Taking Xinyang Longtan Maojian's White Peony as an example, White Peony is the "pride" of Xinyang Maojian teas. Its appearance features green leaves with silver-white hairs, with buds resembling flowers. After brewing, green leaves hold tender buds, just like blooming flower buds, hence the name.
The raw materials for making White Peony are mainly from Fuding Dabaicha, Fuding Dahaocha, Gele, and Zhenghe Dabaicha tea plant varieties. Some regions use a small amount of Shuxian tea variety, with buds and leaves processed for blending, called Shuxian Bai Cha. Generally, White Peony made from Fuding Dabaicha, Fuding Dahaocha, and Gele tea leaves is called Fuding White Peony, abbreviated as "Fuding Dabaicha"; White Peony made from Zhenghe Dabaicha tea leaves is called "Zhenghe Dabaicha".
The raw material requirements for White Peony are high, demanding prominent white hairs and tender, nutrient-rich buds and leaves. Traditional White Peony processing requires picking standards of one bud with two leaves from the first spring tea flush, with the bud and two leaves being basically equal in length, and requiring "three whites" - meaning both the bud and two leaves must be covered with white hairs. The best raw material for White Peony is spring tea, as summer tea is thinner and unsuitable. However, with proper tea garden management, autumn tea often can also produce high-quality White Peony.
White Peony processing doesn't involve frying or rolling, having only two basic steps: withering and baking, but the technique is difficult to master. Natural indoor withering produces the best quality. Fresh leaves must be evenly and thinly spread on drying trays without overlapping. When withering reaches 70% dryness, "two trays" are combined into one, and when reaching 80-90% dryness, "two trays" are combined again. When leaves reach about 95% water loss, they are baked in drying baskets until completely dry, at which point we call it White Peony "rough tea". "Rough tea" must undergo refining processes to become finished products, typically involving manual removal of hard stems, yellow leaves, waxy leaves, red leaves, and dark leaves, followed by low-temperature baking and drying, then blending and packaging while hot. White Peony is generally divided into four grades.