A sweet and rich Fuding White Peony which has been sun-dried and made with a blend of buds and young leaves. Picked from 50-year-old bushes of the Da Bai cultivar.
Soft, syrupy and bursting with hazelnut nougat, cherry jam and meadow flowers.
We also have Zhenghe White Peony (from a neighbouring area) which would be educational (and delicious) to taste alongside this tea.
Our White Peony is the perfect mix of buds and leaves in order to create a balance which is warm, nutty and sweet while having a structure and spice (which comes from the larger leaves).
People often talk about tea grades and proclaim one as higher than the other. This is always subjective but often generally borne out in the taste.
However, White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) is often classed as the second-highest grade white tea below Silver Needle and we think that this is nonsense. These are two very different tasting teas and both should be rightly hailed as immaculate (assuming that you find the good ones of course!).
White Peony is made by combining the Silver Needle buds with larger leaves. The tea is then withered and dried allowing for some natural oxidation which turns the leaves dark and brittle.
For every bit of elegance and delicacy of a Silver Needle, our White Peony counters with richness and warmth. The solution is to buy both of course!
This tea is suitable for ageing in much the same way as PuErh ageing. Store loose at humidity over 50% (preferably around 62%) in airtight conditions.