Gardenia White Peony

An experimental scented white tea from Mr. De in Fuding, Fujian. His white tea farm is located in Diantou, Fuding, the birthplace of Fuding white tea, at around 1,600 ft elevation.

Mr. De’s teas are commonly described as delicate and elegant. He has very exacting standards for both farming and crafting his white tea, and has been converting and managing his own tea farm organically for the past 6 years.

This tea marks Mr. De’s first experimentation using fresh gardenia flowers to scent his tea.

The white tea base he has chosen is made from the Fuding Dahao cultivar, the traditional cultivar used for crafting premium White Peony. The picking is done entirely by hand, with a picking standard of one bud with two leaves. The White Peony is then crafted following traditional regional methods, with around 72 hours of continuous outdoor withering.

During the withering process, the position and direction of the bamboo trays need to be constantly adjusted depending on how the fresh leaves are changing. This allows the sunlight, airflow, and fresh leaves to interact properly and allows for a more delicate transformation of the tea. White tea can look very simple because it is not pan-fired or rolled, but making it well is actually very difficult, and craftsmen have signatures in their approach. The kind of careful and adept withering we see in the making of this tea is what produces the refined floral and herbal aromas, clean and pure sweetness, and delicate texture we find in its liquor.

The gardenia scenting is done over 5 rounds using freshly foraged flowers. The result is one of the best ways to experience gardenia’s unique flavour. This is a very supportive environment for this flower; the White Peony is so gentle, it allows the gardenia’s qualities to fully express themselves. The sweetness of the tea amplifies the gardenia’s tropical fruit notes: it is creamy, like coconut, and heady, like ylang ylang. As dreamy as it is substantial, this exciting and elegant tea is well suited to the transition from summer to fall.