White Peony was created in Shuiji, Jianyang before 1922. According to local farmers, its place of origin is in Dahu. Shuiji originally belonged to Jian'ou County. According to the "Jian'ou County Annals": Pekoe tea comes from Xixiang and Zixi... covering an area of about thirty li. In 1922, Zhenghe began producing White Peony, becoming the main production area. In the early 1960s, Songxi County once produced it abundantly. Now, White Peony production areas are distributed in Zhenghe, Jianyang, Songxi, Fuding and other counties.

The raw materials for making White Peony are mainly buds and leaves from the Zhenghe Da Bai and Fuding Da Bai tea plant varieties, sometimes using a small amount of Shui Xian variety buds and leaves for blending. The resulting rough teas are called Zhenghe Da Bai (tea), Fuding Da Bai (tea), and Shui Xian Bai (tea) respectively.

The raw materials used for making White Peony require prominent pekoe and plump, tender buds and leaves. The traditional picking standard is the first flush of spring tea, picking one bud with two leaves, where the bud and the two leaves are basically equal in length, and requiring "three whites," meaning the bud and both leaves are covered with white fuzz. Summer and autumn tea buds are thinner and are not used to make White Peony.

The production of White Peony does not involve frying or rolling, only withering and baking, but the process is difficult to master.

Withering using indoor natural withering yields the best quality. The picked buds and leaves are evenly spread thinly on bamboo sieves, without overlapping. When withering reduces moisture to 70% dry, two sieves are combined into one; when 85% dry, two sieves are combined again; when withered to 95% dry, they are removed from the sieve and placed in baking baskets to bake dry at 90-100°C, resulting in rough tea.

The refining process is relatively simple: manually picking out stems, flakes, withered leaves, red leaves, and dull leaves, then baking dry at low temperature, blending while hot, and packing. The baking heat must be appropriate; too high results in less fresh and brisk aroma, insufficient heat makes the flavor bland.

White Peony has two leaves holding one bud, a natural leaf posture, deep gray-green or dark mossy green color, tender and plump leaves showing wavy uplift, the back of the leaves covered with pure white fuzz, leaf edges slightly curled towards the back, buds and leaves connected with branches. The liquor is apricot yellow or orange-yellow, the brewed leaves are light gray with slightly red veins, and the taste is fresh and mellow.

White Peony is a specialty of Fujian. In 1922, Zhenghe began producing White Peony for export to Vietnam. It is now mainly sold to Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia. It has the effect of reducing fever and dispelling summer heat, making it an excellent drink for summer.

Characteristics

Moonlight White

White Peony

Picking Length

One bud one leaf, One bud two leaves

One bud two leaves

Picking Season

Spring and Autumn

Spring

Primary Processing Similarities

Room temperature natural fermentation, No kill-green, No rolling

Room temperature natural fermentation, No kill-green, No rolling

Primary Processing Differences

Room temperature natural drying, No baking

When nearly dry, baked at 90~100 degrees

Dry Tea Color

Gray, Black, White mixed

Deep gray-green or dark mossy green

Tea Plant Species Nature

Large-leaf species

Small-leaf species

Classification

Innovative White Tea

Traditional White Tea

By the way, Anji White Tea is not white tea, it is green tea, don't get it wrong.