Wild Peony King

Wild Peony King comes to us from the well-respected tea forager, Mr. Fan, also aptly known as "Hunter."

This take on traditional White Peony is made from trees planted by tea farmers in the 1970's that were abandoned as people left the villages for coastal cities. They grow amidst thousands of acres of old growth forest. Here, tea trees compete with a variety of other plants for sunlight, causing their roots to extend deep into the earth to draw nutrients. They grow slowly in the wild, accumulating these nutrients and compounds in their leaves.

Aside from the use of wild foraged leaves, the other reason this tea stands out from the average White Peony is its picking standard; only the fresh bud and one fresh leaf is harvested for this tea, making it more akin to Silver Needle. But the craftsmanship of this tea is very traditional, following steps used to make Zhenghe white tea for centuries.

A key feature of this traditional method is 阴干, or shade drying. The foraged leaves are spread out on bamboo mats and are attentively dried in the shade. Essentially, shade dried tea leaves are still "alive," as this method retains as many live enzymes and nutrients as possible. Nowadays it is a very uncommon practice, as it is so laborious, time-consuming, and requires a substantial amount of space.

This patient method results in a tea that is as nourishing as it is enjoyable. Its nutritive density and richness is offset by the delicate nature of the young leaves it is made of. The liquor coats the mouth and throat with a complex and lingering sweetness. We find notes of fresh soy milk, mountain herbs, and nuts. In later infusions it becomes more floral and fruity; we taste bamboo, plum blossom and rose.