White Bud Rare Orchid (白芽奇兰)

White Bud Rare Orchid | 白芽奇兰 | Chinese Oolong

Moonlit's first new Chinese oolong of 2026! Full page coming soon.

This eclectic delicacy of Fujian has quickly become one of our rainy day favorites. Its compact size and humble, medium-roasted hue belies a honeyed floral nectar unlike any other. 

True to its name, Rare Orchid or Qi Lan is a unique, wild varietal discovered in Pinghe County - noted right away for its unusually distinct orchid-like characteristics. It's a great example of how, while a lot of teas' character comes from artisans - much of teas magic is simply born of the plants' own inherent complexity.

While we love Taiwanese Honey Fragrance (Mi Xiang) teas & China's Honey Orchid Phoenix (Mi Lan Xiang) - we find Qi Lan takes the cake on representing the floral aspect. It captures a certain velvety sugar like breathing in a freshly bloomed, unknown flower for the first time. 

This particular crop is crafted with much higher bud & young leaf content than average Qi Lan, earning its "White Bud" designation of finer fragrance and flavor.

Be sure to wait for it. If you're patient & sip this tea (not chug) - a delayed, perfume-like honey will rewards your senses after each taste. Very simply, this tea really does just emulate orchid and honey. No metaphors, other complexities, or abstract imagination - just sugary florals and a very nice-smelling kitchen after steeping.

Hope you enjoy this rare find much as we do :)

8g Tea | 12oz Water | 195-200°F | 2-2.5 Minutes

Make sure to resteep this rare tea! We recommend not using boiling/near-boiling water, and avoiding oversteeping. This leaf has a lot to offer, but 208-212°F will burn out its complexity all in one shot (albeit while brewing faster). We find 3 minutes is okay, but begins to muddle the rare taste you can already enjoy at 2-2.5

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🌸🎨 Pink floral watercolor print in BG by Lena Lee Art @lenawing91 [www.lenawing91.com]