Showcasing the ancient traditions of Zhenghe - bright and vibrant White with sweet medicinal manuka honey richness.
Fuding is always held aloft as the birthplace of White tea and is highly sought after amongst tea lovers. We have been besotted with Fuding Whites for decades and we source White Peony from Fuding every year.
But what about Zhenghe? This is an area right next to Fuding which produces White tea, and yet, it is not often discussed by tea sellers or buyers. Does it produce an inferior tea?
No!
In fact, the tradition of making White tea in Zhenghe began at around the same time as Fuding a few hundred years ago and they have both been crafting delicious Whites ever since. The difference is a matter of style and marketing.
Fuding has had a lot of investment in the last 15 years to try to promote it as the single most desirable source of White tea in the world. It has benefitted from a lot of marketing which has become confused with truth.
Zhenghe, on the other hand, has had very little marketing investment and has become a bit forgotten despite its historical reputation.
The other difference is style and taste.
Of course, Zhenghe has slightly different genetics of the tea bush and different terroir but it also has its own unique production style to produce a brighter and more punchy tea. It achieves this by having a shorter wither and drying time, in general, compared with Fuding.
So, while Fuding Whites will undergo more oxidation making them sweet and nutty, Zhenghe teas will have more herbaceous and fruity notes like rosemary, blackcurrant, camphor and manuka.
I think that a lot of us have become accustomed to the flavour profile of Fuding Whites to the point where we have become blinkered into thinking that this is the taste of true Fujian White tea. On tasting a Zhenghe tea, we may think that the tea is a bit too raw and bright but we are forgetting that this is the WHOLE POINT of this tea.
Zhenghe Whites can still be sweet, milky and nutty but the sweetness is herbal, the milkiness is plant-based and the nuts are raw (vs roasted). The trademark fruity and herbal notes add a glimmer and the physical tingle will make any true teahead smile. This is White tea potion in a more wild and vibrant style.
So, I implore you to try Zhenghe Whites and compare them to their counterparts in Fuding but recognise that they were never meant to imitate their cousins. Zhenghe has stayed true to its own unique style of White tea deliciousness.
