Imperial White & Orange Peel

This Shou Mei is from Fuding, Fujian, one of the two traditional regions for white tea, the other one being Zhenghe. Fuding is flanked by mountains and faces the ocean, therefore the topography is considered "open" as it sees sustained exposure to sun, wind, and rain.

Here, tea trees are covered in mist and fog all year round, shading them from direct sun. After harvest, the tea leaves are withered and dried, first outdoors, and then indoors for at least a week, in a process that follows ancient local traditions.

The dried tea leaves are combined with the aged peel (Chen Pi) of red mandarin oranges grown in Xinhui, Guangdong, (a village famous for producing aged orange peel). Orange peels are revered as both a medicine and a deeply satisfying flavour in China. They must be aged for at least six years before being used in tea; any younger and their moisture and sugar content will compromise the tea cake. Once combined with the tea leaves, they are pressed together into small cakes.

Naturally aged Shoumei tends to have a subtle aftertaste of aged orange peel on its own. Combining these leaves with the orange peels themselves produces tea with an incredible depth of flavour. The spiced, medicinal qualities of both the white tea and the aged peels play off of one another, offering us something very satisfying, as well as balancing and supportive, especially suited to the winter months.