2017 Alpine Shoumei Tea Bricks
Encounter a heart-warming tea container, taking a sip or two of light and elegant tea in the middle of a busy schedule; between touch and vision, clearly comprehend heaven, earth and people of nature and ingenuity.
Frequently Bought Together
Description
- Chinese: fú dǐng gāo shān bái chá shòu méi chá zhuān
- Translation: Fuding Alpine White Tea Shoumei Tea Bricks
- Type: White Tea
- Weight: 250g
- Cultivar: White Tea
- Origin: Fuding, Fujian, China
- Harvest Date: 2017/05/26
- Storage Methods: Sealing, Moistureproof, Avoid light.
- Shelf Life: More than 10 years
- Tea Master: Wei Weijian
- The picture was taken in 2017. After aging, it has turned brown.
- The leaves for Shou Mei are plucked during April, May and June in the Fujian Province of China. Shou Mei is produced using leaves from the Xiao Bai tea tree and is processed more than the Silver Needle and White Peony teas and is therefore considered a lower grade tea, but despite this it has the properties attributed to white teas. The lack of processing and hand selection is evident in the leaf appearance of this tea. Shou Mei teas are named for the long, thin, crescent-shaped leaves used in production. The leaves are not steamed or pan-fired (the process used in green teas) or fermented and fired (the process used in black tea). Instead, the leaves are naturally withered and dried in the sun. The western cosmetic industry is beginning to make a white tea extract to be worn underneath your moisturizer. The reason is that it seems white tea has been shown to be more effective in mopping up free radicals that cause skin to sag. A tea expert has been quoted as saying ‘unlike black or green tea, it isn’t rolled or steamed, this preserves its antioxidant properties.
- Shou Mei is considered to be the 4th grade tea to come from the tea plants. The first grade is Yin Zhen Silver Needle that consists solely of fine tips. The second grade is Bai Mu Dan White Peony that consists of some tips plus smaller leaves. The third grade is called Gong Mei, although often this tea is combined under the more famous Shou Mei name. The fourth final grade that consists of coarser and larger leaves and fewer tips is called Shou Mei. The name Shou Mei (sometimes also Sow Mee) is often translated as ‘Longevity Eyebrow’.
- In this case, it was pressed into Shoumei Tea Bricks. The bricks are a convenient shape for long-term storage, and this particular tea has acquired a great complexity of flavour over the years. While aged white tea is a more recent development, they are quickly gaining in popularity due to unique and complex flavours that develop over time.
- A fruity furry Shoumei Tea Bricks white tea that is a chaotic mix of tips and upper leaf, it has a stronger flavor than other white teas, similar to Oolong. It is plucked later than Bai Mu Dan hence the tea may be darker in color. Aged after oxidation, this tea offers a dark, full brew with a earthy taste. The cup has a subtle sweetness and is well-balanced, with delicate walnut flavor overtones.
- Shoumei Tea Bricks are formed of large, coarse, loosely pressed Shou Mei tea leaves. There is a pleasant, lightly medicinal herbal edge that has developed due to ageing and a sweet, creamy mouthfeel present throughout. The aftertaste is mouthwatering, sweet and slightly tangy, reminiscent of muscovado sugar. Overall this is a complex aged white tea that delivers a sweet mouthfeel with background tangy fruit and herby medicinal notes.
- It is popular in many Chinese tea houses and is sometimes served with Dim Sum. As far as its flavor, Shoumei Tea Bricks has a pronounced taste profile - along the lines of oolong tea. Many white tea drinkers prefer Shou Mei, favoring its 'substance' compared to the delicate nuances of other white teas.
2017 Alpine Shoumei Tea Bricks
$79.57