White Peony (Bai MuDan) Tea

White Peony Tea, or Bai Mudan Tea as it is called in China, is a slightly oxidised white tea, produced with the same minimal processing as Silver Needle white tea.  The difference between the two is that Silver Needles is only made from the unopened new tea buds, while White Peony also includes one or two freshly opened leaves.  When dry, this tea's leaves and buds are an olive-green color, covered in with a down-like covering of fine white hairs.

TeaVivre's White Peony tea is premium quality tea produced by a gold medal winning plantation in Fujian.

This year, good growing conditions mean that our White Peony has an excellent clean pekoe scented fragrance and taste.  When it is brewed it will have a pale orange-yellow color, with a very subtle flavour, without any bitterness or astringent taste, characteristic of the best quality White Peony tea.

Brief Health Info

Just like Silver Needle white tea, White Peony tea undergoes minimal processing and so it retains all the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that all white teas are renowned for.  TeaVivre works closely with this tea's supplier to constantly ensure that the tea contains only the new tea buds and leaves, and doesn't include any larger leaves or stems.  This ensures that when you drink our tea you will be getting the maximum health benefits possible.
For more information on the remarkable health benefits of TeaVivre's White Teas, see our article on Tea Health benefit.

How to make tea

Like all White Teas, our White Peony tea should only be brewed in clean, mineral free, water.

The water should be 194 ºF (90 ºC).  Using hotter boiling water will result in the tea taking on a bitter taste.  Additionally boiling water will reduce the quantity of antioxidants and also increase the amount of caffeine.

The tea should initially only be steeped for 1 to 2 minutes. 
The exact time depends on your taste - a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color.  TeaVivre White Peony tea can be steeped for at least 4-6 times (depending on your taste), with an additional minute being added to the steeping each time.

For more information on some of the skills and arts of brewing tea, check out our article on How To Make White Peony Tea.

Introduction of the tea farmer

Lin Jian, who is born in Fuding, Fujian, has been living under the environment of teas.  His father, grandfather and great-grandfather are all tea farmers.  When he was in elementary school, he helped to pick the tea after school at the tea picking time when there’s not enough people to pick the tea.  The dream of engaging in tea business was came up at that time.  He said: “My original idea is to make a good life for my family by tea business.  But from 1993 when my tea business was gradually developed, I changed my mind.  Fuding is the best place of planning white tea.  So I want to create a long-term Organic Tea business.”  Through our contact with Mr Lin, we felt that he is a man of frankness, speaking quickly, walking quickly and working quickly.

Not exaggeratedly speaking, now Lin Jian is the first founder of Chinese white tea.  He owns near 2800 acre high quality tea gardens in Fuding including 500 acre organic tea garden which is the only organic tea garden in Fujian that has passed the USA, Europe and Japan organic certification.  He also owns 200 acre Jasmine tea garden in Guangxi.  Meanwhile his heshan organic tea base was regards as the national agricultural standard base.

In 2007 his Bai Mudan tea won the honour of White tea King at the White Tea King Competition in Ning De.

In 2010 his Bai Mudan tea won the Gold Award of White tea at the Tea King Competition in Ning De.

In 2010 his Bai Mudan tea won the award of the best taste at the Taimu Tea Ceremony.

Where is this White Peony Tea produced

Like our Silver Needle tea, TeaVivre's White Peony Tea is produced in the Mt. Taimu area, near the city of Fuding, in Fujian province, on the south eastern Chinese coast.

This tropical mountainous coastal area is absolutely perfect for growing all white teas, both Silver Needle and White Pekoe.  It has abundant rainfall, with many misty days in spring, and temperatures that are neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter.  The mountains around the farms are more than 80% forested, ensuring the soil has a high natural fertility and organic content, removing the need to use fertilizers.

History of White Peony Tea

Following exactly the same processing method and using the same plants as Silver Needle White Tea, with the only difference being which parts of the tea plant is used, the history of Bai MuDan and Silver Needle white teas is very similar.

White Tea is the earliest form of Chinese tea.  Farmers found out that cooling, sun-drying or baking the leaves ensured that the tea could be easily stored and used at a later time.  These steps, of course, formed the basis of the withering and drying processes that are still used to this day.

The Bai MuDan version of white tea – essentially the same as Silver Needle except for the inclusion of one or two new leaves with the tea bud – was first produced in the early 1870's by people in the area around ShuiJi, in Zhenghe county Fujian province.  Later on, in the 1960's, production spread to Songxi county in Fujian.  At present, the main areas for the production of Bai MuDan are in Songxi, Zhenghe, Fuding and Jianyang counties.