Gold Osmanthus

百年金桂

Harvest
October 2021

Origin
Fangting Village, Anxi, Fujian

Fanting Village has about five hundred households and nestled in the mountains of Anxi, Fujian. Almost all the homes are sheltered by centuries-old osmanthus trees. The sweet and delicate osmanthus flowers bloom every autumn, and the entire village is immersed in the sweet intoxicating and lingering fragrance of the beautiful flowers.

The blooming and harvesting of the osmanthus flower is a 300-years old tradition for the village. For two weeks, life in the village changes as all regular routines are dropped, and everyone participate in the annual tradition of harvesting the flowers.

In the early mornings, a group of villagers lay out a huge cloth under the soaring osmanthus trees, while two to three people climb to the top of the tree with long poles made from bamboo that are used to gently taps the branches. A captivating and mesmerizing rain of osmanthus flowers ensues.

The villagers gather up all the flowers on the cloth, and sitting in groups around it, they sort through the flowers and remove any leaves and branches. The osmanthus flowers are then sent through a large sieve to remove any remaining leaves.

Lastly, the flowers are immediately freeze-dried at -30°C, to retain the sublime fragrance, aroma and taste to the greatest extent.

These exquisite Gold Osmanthus flowers are from centuries-old trees from the home of Wang Nianping. The trees are tended to naturally and regeneratively – no fertilizers or chemicals are used.

The tea is sublime and wonderful. The fragrance is sweet and refreshing. On the palate, it has unique tropical fruit notes of mango, papaya and a long lingering divine sweetness.