LEOPARD SNOW BUDS (China Green Tea-verging on a white tea). COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: China. GRADE: Handmade special snow buds. MANUFACTURE TYPE: Steamed green tea and handmade snow buds. CUP CHARACTERISTICS: Very light liquoring with exquisite fresh green tea character. INFUSION: The leaves virtually return to life and are emerald green. INGREDIENTS: Luxury green tea. TEA INFORMATION: The method of manufacture of this tea is quite interesting. The bud and the first leaf of new shoots of the tea bush are hand picked during the last two weeks of March and the first week of April. Only certain tea bushes grow the leaf that is required for this tea. The leaves are plucked between 3:30: am and 7:00 am when the dew is heavy on the leaves. These leaves are rushed to the tea factory where they are re-sorted and hand rolled ever so slightly. The leaves are then immediately steamed to capture the cool and crisp pre-dawn taste of green tea. Note that some of the leaves are covered with a ‘white down’. This signifies new, fresh and pure - characteristics that are held in high regards by those striving for the ultimate in tea quality. There are only a handful of villages in the Wuyi Mountains that make this tea.