A leafier old bush white with a few years age on it, yielding a charming, nutritive, resinous soup for an extended session.

The Wu family of Panxi in Fuding grades their older bush teas as 荒野 Huang Ye "wild" — meaning they leave the tea plants unpruned — to grow, well, wild.  This classification deserves a bit of unboxing, as this isn't quite the same wild as you see in other tea areas and the age of the garden is notable.  What's the most important is that this older bush Huang Ye grade is left unsprayed and managed naturally.  Leaving the tea plants unpruned reduces overall annual yield, is more costly in terms of labor (harvesting is harder), but is made up for in a bit of a higher price passed on to the wholesaler/consumer.  While needle and peony grades from old thicket gardens in Panxi might make for an expensive cake, this pure large leaf Shou Mei is still approachable for those looking for a solid daily drinker from clean gardens.

Sip now and/or cellar a cake or two for more complexity via aging to come.

Check out our time in Fuding here: