New Release: High Mountain White Tea 2026

We have released 2026 High Mountain White Tea, one of our popular white teas. This white tea is made from tea leaves harvested at a tea garden located at an elevation of approximately 2,300 meters on Bai Yan Shan, on the border of Yongde County and Zhenkang County in Lincang, Yunnan Province.

Why Tea Grown at High Elevation Is So Special

In Phoenix Dan Cong, Anxi oolong, and Taiwanese oolong, elevation is regarded as one of the most important quality factors, and this is reflected in their market prices. Teas grown at higher elevations generally have a longer aftertaste, richer flavor, and a smoother mouthfeel. At high elevations, strong daytime sunlight promotes active photosynthesis. At night, however, lower temperatures suppress respiration, reducing the consumption of nutrients stored in the leaves. As a result, more of the compounds produced during the day remain in the tea leaves, giving the tea a richer flavor and more complex character. In Yunnan, however, the value of high-elevation tea is not widely recognized. Although some experienced tea professionals understand the advantages of high-elevation tea, they remain a minority. One possible reason is that much of Yunnan is already located at relatively high elevations, so elevation itself is not regarded as something particularly special. As a result, by visiting individual tea gardens and selecting tea lot by lot, we are able to source exceptional high-elevation teas directly from their origin. This is one of the reasons why we actively visit Yunnan every year.

The Appeal of Ye Fang Tea Gardens

All the teas we source from Yunnan are naturally cultivated. We define naturally cultivated tea as tea grown without any nitrogen fertilizers, whether organic or chemical, and without pesticides. Among these naturally cultivated tea gardens, there is an even more unique type known as Ye Fang (野放). In Chinese, Ye Fang literally means "left to grow in the wild." These tea gardens have been left unmanaged for many years and have gradually returned to a wild state. In other words, they are much like a scene from Tarzan. In a Ye Fang tea garden, weeds grow freely, and the tea trees coexist with grasses, insects, and other organisms, forming an ecosystem. However, these tea gardens are literally overgrown thickets, and even local people dislike harvesting tea there because of the difficult conditions. For this reason, the undergrowth is usually cleared only immediately before harvesting so that the tea leaves can be plucked more easily. Ye Fang tea garden on Bai Yan Shan. Photos above and below. A local woman returning home after finishing tea plucking on Bai Yan Shan. Photo below. Tea produced from Ye Fang tea gardens has two distinctive characteristics. The first is exceptional clarity in flavor, just like the taste of wild edible plants. Tea grown in gardens that have remained completely untouched by human intervention develops a unique clarity. The second is the development of a muscatel flavor. Because Ye Fang tea gardens are overgrown like natural thickets, they provide an ideal habitat for the tea green leafhopper (Empoasca onukii). When these insects feed on the tea leaves, the plants produce terpenes as natural defense compounds known as phytoalexins. The terpenes produced by insect feeding give the tea its muscatel flavor. In Oriental Beauty tea, this flavor is amplified during the enzymatic fermentation process. In white tea, however, it gradually develops during aging.

Different Ways to Enjoy High Mountain White Tea

The tea trees used for High Mountain White Tea are around 100 to 150 years old. Although they are not as old as the very old trees used for our Ancient White Tea, they are old enough. In addition, the tea garden is located at around 2,300 m above sea level. As a result, the tea has a long, lingering aftertaste. It has remarkable clarity and floral flavor. This tea can be enjoyed immediately after production, but it is also very interesting for aging. You can enjoy the flavor changing into fruitier, muscatel, and honey notes over three years or more of aging, or simply enjoy it immediately after production. Unlike green tea, white tea does not undergo the enzyme-deactivating process. As a result, various enzymes remain in the leaves without being deactivated. When brewed with hot water, these enzymes become active and gradually change the flavor over multiple infusions. In contrast, when brewed with cold water, the enzymes remain largely inactive because of the low temperature. As a result, the original flavor compounds in the tea leaves can be extracted without enzymatic intervention. This allows you to enjoy flavors reminiscent of flowers, citrus fruits, and perilla leaves. Cold-brewed High Mountain White Tea can also be carbonated using a home sparkling water maker. The result is so delicious that it completely changes the way people think about tea.

For more on how white tea is made, its types, and how to brew and age it, see What Is White Tea?.