2011 Zi Ya Purple Leaf Raw Puerh

2011 Zi Ya Purple Puerh is a Pu Nu label, traditionally made raw puerh from Jing Gu County in Simao Prefecture.   The Zi Ya (or 'Purple Bud') trees used for this tea are a naturally growing, non-hybridized varietal more properly called Zi Juan on which the Zi Juan cultivar made in the 1980s is based.  Zi Yaindicates a non-hybridized varietal while Zi Juan generally indicates a hybridized one. 

Purple budded tea plants have naturally occurring purple buds and young leaves in the spring.  If those are left unpicked, they will eventually turn green like the rest of the tree.  The purple color indicates an elevated level of anthocyanin pigments (the same kind that are found in foods like black rice, purple grapes, and blueberries) which are generally thought to help protect the new growth from UV rays which are more intense at the higher elevations where these trees grow.

No agrochemicals were used in the production of this tea.