Wild Purple Sprout野生紫芽

Wild Purple Sprout is a wild-bud white tea from Dehong / Lincang, Yunnan, China. Brew it at 90°C with 5g of leaf per 100ml of water; expect up to 9 short infusions in a small gaiwan or teapot. No rinse needed.

Tasting notes

Ye Sheng Zi Ya looks like Ya Bao's stranger cousin and tastes like it means business. The liquor carries a faint violet tint that a regular Ya Bao never has — that's anthocyanin from the purple mutation, and it reads on the palate as a sage-and-blueberry edge that sharpens the usual wild-bud pine finish. Unlike standard Ya Bao, this one actually has teeth. Push the temperature too hard on the first steep and it bites back with astringency — drop to 85°C if the opening cup tastes tight across the tongue. The middle infusions are where it lives: elderflower, a real blueberry note, then a pine-needle finish that stays in the mouth after you swallow. It's more structured than its cousin and less forgiving — worth the extra attention, not a beginner tea despite the white-tea label. Drink it from a small cup. The flavor layers are easy to miss in a larger pour.

Flavor profile

A striking wild tea with a faintly purple liquor from its anthocyanin-rich buds. The flavor opens with sweet sage and elderflower, then builds into fruity sweetness — blueberry, apricot — with a sharp pine-needle finish that lingers. More structured and assertive than standard Ya Bao, with herbal depth.

Terroir

High altitude (1500-3600m), persistent fog, wild old-growth tea forests, trees often 300-500+ years old

Cultivar: Camellia assamica var. dehongensis (wild purple mutation, high anthocyanin)

Brewing

1. Steep 1: 15 seconds
2. Steep 2: 10 seconds
3. Steep 3: 10 seconds
4. Steep 4: 15 seconds
5. Steep 5: 20 seconds
6. Steep 6: 25 seconds
7. Steep 7: 30 seconds
8. Steep 8: 40 seconds
9. Steep 9: 50 seconds

The purple buds can handle higher temperatures than most white teas. Watch for astringency on early steeps — if it bites, drop the temp to 85°C. The liquor will have a subtle violet tint from the anthocyanins.

Aroma & taste

Processing

• sun-dried

Sources

• https://meileaf.com/tea/purple-bud/
• https://sevencups.com/shop/zijuan-purple-tea-buds-2020/
• https://www.yunnancraft.com/en/purple-sprout/
• https://teaandwhisk.com/products/wild-purple-buds-white-tea
• https://steepster.com/teas/mei-leaf/78914-purple-bud-ye-sheng-zi-ya
• https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/wild-tree-ye-sheng-white-tea