White Peony Tea (Bai Mudan)

Sweet and mellow

Appearance & Taste

The tea leaves are corrugated, the edges slightly jagged The backs of the leaves are covered with white fuzz. During brewing, the green leaves open up to reveal the delicate buds like blooming peonies.

The taste is sweet and mellow, with a very sweet aftertaste. It brings a distinctly refreshing sensation. Along with floral and grassy flavour.

Adjust the amount of tea based on your own taste

Brewing Guide

For simple glass vessel / teapot brewing:

You can brew less tea leaves with more hot water for longer brewing time. Use 3g White Peony for 125ml teacup or gaiwan, 6g White Peony for 250ml glass or 12g White Peony for 500ml teapot.

using 90°C hot water to infuse tea leaves for around 5-6 minutes. Re-steep for around one or two further infusion. (Adjust by personal taste)

Using Goingfu Style:

The detailed brewing guide for brewing White Peony Tea (Bai Mudan) is below:

1. Warm the teaware with hot water. Discard the water afterwards
2. Add 3-4g tea leaves (1g tea for 30ml or 50ml water or adjust by personal taste). If using Gaiwan style brewing, add 5g tea leaves for 110ml Gaiwan
3. Fill the teaware up to one-third with hot water (90°C). The water should not be poured directly onto the tea leaves, but should run down the inside faces of the teaware; this protects the silvery-white fuzz and avoids otherwise damaging the appearance of the tea leaves
4. Tilt the teaware, slowly rotating it two times (this is to ensure a better infusion). Make sure the water reaches every tea leaf
5. Refill the glass with hot water until the glass is seven-tenths full
6. Infuse tea for around 5-6 minutes (adjustable according to personal taste), if using gaiwan gongfu method, the first brew can be around 30s, the second time is around 35s, then gradually increase steeping time for subsequent brewing
7. Drink until 1/3 of the tea is left before refilling
8. Can be refilled for 4-5 times.

Harvest & Production

Timing & Ingredients

Ingredients: White Peony is made from a single bud and two leaves. During brewing, the two green leaves unfurl to reveal the buds, which look like flowers in bloom. White Peony is the second tea to be produced from the same tea tree in a given year, after Silver Needle.

Picking Time: The picking time is around Pure Brightness (4, 5 or 6 April). Around this time, the temperature is rising and the tea tree begins its second growth cycle.

The time is right for picking when the leaves wrapped around each bud begin to peel off and grow such that separate bud and leaf forms can be distinguished. White Peony has a longer picking period than White Silver Needle – it can last for around 15 days. This means higher yields and therefore cheaper prices.