EmeiXueya Tea (Emei Snow Bud Tea)

EmeiXueya tea trees are planted in large numbers at 800-1200 meters high in Mt. Emei, where clouds are hovering all year round. The tea, made by parching the buds formed right before snow melts, has been reputed as a healthy beverage. In the eighth century, EmeiXueya Tea was served as a tribute to the emperors, and this has been recorded in The Classics of Tea by Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea in the Tang dynasty. EmeiXueya tea leaves are flat, smooth, straight and spear-like. It has a delicate and aromatic fragrance that is smooth and long lasting. It tastes very fresh, smooth and mellow with a hint of natural sweetness. And the brewed tea liquorhas a tender green, clear and bright color, and the bottom of the tea leaves are light and delicate.

The best-quality EmeiXueya is made of newly-grown buds, single buds and unfolded buds, which are picked before Tomb Sweeping Day when snow begins to melt. These buds are later fried and baked along with other processing procedures, and lastly added with some scented and flavored variants by traditional measures. Picking EmeiXueya tea leaves is a quite delicate task, which requires the picker to flick the buds with thumb and forefinger. There shall not be any marks left by the pickers on the highest-quality buds; otherwise the buds will be deserted.

It is said that the best of best of EmeiXueya Tea leaves are picked by the delicate fingers of young Buddhist nuns in Mt. Emei. As a poem goes, delicate fingers, pure hearts, pious prays, and tribute to the Buddha, their skills are like threading needles, like peach blossoms falling down.

There are two grades of EmeiXueya Tea, namely, Zen Heart and Wisdom Heart, both of which can help increase appetite, tonify spleen and have refreshing effects.