A very precious Harvest
Imperial Picking Bud + 1 leaf
Fine picking Bud + 2 leaves
Crude picking Bud + 3 leaves
The harvesting of Les Thés de La Pagode® respects an age-old tradition so that all the benefits of the tea are preserved. The quality and fragrance of a tea are determined, among other things, by the type of leaf picked. In spring, in the gardens of Les Thés de la Pagode®, we practice "Imperial picking": the pickers select only the bud ("Pekoe" in Mandarin) and the first leaf. Another technique used is "fine picking". In this case, the pickers remove the bud and the first two leaves.
Many years ago, in the far reaches of China, every spring, a great festival was held in the tea gardens. ust before the buds were picked, the pickers would gather and sing songs and perform sacred dances. The echo carried these sweet songs from hill to valley. In this way, the inhabitants of the surrounding area knew that they would soon be able to taste teas with exceptional qualities."
These young shoots are the most tender and concentrate more than 80% of the tea's antioxidants, which they produce to protect themselves from the sun's rays. This antioxidant content also gives Les Thés de la Pagode® a smoother and rounder taste than teas that do not benefit from this precious harvest.