Bai Ya Qi Lan comes from Pinghe in Fujian and is one of the more representative teas of southern Fujian oolong. Compared with more famous teas, it does not come with the same built-in reputation. That is part of why we care about who is making it, and how they are making it.

We have known the Lin family for many years, but that is not the main point. We chose their Bai Ya Qi Lan because we agree on how tea should be made. After college, Lin Yanzhong returned to Pinghe and took over the family farm, continuing the tea work his family had already been doing for years. When we talk with him, we usually talk about the details of processing, such as oxidation, roasting, and how to keep Bai Ya Qi Lan’s orchid fragrance while making the tea cleaner and more stable. These are usually the kinds of details that show whether someone really understands tea.

In the end, what matters is not how good the story sounds, but whether the tea itself can stand up to repeated drinking and careful comparison. The Lin family’s Bai Ya Qi Lan does. It keeps the orchid fragrance and roast character that make Bai Ya Qi Lan what it is.