This tea is as natural as it gets, harvested from semi-arboral tea bushes that grow wild in the mountains near Zhenghe. Zhenghe white tea is known for its clean, pure flavor, and this tea is a great example. The biodiversity of their natural environment adds to the richness of these teas, and the pure, natural growing conditions of the trees from which they come produce a wonderfully pure brew.
Shou Mei is produced from the more mature, outer leaves of the tea bushes, as opposed to silver needle, which is composed entirely of the young bud leaves.
Dry, these leaves carry an aroma that is deep, rich, complex, reminiscent of a river cave and peppers. They are a vibrant, yet soothing green, with black and hints of red. Upon steeping, they turn to a buttery, velvety green and light brown, and produce a brew that ranges in color from champagne to honey gold.
This brew is sweet, bright, and floral, with the flavor of a sunshiney meadow, with wild grasses, hints of apricot, and green peppers. The flavor and texture from the hairs of inner bud leaves is still very apparent in this brew, despite it being produced from outer, non-bud leaves; for this reason, brewing without a filter may be preferable. It has a somewhat dry texture, with a rich farmhouse aroma, iconic of wild white teas, with elements of alfalfa, hay, sweetgrass, leather, heather, and sunshine.
Its character is calm, expansive, translucent, clarifying, and gently lifting. It leaves a delightful sweetness on the tongue, an effect known in Mandarin as huí tián.
After this teas has been brewed to apparent exhaustion, boil its leaves in water for an extended duration for extra brews with a more sweet, warming flavor profile, almost akin to a delectable black/red tea.
Lasts about 5-10 brews (prior to boiling)