This tea grows wild in pristine natural conditions of Half Mountain, just south of Fuding. Fuding, the most famed region for growing white tea, lies on the coast, and this fresh, ocean qi is famous for producing delightfully sweet white teas of exceptional quality. The trees from which this tea is harvested are allowed to grow naturally into their semi-arboreal stae, rather than being manicured into hedges, as is the case in most tea plantations. Allowing the tea to grow into its true, natural form allows for unobstructed expression of its essential nature, which carries through into the leaves that are harvested.
These trees produce far less tea than those that are manicured for mass production, making their leaves far more prized. White Peony is a mixture of outer leaves and innermost bud leaves, known as "silver needles" for their long, pointed shape and the fact that they are still covered in silver fuzz. Each tree produces an extremely limited quantity of these silver needles each year. Thus, only a very small amount of this tea can be produced each year.
These leaves are of exceptional quality, boasting a heavy proportion of inner bud leaves (also known as "silver needles"), the hallmark of a high-quality White Peony, to the point that it looks almost like a silver needle. It is only the appearance of the occasional vibrant green secondary leaf that marks this as a White Peony. These add a fuller, more robust element to the flavor.
Dry, these leaves smell crisp and clean, like an aspen grove. Wet, they produce a grassy meadow aroma, like late spring or summer in the mountains, with elements of farmhouse and green tea. The brew is golden, with glittering hairs from the primary bud leaves that swirl in the brew (not using a filter is recommended for this reason). Its flavor is rich and full, the hairs of the silver needles contributing heavily, in a manner that lovers of Silver Needle will immediately recognize. This brew is sweet and slightly sour, rich and full, with an earthy, pasture depth. Its texture is silky, full, rich with silver needle hairs, and slightly dry, and leaves a bright, honeysuckle sweetness on the tongue.
Lasts about 7-16 brews.
These trees produce far less tea than those that are manicured for mass production, making their leaves far more prized. White Peony is a mixture of outer leaves and innermost bud leaves, known as "silver needles" for their long, pointed shape and the fact that they are still covered in silver fuzz. Each tree produces an extremely limited quantity of these silver needles each year. Thus, only a very small amount of this tea can be produced each year.
These leaves are of exceptional quality, boasting a heavy proportion of inner bud leaves (also known as "silver needles"), the hallmark of a high-quality White Peony, to the point that it looks almost like a silver needle. It is only the appearance of the occasional vibrant green secondary leaf that marks this as a White Peony. These add a fuller, more robust element to the flavor.
Dry, these leaves smell crisp and clean, like an aspen grove. Wet, they produce a grassy meadow aroma, like late spring or summer in the mountains, with elements of farmhouse and green tea. The brew is golden, with glittering hairs from the primary bud leaves that swirl in the brew (not using a filter is recommended for this reason). Its flavor is rich and full, the hairs of the silver needles contributing heavily, in a manner that lovers of Silver Needle will immediately recognize. This brew is sweet and slightly sour, rich and full, with an earthy, pasture depth. Its texture is silky, full, rich with silver needle hairs, and slightly dry, and leaves a bright, honeysuckle sweetness on the tongue.
Lasts about 7-16 brews.