Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2014

The Production process of white tea belongs to the most natural one, through sun drying and traditional craftsmanship without any frying and rolling, which retains the unique characteristics of white tea and also preserves its natural peoke fragrance. Pressed by traditional stone mill, TeaVivre’s Shou Mei White Tea Cake is shaped in moderate tightness and carries uniform density from the inside to the outside, making sure the later conversion is also accordant in the storage. This guarantees the consistency of the taste in all positions of the same tea cake.

An old Fuding town saying about tea claims that ‘tea is only the beginning: in three years it becomes medicine, and in seven years it becomes a treasure’. After several years' aging, the Shou Mei cake becomes softer. When tasting, the prominent sweetness comes first, accompanied with honey and jujube flavor, smooth and soft. At the same time, a hint of cool feeling immerses down to the throat, presenting a comfortable sensation.

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 12oz / 355ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	212℉ / 100℃		212℉ / 100℃
	5g Tea		8g Tea
	Brewing time: 3 - 5 mins		10 steeps: rinse, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 80s, 100s, 140s, 200s, 240s, 300s
			Rinse time is around 5 seconds

Chaitou Shan Tea Garden is located in Fuding, the hometown of white tea. The plantation here is always surrounded by fog, creating the perfect conditions for the tea bushes to accumulate a rich array of microminerals and organic nutrients. The soil is red and yellow in color, signifying that it is rich in organic material. The tea plants growing here are mainly of the Fuding Dabaihao variety.

This Shou Mei cake is produced in Fuding, a famous tea production area located in the northeast of Fujian Province. This area experiences a subtropical monsoon climate, characteristic of coastal areas, with about 1840 total hours of sunshine through the year, and an annual average temperature of 18.5C and rainfall of 1661.6mm.

This Shou Mei white tea cake is made from the leaves of the Fuding Dabaihao plant, also called Dahao for short. It propagates asexually and takes the form of a small tree.

In 1985 it was certified as a national tea plant variety, and can grow up to 2.8m high with a thick trunk. The spring tea from this bush contains 1.8% amino acids and 28.2% tea polyphenols, marking it as a high-quality base for making white tea.

Tea has been grown in Fujian for centuries, as it has always been important for commercial purposes and trade in ancient China. Originally the process of drying the leaves was followed by a meticulous variation of hot-air drying and sun drying, in order to remove excess water from the leaves; these methods eased the preservation process and helped the tea to sell. The leaves of this naturally-dried tea seemed to appear like the Shouxing’s, the longest-living man in mythology, long curved eyebrow (眉毛, meimao). As a result, people named this tea Shou Mei.