2020 Wild Huacha No.1 Organic White Tea

2020 Wild Huacha No.1 Organic White Tea

This white tea is made from Huacha No.1, a variety grown from wild, non-planted tea trees without artificial cultivation. It is not a blend or a flavoured tea; the character comes entirely from where the tree grows and how little was done to it. The leaf carries a layered, evolving taste that changes noticeably from one infusion to the next, and it is packed with care so it suits both personal drinking and gifting.

Who Huacha No.1 is

Huacha No.1 (华茶一号) is a registered tea cultivar with a long history in Fuding, and it holds a special place in white tea. Where the better-known Fuding Dabai and Dahao were bred for big, uniform, heavily downed buds, Huacha No.1 is appreciated for something else: depth and complexity. Its leaf tends to be less showy but more individual, and in the cup that reads as layered flavour that keeps unfolding rather than a single loud note. This 2020 lot is made entirely from wild Huacha No.1 trees that grow naturally in the hills, unplanted by hand and untended in the usual sense.

What "wild" really changes

Wild raw material is harvested from unmanaged tea trees that grow naturally in the hills, and that makes the tea less uniform but more alive. A planted tea garden is managed for consistency, which is convenient for a brand but can flatten the flavour. Wild trees grow at their own pace, compete with the surrounding forest, and put down roots that reach deep into mineral soil. The result is a more individual, less uniform flavour, with a natural rhythm that changes from infusion to infusion. No two wild lots taste quite the same, which is part of the appeal.

The organic approach

On top of the wild origin, this tea follows an organic approach: it is grown without artificial fertiliser or pesticide. Because the trees are unmanaged and the hillside is not sprayed or fertilised, there is nothing synthetic left on the leaf. What you taste is the tree, the mountain and the season, not chemical residue or the flat push of forced growth. This is the same lot that sits at the centre of our Wild & Organic collection.

Tasting notes

Each infusion unfolds differently, which is the signature of this tea. The opening is fresh and bright, with a clean, slightly herbal clarity. As the leaves open, herbal and lightly woody notes emerge, and the liquor gains body without losing its clarity. Through the later steeps the flavour turns to a clean, lingering sweetness that stays at the back of the throat. Because the tea keeps changing, it rewards patient gongfu brewing more than a rushed mug steep, though it brews well enough for everyday drinking too.

How to brew it

For gongfu style, brew 5 g per 150 ml of water at 95°C, using short infusions of 15–30 seconds so you can follow the changing layers of flavour as they open. Add a few seconds each round and you will usually get many satisfying steeps. If you prefer a simpler approach, a slightly cooler brew in a larger vessel also works and brings out the sweetness rather than the woody notes. Whichever way you choose, the tea rewards patience.

Storage

Store the tea sealed, away from light and strong odours, in a dry place. Wild white tea ages well, and this 2020 lot will keep developing for years, slowly gaining the mellow depth that aged white tea is known for. It is available as a 250 g pack, with a complimentary 50 g tin of the same tea included, so you can drink the small tin now and cellar the larger pack.