Description

Jasmine White Peony Hearts

Jasmine White Peony Hearts is a product involving three different craft traditions in the world of tea. Firstly, there’s the white tea itself, defined as White Peony (also known as Pai Mu Tan or Bai Mu Dan) by its 1+1 plucking standard (consisting of only one unopened bud and the adjacent youngest leaf) and the classic processing method of white tea. Another artisanal tradition coming to bear is the scenting of tea leaves with freshly picked jasmine flowers. And a third skill involved in crafting this tea is the pressing and shaping of the processed and scented tea leaves.

The result, with its heart shape, obviously suggests a range of quite positively connoted associations. Beyond this, it delights the eye with a colorful composition of clearly demarcated, mainly green-toned pastel colors. Flavor-wise, the gently textured tea impresses with a sweet, nutty essence and a hint of fruitiness, perfectly balanced by the floral freshness of the jasmine flower.

Below, we will delve into each of the relevant terms and the three – spatially and temporally separated – processing areas  individually:

What is White Peony Tea?

White Peony (also: “Bai Mu Dan” or “Pai Mu Tan”) is one of the most well-known types of white tea. Like its close relative White Silver Needle, it originates from the northeastern part of Fujian province in China. The cultivation and processing of White Peony are mainly prevalent in the counties of Fuding and Zhenghe. In both regions, the special processing method for white tea is only about 150 years old. This makes white tea the youngest of the 6 classic processing categories of tea in China.

Genuine white tea is obtained from a specific group of sub-varieties of Camellia Sinensis called “Da Bai.” A main characteristic of this variety is the dense growth of silver-white hairs on its young shoots. While White Silver Needle consists only of the unopened young shoots, Pai Mu Tan is defined by a leaf portion of 1-2 leaves per shoot. This means that each shoot is picked with the 1-2 immediately adjacent youngest leaves. Compared to Silver Needle, this plucking standard gives the tea a significantly more bodied taste.

Processing (1) – White Tea

The initial processing of tea leaves into white tea occurs immediately after plucking in April, on-site in Zhenghe, Fujian. It starts with a sun-withering phase lasting 1-3 days, followed by another withering process lasting a few hours in the shaded interior of the tea factory. As a defining feature of white tea processing, the withering of the tea leaves is immediately followed by their final drying. The heating involved inh this process also stops the enzymatic oxidation processes in the tea leaf.

In whie tea processing, the tea leaves are handled with extreme care throughout the entire process. This is particularly important because any “injury” to the leaf surfaces would cause an undesirable change in the taste of the finished tea. For the same reason, the processing step of rolling the tea leaves, which is common for other processing categories, is omitted. Thus, the process of processing white tea appears at first glance to be the simplest among the processing methods for Chinese tea varieties. However, it is actually quite delicate, as the result is essentially dependent on a number of factors that are difficult or impossible to influence, such as the weather.

Processing (2) – Scenting

Scenting tea leaves with jasmine flowers is an ancient Chinese tea tradition. Typically, green, white, or lightly oxidized oolong teas serve as base teas. However, to achieve high-quality natural scenting with jasmine flowers, not only skills in processing the base tea used are required, but also specific knowledge of the aroma donor plant, in this case, jasmine.

The jasmine flowers used to scent our Jasmine White Peony Hearts thrive in Hengxian, Guangxi Province, nearly 1500km away. Therefore, the finished processed White Peony tea is taken there for scenting after processing. Freshly picked jasmine flowers are mixed with the tea leaves in the late afternoon and left over night. This is because the aromatic buds of the jasmine flowers open in the early evening, releasing their aromatic essences. For our Jasmine White Peony Hearts, this process is repeated on 3 consecutive days. In this way, the resulting tea achieves an equally intense and lasting jasmine aroma.

Processing (3) – Pressing and Shaping

After completing the scenting process, the finished Jasmine White Peony tea is pressed into large, thin plates. From these, the hearts are punched out as the final processing step. While this process tears the tea leaves that have remained intact to this point at the punch seams, the actual degree of leaf grade and plucking standard preservation will still nicely reveal from the unfolded leaves in the infusion.

Naming and Legend

On one hand, it is said that Pai Mu Tan (translated: peony) derives its name from the typical floral note in its taste. On the other hand, an old legend surrounding the origin of the tea reflects the relevant naming… According to this legend, the Chinese goddess Pai Mu Tan once gave this tea as a gift to a severely ill mortal to heal him from his illness. According to the legend, the person in question then recovered in a miraculous way. Besides the possible origin of the name, the story also points to the oft-cited health-promoting properties of white tea.

Health Aspects of White Tea

White tea is particularly rich in polyphenols and catechins. This suggests significant antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Furthermore, white tea is said to have positive effects on heart and circulatory functions, cholesterol levels, dental health, and, in general, life-extending effects.

Preparation

One Jasmine White Peony Heart weighs approximately 2.5g, providing the appropriate dosage for 80-120ml of boiling water. After pouring, 1-2 minutes of steeping will produce an equally delicious and refreshing first infusion. The tea maintains its pleasantly harmonious flavor profile of white tea and jasmine flowers without diminishing over about 2-3 more infusions.

For more white teas at Siam Tea Shop check the following links:

• Chinese White Teas at Siam Tea Shop
• White Tea from Thailand at Siam Tea Shop
• Vietnam Arbor Teas at Siam Tea Shop
• Laos Arbor Teas @ Siam Tea Shop
• Ceylon Artisanal Teas @ Siam Tea Shop
• Doke Teas (Bihar) @ Siam Tea Shop

And here is to more Jasmine-scented teas @ Siam Tea Shop:

• Scented Teas from Northern Thailand
• Scented Teas from China