MOON SWIRL WHITE TIP

Hunan Province, the birthplace of Moon Swirl White Tip, is a land of large numbers. To begin with, the province, which is located in China's South East, is old - it first enters written record in 350 BC, making it more than 2350 years old to be exact - that's old! These days, the province is currently called home by 66, 977,000 people. To help put that in perspective, Hunan has just over twice the population of Canada or just under twice the population of California - that's a lot of people! Among the rest of China's population, Hunan is also known as the land of milk and honey, owing to its rich soil, perfect climate and subsequent acres of lush agricultural growth - also the source of some large numbers. The province is home to more than 2000 individual species of woody plants, 1000 individual species of economically profitable plants, 800 individual species of medicinal plants and 60 varieties of plants so rare they're protected by the State. (We briefly mentioned Hunan's perfect climate above, but how perfect is it? A few more numbers will help illustrate. The region receives between 1300-1800 hours of sunlight annually, 278-300 frost free days and a mean temperature of 16'-18'C, 60.8'-64.4'F... perfect!)

OK, where are we going with all these large numbers? We're simply trying to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt why it should come as no surprise that Moon Swirl White Tip is so high in Polyphenols and Antioxidants. In fact, according to our University lab tests, Moon Swirl White Tip has a Polyphenol and Antioxidant count of 16.65% - now that's high! What does that mean for you? A wealth of research suggests that the Polyphenols and Antioxidants present in tea may help to prevent certain types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. (No wonder they've been drinking it in Hunan for longer than anyone there can remember.)

Moon Swirl White Tip is made today the same way it was hundreds of years ago. Only the top buds of the early Spring flush are plucked, dried and skillfully rolled by hand. Interestingly, many of the artisans involved in its production come from families that have been hand rolling the tea for generations. When infused, the fabulous cup opens with beguiling notes of grass, wheat and light honey balanced by a lightish, yet assertive astringency. Now, back to the numbers and the only thing wrong with this tea - its limited production numbers! Only a few thousand kilos are manufactured per year. We're more than pleased to make it available to our valued customers. Enjoy!