2018 Laoshan Sweet Potato Leaf Tea

The sweet potato is the most iconic fixture of Shandong province, and grows in every family garden in Laoshan village and up the mountainside. For decades, villagers have harvest semi-wild sweet potato from within the Laoshan National Park between rocky outcroppings and gnarled trees. As Laoshan tea becomes more famous and brings a better standard of living to the region, sweet potato has become a less critical crop, but the He Family wanted to honor the tradition by applying tea finishing technique to foraged sweet potato leaf. The He Family picks high-elevation Laoshan sweet potato, then allows them to oxidize in the sun, wither and roast, similar to black tea processing. Mr. He had to roast the sweet potato leaf five times just to stop oxidation, making this the slowest most time consuming tea the He Family produces. Only several kilos are made each year, and we are lucky to offer the majority of the harvest while it lasts.