Our Organic White Peony comes from Fujian Province and is an authentic white tea. As with all white teas, it is never rolled and is semi-oxidized. Our tea is also of the highest grade, meaning each it contains one bud for every one leaf.
Organic White Peony
The combination of tea leaves and silver and white buds produces a bright, light gold infusion. The delicate, earthy aroma reminds me of thyme or myrrh. The light body and remarkable sweetness pairs well with the flavors of baked grain and fresh herb.
Use fresh tap water, preferably filtered to remove chlorine. Bottled waters labeled "spring water" work best. Distilled, mineral, or water labeled as "drinking water" should be avoided as they tend to have too much or too little mineral content to produce an ideal cup. In general, softer water requires a shorter steeping time and harder water requires a longer steeping time.
White teas steep best when heat dissipates throughout the steeping process. (This is referred to as allowing the tea "to breathe.") To obtain the best results from white tea, use a small (12oz or less) teapot made of ceramic or glass, preferably with a strainer built into the spout. Small pots prevent stewing or over-extraction since they contain a smaller amount of water that can cool more quickly.
White teas tend to steep best using water cooler than boiling, with 170-180° F water as ideal. Boiling water will over-extract the tea producing a bitter, astringent cup. A quick way to cool the water is to pour it into the empty teapot. Then pour the water into a cup(s). Using the cool teapot and cups should cool the water to an appropriate temperature. If not, wait a minute or two, before adding the leaves and water to the pot.
To fully appreciate the delicate body and light flavor of white teas, use lots of leaf, ideally 1-2 tablespoons or 3-4 grams for 6-8 oz of water. For a stronger cup, use more tea and reduce the steeping time slightly. Using the proper amount of leaves should allow for a second, and possibly third, steeping (reusing the leaves for a second or third pot). Be certain to pour out all of the first infusion so that the water doesn’t continue to steep the leaves beyond the specified time.
Steep the tea for 2-3 minutes. The quality and composition of the water dramatically affects the steeping time so you should experiment to find a time that suits your palate. For a second infusion, steep for 15-30 seconds.
Organic White Peony
Organic White Peony is one of only a few authentic styles of white tea. The White Peony varietal of tea was first grown in China in the 1920's. Roughly 70% of all tea produced in Fujian province is oolong tea, and the other 30% is green, black and white tea. This makes authentic white tea quite rare since white tea is only produced in northern Fujian province within three specific counties: Fuding, Zhenghe, and Jianyang. Tea is often sold as white tea even if it is produced in India or Sri Lanka. These "new style" white teas may even have buds with raised white hairs, the characteristic that gave white teas its categorical name, but only certain varietals of tea from Fujian can truly be called white tea.
Another characteristic of authentic white tea is the picking season; white tea is always picked in the spring during a small window, usually only a few days, a week or two at most. The unique climate high in the mountains of northern Fujian develops the leaf in such a way that authentic white tea must be picked in the spring while the buds are developed but not to the point where they have opened or have a purple color.
Special artisan processing rules unique to white tea are always followed to produce authentic white teas. The key is the withering of leaves and minimal processing. Unlike most teas, white teas are never rolled and don't undergo complex firing processes. I would call white teas semi-oxidized since they oxidize a bit through the withering process. Green tea is closest relative to white tea, but white teas never possess the grassy flavor or vegetal aromas of a green tea since they undergo a slow withering process that causes a slight amount of oxidation to occur.
We try to purchase only the highest grades of organic white tea. This means that we focus on white teas consisting of one leaf and bud. Lower grades include two leaves and one bud and don't usually have the subtle nuances of higher grades. In past years I think the organic white teas have been slightly inferior to the quality of the conventional white teas, but the gap between the two has narrowed considerably as the organic plants are now 8-10 years old. As a result the prices for organic white teas, especially the higher grades, are increasing rapidly… but as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for.