Anji Bai Cha is a tea synonymous with prestige and status in China. The proper superior AA Grade Anji Bai Cha sells for stupid amounts of money and I have had to miss out on doing deals for this tea as the prices have always been above my perceived value of the taste.
That is not to say that I do not appreciate Anji Bai Cha, in fact it is one of my favourite Green teas and perhaps in my top 20 teas of all time - not that this list actually exists. The top quality, pre qing ming (very early picked) Anji Bai Cha is perfection - ultra light in colour but powerful in aroma and with a thick and brothy taste. Lower grade Anji Bai Cha is often delicious too but not worth the price when compared with more affordable top quality Huangshan Maofeng.
So, for over ten years I have been tasting Anji Bai Cha but not purchasing anything because it was all or nothing - I would either get the best or I don't spend the name simply for the label. Clients would continuously ask for this tea and I would frustratingly say that we could not find a good enough quality for the price.
In this video I managed to find the top quality stuff and at an excellent price after pleading with a very long term producer in Zhejiang.
