2020 Shoumei White Tea Pearl

Pressed white tea pearl from Fuding

Harvest: autumn 2020 

Terroir: Tai Mu Mountain, Fuding, Fujian

Tea cultivar: Cai Cha

Aroma and taste: summer hay, honey, dried plums

Brewing temperature: 100 ° C, 1 minute (1-2. Infusion), 40 seconds (3-4. Infusion), 30 seconds (after the tea pearl has opened completely into loose leaves). After the 8th infusion, like all Gongmei, Shoumei and Aged White Teas, this tea can be boiled in water for 15 minutes to get a sweeter taste.

Four grades of fuding white tea

Fuding white tea has four varieties: Silver Needle, Pai Mu Tan, Gong Mei, Shoumei. Silver Needle consists only of tea buds without leaves. It is usually picked between February and the end of March. Pai Mu Tan consists of a bud with one leaf or a bud with two leaves. It is usually picked from the end of March to the last week of April. Gong Mei and Shoumei are similar strains - Gong Mei has some buds, but Shoumei only has large leaves. They are usually picked from last April to before the start of summer, as well as in autumn. Good tea plantations usually don't pick in summer, as summer tea has the least flavor.

Shoumei and Gongmei have much more mature tastes than Silver Needle and Pai Mu Tan. While Silver Needle and Pai Mu Tan are known for their fresh, nutty, and floral aroma and flavor, Gongmei and Shoumei tend to have more mature tastes reminiscent of Chinese red dates, dried plums, and dried berries with a certain aroma of herbal medicine.