What intrigues me about the concept of tea as seen by the Chinese is how infused it is in their philosophy and religion. The Taimu Mountain of Fuding is said to be where white tea was originally produced in the Fujian province of China. It is a quiet, foggy mountain, steep with spectacular caves and rock formations. I had once seen a clip a Chinese monk tending to a rare 300-year-old white tea tree in the foggy Mountains of Taimu. It was said to be the very first Fuding large white tree; rare because not all tea trees are known to live that long. It is a tradition he had been following since his master, tending the rare tree, collecting the soft buds and leaves and making them into a pale golden-brown liquid. It was a drink the monks offered to ones who were unwell-something they handpicked, brewed and kept with them often.
Making of white tea is an ancient process. The leaves are sun-dried and processed very little to retain its nutritious value. It is not as simple as it sounds. The sun cannot be too hot or the weather too cold for the sun-drying process. It requires precision, knowledge, expertise and meticulous observation. The colour and texture of the leaves must be exactly right, the leaves exquisitely picked. ‘Bai Ho Yin Zhen’, they call it. We call it the Silver Needle.
Fuding has the reputation of producing the best quality Silver Needle. The place of origin most certainly has its quirks. There are two very important instances that needs to be marked while judging the quality of tea, so far the one from the place of origin is concerned. Does tea, and in our case Silver Needle tea, coming from its place of origin entail the best price to quality ratio? As we speak of the name tag of the place of origin, quite naturally the price goes up. Also the demand from such a place is quite high. This ultimately results in much greater quantity of production that may lead to a compromise in the quality. Fuding still remains at the top of the list as producing some of the best quality of Silver Needle Tea.
However, it also means that different parts of the world, India being one of them, is producing several very good quality of Silver Needle tea, with no compromise in quality. The texture of the leaves is distinct, the aroma subtle-Silver Needle tea is one precious drink to savour. And I like to imagine that a sip of Silver Needle tea will transport us to the misty mountains of where it came from. Because I like to believe that tea carries with it the aroma of the earth in which it grows.
(Read about Pu-erh Tea)
