2020 Hindsight White Peony Bing (事后白牡丹餅, Shì Hòu Bái Mǔdān Bǐng, "Afterwards White Peony White Tea Cake") Hindsight, they say, is 20/20. But hindsight, like the tea that shares its name, also grows more valuable with time - in the case of hindsight, because it matures into experience, and in the case of white tea, because it matures in character, flavor, fragrance, and qi. An exquisite and luxurious Bai Mu Dan that can be enjoyed now or allowed to mature.
Fuding white tea is graded according to the proportion of buds to leaves, with buds representing the earlier and more premium part of the harvest, decreasing in fragrance and value as they open and mature over the course of the season. The grades of Fuding white tea are as follows, from highest to lowest grade:
銀針 Yín Zhēn (Silver Needle) - All buds
白牡丹 Bái Mǔdān (White Peony)- Buds and leaves
壽眉 Shòu Méi (Longevity Eyebrow) - Mostly leaves
Buds are more fragrant and oxidize more slowly while leaves are more flavorful and oxidize relatively quickly. Because of this, Silver Needle changes little as it ages, while Shòu Méi attains a sweet dried-fruit profile. Bái Mǔdān, with both buds and leaves, maintains a complex fragrance while also developing a sweet honey taste and rich mouthfeel.
A well-balanced and highly aromatic tea with notes of fir wood, sweetgrass, straw and flowers.
