Anji Bai Cha: green tea with a white soul

Anji Bai Cha (安吉 白茶) or Anji White Leaf Tea is a modern green tea from Anji County, Zhejiang Province. In the 1970s, an old tea tree with an unusual light color of young leaves was discovered near Daxi village, a village in Tianhuangping. In 1982, large-scale work on vegetative propagation of this tree material began, and in 1991 the first batch of tea named Yu Feng (玉凤) or Jade Phoenix was established. In the late 1990s, the study of the properties of this variety and the development of technology were completed, and in 2000 a new cultivar was registered under the name “Bai Ye Yi Hao” (白 叶 一号), literally “the number one white leaf,” and the finished product was named Anji Bai Cha. Since 2004, the name Anji Bai Cha has been geographically protected.

Green tea or white tea?

The buds and young leaves of this rare and valuable tea, when harvested in early spring for a period of less than 30 days, are very light in color, almost white, hence in the name Bai (white) even though it is a green tea. Tea obtained from the raw materials of Bai Ye Yi Hao, harvested at the bleaching stage, has an unusual chemical composition. It contains less chlorophyll, which explains the color, but this, of course, does not affect the taste: chlorophyll is insoluble and does not contribute to the taste and aroma of the tea.

The Taste of Anji Bai Cha

Compared to regular green teas, Anji Bai Cha contains far less caffeine and other purine alkaloids, significantly less polyphenols (only 10-14%;) but more amino acids, up to 6-7 and in some cases up to 10% (mainly theanine, as well as allothreonine, glycine, serine, tryptophan, citrulline, glutamine, alanine, valine, and proline), far higher values than other green tea varieties. The result is a refreshing, sweetish-tasting beverage with a pronounced mind and minimal astringency and bitterness.

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