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“Gongfu! Though I have tried many different kinds of yabao, I believe this is my first time brewing any from Vietnam. If you’re familiar with this style of “tea” (and I say “tea” in quotations...” Read full tasting note
Our first tea of this kind at O5.
These beautiful white, wild tea buds 芽苞 (Ya Bao in Chinese) are locally called ‘Silver Fairy’ in Nam Pien. Lighter an airier than the region’s also wonderful ‘Dragon Claws’, these wild buds have tasting notes of Pomelo rind, hawthorne berries & magnolia blossoms.
Origin: Nậm Piên, Nậm Ty, Hoàng Su Phì, Hà Giang
GPS: 22.6°N 104.8°E
Harvest: November 2022
Tree type: wild, ancient
Bud type: plump, green with hints of purple
Brewing Suggestions: pour 200ml of boiling water on 5-6 tea leaves; steep for 4-5 minutes. You may steep these leaves about 5 times.
Tea Artisans: Trieu Quy Menh and Hoang Chai, husband and wife, started a small tea production business after years of working for a local tea cooperative. Being both native people of Nam Ty, they are extremely well familiar with the wild tea plants in the rainforest. Also importantly, they are aware of the importance of these ancient trees and harvest them sustainably.
Photo credit: Nguyễn Lam
O stands for our obsession with Origin. We travel the world building strong bonds with farmers and sourcing rare tea from remote villages. We want your cup to tell the story of the earth on which the tea grew and the hands that lovingly harvested each leaf. FIVE represents Natureʼs elements: Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Void. In harmony, these elements express tea leaves into an outstanding cup. Welcome to our tea bar! We see it as a space to host friends, share and experiment.
Gongfu!
Though I have tried many different kinds of yabao, I believe this is my first time brewing any from Vietnam. If you’re familiar with this style of “tea” (and I say “tea” in quotations because even that is debatable in its own way), then you know it’s incredibly hard to classify. Sometimes called a white tea, and sometimes a pu’erh. Regardless of what you choose to think of it as, I find this one to be incredibly delicate and smooth with a more full, round feeling mouthfeel that almost seems at odds with the more nuanced and fragile profile. A little bit floral, especially in the top notes and aroma, with notes of almost citrusy tulips and magnolia but with a slightly more woody and herbaceous finish that makes me think of cedar and rosemary. This one also has a bit of a milky and whipped honey undertone and the softest and most delicate lemon notes. It is so fresh and sippable; certainly, a tea to be enjoyed during quite moments and lazy Sundays such as this one.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DK7f48bJfSk/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEsKgbYs9Mc&ab_channel=Vulf
Ya bao! It’s a fascinating beast. I’ve tried 2 very distinctive ones so far and it’s crazy how different they can taste!!
Sounds intriguing! Did you follow O5’s direction of using only 5 leaves in 200 ml water? Seems very weak to me!
To be honest I very rarely follow any company’s steeping instructions. Though they can be great guidelines, at this point I trust my own tastes and experiences enough to navigate my brewing. Of course, if it’s an unpleasant taste experience then I have to consider that I might just have myself to blame for it – but that’s a risk I am totally okay taking.
Gosh, Kelly, I wasn’t meaning to challenge your skill, I was just flabbergasted that anyone could get so much flavor out of five leaves in a cup of water! But I knew you are highly skilled, and was trying to figure if maybe I should increase my leafing beyond 2.5 – 3 grams per cup, or just learn to live with a less sensitive palate! At the recent Chicago Tea Festival, the first booth I stopped at gave me a sample that was maybe five times stronger than I am accustomed to, and it polluted my mouth for near an hour! I left wondering to myself if maybe that is how folks are able to get so many flavors from a cup of tea!
Oh, sorry – I definitely didn’t take it as challenging, and apologies if my reply came off as combative!