While Silver Needle (Baihao Yinzhen) might be the most prestigious and expensive of all the white teas, a close second is Bai Mu Dan, better known as White Peony. This high-grade white tea, named after the Peony flower, has a stronger and fuller flavor alongside earthy and nutty notes, rivaling the taste of Silver Needle while being much more affordable.
Like most white teas, White Peony has its origins in the Fujian province in China, but these days other tea producing regions have also attempted to replicate the process of making White Peony. However, even though white tea undergoes a very minimal production process, it can be a very intricate one of withering and drying the buds and leaves. As a result, a lot of skill and experience is required to make the highest grades of White Peony, leaving many to believe that “true” White Peony is still only made in Fujian. Within Fujian there are two distinct varieties of Bai Mu Dan based on their production region, Fuding and Zhenghe, each having their own flavor profile.
The harvesting of White Peony starts in early springtime and consists of hand-picking the bud and the first two leaves of the plant, unlike with Silver Needle where only the youngest bud is harvested even earlier. The buds and leaves are then sun-dried for up to three days depending on weather conditions. The leaves are then piled for a very brief oxidation process and sometimes producers will shortly bake the leaves to finalize the drying process. With White Peony the integrity of the leave is extremely important, since any breaking can unintentionally start the oxidation process, lowering its quality. Therefore, the packaging, handling and storing of the tea is done very carefully.
One of the more famous varieties of Bai Mu Dan is Gushan Baiyun, or Drum Mountain White Cloud Tea, grown on the slopes near the peak of Drum Mountain in Fujian. This special variety has traditionally been grown and harvested by monks from a nearby monastery. It is even said that Scottish explorer Sir Robert Fortune came across Drum Mountain tea on his travels and was full of praise.
