Shou Mei

from $10.00

An entry-level white tea with no shortage of flavor

amount:

2 oz (16-24 cups) 4 ozs (32-48 cups) 6 ozs (48-72 cups) 8 ozs (64-96 cups)

Quantity:

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An entry-level white tea with no shortage of flavor

Blending Ideas

Fruits, flowers, and most herbs blend well. This is a good beginner's tea to start blending, with less chance of it being overpowered like other white teas. Still, spices are best avoided (except turmeric).

Story

Shou Mei is a fourth-grade white tea that is produced by naturally withered leaves and buds on the tops of the tea bushes. It is produced later in the year than the higher grades, but using grades to tell the quality of a white tea is misleading. There are many more factors that make or break a white tea than the specific picking. Production can’t make bad pickings into good tea, but it can ruin even the best pickings. Also important is the cultivar (referring to the specific type of tea plant), its interaction with the environment (soil, altitude, climate, air quality), and the freshness of the tea matter. Shou Mei has an advantage over higher grades of tea in that the extra growth time gives it a chance to soak up more nutrients from the soil.