White Peony (Bai MuDan) Tea Cake 2011

The production process of white tea is very simple, no rolling or fixation and only undergoing the natural withering and drying, so a large number of nutrients in the tea are retained. With natural aging of time, the interior and aroma of white tea are also slowly changing. Thus, there is a saying in China that "one-year tea, three-year medicine, seven-year treasure". This TeaVivre's aged white tea cake is selected tea leaves from 2011 with one bud and two leaves. The years of aging have made this white tea more fragrant, and the taste is more mellow and richer.

Opening the cotton-paper packing, a fresh pekoe flavour and jujube fragrance can be smelt at the first sniffing of dry tea leaves. After brewing, tea scaent begins to burst out, which is pure and warm, slowly spreading around. A sip of tea, your taste buds will be waken up by the sweet and smooth taste. Besides, mellow and delicate tea liquor slowly flows through the mouth, soft and comfortable. In addition, its tea scent will be emerged differently during the whole brewing time. At first, it was a rich pekoe flavour, and then some faint herbal scent appears. In the end, it had a light woody fragrance. Whether you aim to collect or taste, I believe this tea will bring you infinite surprise.

Besides, aged white tea is rich in pectin, and is very infusion-enduring. So when the flavors fade, we can further boil the tea leaves, so that the inner substances of the tea leaves can completely released. Compared with the way of brewing, the boiled aged tea are rich in flavor, taste full and smooth, which makes us fully feel its great charm.

	Cup Method		Chinese Gongfu Method
	Teacup: 12oz / 355ml		Gaiwan: 3.8oz / 110ml
	203℉ / 95℃		203℉ / 95℃
	5g Tea		5g Tea
	Brewing time: 5 - 8 mins		10 steeps: rinse, 30s, 45s, 60s, 80s, 100s, 120s, 150s, 200s, 250s, 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.

As we all know, the world’s white tea is in China, and Chinese white tea is in Fuding. Mr. Chen was born in Fuding, Fujian Province. He has been influenced by tea since he was a child. It seems that he came with the mission of inheriting white tea culture from the moment he was born. He has been engaged in tea cultivation and production for more than 30 years, and has always adhered to the principle of "quality first" for many years. He is not only a successful tea industry operator, but also an excellent inheritor of white tea culture, allowing more people to taste and understand Fuding white tea.

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.