This tea is known as the "Buds of old trees" or "Puero buds". Despite the fact that the raw material to make this tea is collected from tea trees (like for Puero), it's very difficult to classify the tea as it looks completely different from other teas. The secret lies in its unusual buds. These are the winter shoots of the Puero trees, that will not grow into a mature shoot due to the cold weather. Additionally, there appears to be more layers protecting the young shoot than normally.

This Yunnan white tea is collected and sun-dried without crushing. It's very important to dry it well, in order to avoid the core getting wet, otherwise the tea may perish. In general, the tea undergoes mild treatment, in order to prevent buds from darkening. Raw material for Ya Bao is collected in early spring. It's very important to catch the right moment: when the shoot start growing, it's too late to collect. This tea has a short life expectancy, especially when kept loose. Flavorful and delicate during the first half of the year, the tea loses its properties very fast.