Bai Mu Dan (White Peony)
Bai Mu Dan (White Peony) is a Fujian white tea of one bud and one to two leaves, fuller and more floral than Silver Needle.
Definition
Bai Mu Dan, "White Peony", is a white tea made from a pluck of one bud with one or two young leaves. Like Silver Needle, it is only withered and dried, with no rolling or heat-kill step. The leaves dry loose and flat around the silvery bud, a look that inspired the name. It comes mainly from Fuding, Zhenghe and Jianyang in northeastern Fujian, using the same Da Bai cultivars as Silver Needle. It is graded by bud proportion and leaf tenderness: higher grades show many large buds and small, pale green leaves, while lower grades show more and larger leaves. Some is also produced from a cultivar called Shui Xian, giving a darker, more robust tea. The cup is pale gold, fuller than Silver Needle, with notes of fresh hay, white flowers, melon and a slight woodiness from the leaf. The extra leaf material gives more body and a little more structure, so Bai Mu Dan holds up better to repeat infusions and ages well, often pressed into cakes.
In Depth
Brew at 85-90°C (185-194°F). Western style, use 3-4 g per 250 ml (it is bulky, so weigh rather than measure by spoon) for 3-4 minutes. In a gaiwan, use 5 g per 100 ml with 30-45 second infusions; expect 5-7 good steeps.
Bai Mu Dan sits between Silver Needle and Shou Mei in both price and character. It is often the best-value white tea for daily drinking, and it cold brews well: 8-10 g per liter in the refrigerator for 6-10 hours.
Look for green, silver and light olive colors in the dry leaf. A mostly brown, broken leaf indicates either age or a lower grade; check the harvest date. Pressed Bai Mu Dan cakes labeled with a vintage are common, and three to five years of storage gives honey, date and light medicinal notes.
See Also
- Fuding White Tea
- Aged White Tea