the Ya Bao leaves only cover part of the surface of the tea cake, which makes up about 5% of the entire tea cake. Tea cakes compressed entirely of Ya Bao tea leaves exist, but are very expensive and usually made on special pre-order.
Ya Bao is known for its special cooling properties and regular consumption can help to lower blood pressure. Unlike other Pu-erh teas, Ya Bao tea leaves do not benefit much from aging and the age peaks at around 2-3 years old. It is ready for drinking now.
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