Mu Dan Wang 牡丹王, meaning King Bai Mu Dan, is the next grade beside the imperial Yin Zhen Silver Needles grade of white teas.  Young, plump early spring buds are allowed to emerge out of and be harvested with one, sometimes two more delicate leaves.  Whereas Yin Zhen is defined by only tiny buds and therefore tends to lean heavily towards fragrant, high pitched flavors with a super light body, Mu Dan teas balances and grounds these tones with a more substantial mouthfeel.  As this tea continues to age, the two main components to its experience - fragance and body - diverge and coalesce in intriguing ways.  One of the more layered, complex, and not to mention invigorating teas we've encountered, we are proud to present this gao-ji 高级 supreme grade offering.

An epicurean treat that could be likened to the introspection gleaned in a glass of fine scotch, this tea is sure to keep sippers enraptured in its layers and brilliance.  Read more about why we think white teas, specifically aged white teas, are so compelling here on our blog.

While the capitol of white teas in the world is sure to be the coastal city of Fuding, we are pleased to be able to offer teas from 政和 Zhenghe, sure to be its rival.  Zhenghe shares the same government district of Nanping with the iconic and legendary post-volcanic mountainous region of Wuyishan. The average elevation of Zhenghe is 200 meters higher than Fuding, and as such the leaves grow slower; their average harvest date is later.

While Fuding white tea production takes advantage of earlier seasonal sunshine for withering, Zhenghe’s later production time-frame bookends the onset of monsoon season, necessitating producers to use partial indoor-outdoor withering methods with less direct, more passive light.  Leaves can often oxidize at slower rates and lower temperatures, resulting in a more robust and sweeter profile.  If you like northern fujianese white teas, you must try Zhenghe teas.