Purple leaf "Zi Cha" was harvested in Late April from the Jing Mai mountainous area in Lancang county of Simao. The fresh purple leaves were then processed into a flat needle style tea. The processed tea leaves are black with tiny golden shoots on some.
The brewed tea is citrus fruity sweet and very vibrant in the mouth. The smell is floral and grapefruit. The tea soup is a deep red-orange with hints of purple and very clear.
A unique tea from "Zi Cha" purple tea leaves which is quite different from "Wild Purple / Ye Sheng" varietal black tea.
March Harvest
For more information on Purple tea read below:
Yunnan pu-erh tea grows in the superior environment of low latitude, high altitude South Asian tropics and achieves many qualities of superior tea. Among pu-erh tea, purplish red bud tea is particularly valued.
During the hot, humid summer and fall seasons a portion of tea tree buds are purplish red colored. The source of the color is anthocyanin, which changes color along with cell sap acidity. High levels of acidity lead to red color, while medium acidity is more purple, and high alkalinity tends toward indigo. Purplish red tea results from an inherited reaction to unfavorable hot and humid summer environmental conditions, providing the tea tree with a mechanism for fighting scorching ultraviolet rays.
Pu-erh tea growing areas tend to be between 1000 and 2000m elevation. According to surveys, higher altitude tea growing areas receive as much as 8 times the ultraviolet light of lower altitude growing areas. During the dry spring tea season, the atmosphere tends to be quite dusty which serves to reflect, scatter, and absorb most ultraviolet light. Entering into the rainy season, atmospheric dust is frequently washed away by rain. These clean, clear atmospheric conditions allow virtually all UV light reach the surface. In order to resist damage from this shortwave radiation, tea leaves produce anthocyanin, which can reflect away a portion of the UV light hitting the leaves. Although a southern Yunnan tea field during the high of the summer is a sea of green, most eye-catching are the specks of purplish-red scattered throughout. Purple bud tea trees occupy approximately 1-2% of all tea trees, and occur with varying intensities of purple.
Purplish red bud tea has throughout history been regarded as a standard for quality tea. Lu Yu in the "Cha Jing" evaluating the color of tea leaves, came to the early conclusion: "bright cliffs and gloomy forests, purple is the highest and green the second". Purple tea features prominent fragrance and rich flavor. A small number of tea trees growing on the rocky slopes of Fujian's Zhengyi mountain, because of their red color, are given the famous name Da Hong Pao. Another historically famous purple tea is Zhejiang province's Guzhu Zisun.
Purple Bud Tea, grown in high mountain ancient tea fields, is hand-picked by growers who select only young tender buds from the purple tea trees. It is solely and painstakingly processed to produce a very small quantity of heavenly tea.
Purple bud tea anthocyanin can be bitter, so it is recommended that those who do not enjoy bitter flavors reduce the strength of their brew so as to enjoy the fine tea flavor.
"Great tea with a wonderful aroma, color, and taste. Leaves look expertly cared for."
— Nicholas L. (5/5)
As outstanding as other purple
"As outstanding as other purple teas from the shop. This one doesn’t require any precautions during preparation"
— Oleg A. (5/5)
BEST tea site when researching selection! ♡
"First introduced by a popular Tea Friend from YT-shorts, I was soon recommended here by a few others on their own tea journey; the selection is HUGE! with some research on the side, this is easily the single BEST place to get started with tea hands-down! I grew up on western black tea bags, and grew to like them. But then I learned about gongfu and it was over; and this site has some of the highest quality, most enjoyable complex-flavored teas i've ever found! a few teas I didn't enjoy because I did not look them up separately; but the prices here really didn't make me feel bad vs. finding out I didn't like an overhyped "$14/g" tea but drank it bv I bought it anyway ;) Thanks for reading, and thank you Yunnansourcing for your service to our community! ♡"
— Matthew C. (5/5)
A Pleasantly Fruity, Chocolate-Accented Tea
"I received this tea as a gift with my order, and it turned out to be a delightful surprise. The tea has a very interesting, vivid orange-brown color. Its flavor is pleasantly fruity with a slightly spiced, chocolatey aftertaste…"
— suttogo (5/5)
Amazing, sweet and earthy
"I got a sample for free from YS and boy am I happy I did. I usually prefer white and oolong, but this black tea is so perfect in all its simplicity! Tastes like a sweet dish we have here, known as tiki tiki. It tastes like sweet potato and sugar from sugarcane. Really, this is a must try. I will get this for sure during my next order, 10/10 would recommend."
— RDR (5/5)
Strongly recommend for all real tea lovers
"Love it! Very fresh tea with strong deep taste. Also love variety and quick delivery."
— Maksym T. (5/5)
Purple Needle Black Tea of Jing Mai Mountain
"Rich and deep taste and flavor. Beautiful color. One of the best Black tea sorts."
— Eduard (5/5)
Tasting notes: lots of aromatics
"Tasting notes: lots of aromatics to smell, when leaves are heated. Brew is fruity sweet, yet lacks complexity is rather boring, reminiscent of the fragrant Yunnan black teas. Brewing: 4.5g/100ml, 90C, 15s->+5s"
