Yue guangbai 月光白 - White moonlight

Yue Guang Bai – White Moonlight Yunnan Province 月光白 "White Moonlight" is a white tea made from the leaves of the Da Baihao (Big White Hair) tree variety — a cultivar that is instantly recognizable. Both the buds and the undersides of the leaves are densely covered in fine silvery hairs, which dry to a brilliant white during the production process. What sets this tea apart is its minimal processing: no heat treatment, no rolling — and crucially, no shaqing kill-green step. Instead, the leaves are cold-dried — a method known as lianggan — spread out in well-ventilated rooms for several days, allowing natural enzymatic oxidation to run its full course. This becomes beautifully evident when you break open a white bud to reveal a fully oxidized, deep brown centre within. This tea is sometimes mistakenly labeled as "white puer", but the two are fundamentally different. Unlike puer, White Moonlight skips the shaqing kill-green step entirely — leaving the enzymes in the leaf active and allowing natural oxidation to proceed freely. There is no subsequent fermentation, which is why the tea retains its delicate, sweet and fruity character rather than developing the deep, earthy complexity of an aged puer. In the cup it is gentle and approachable. The infusion offers notes of apricot and almond, while the empty cup often lingers with the warmth of sweet marzipan. The tea does not turn bitter even with a long steep, making it a wonderful choice for beginners and seasoned drinkers alike.