“White Peony tea,” a precious variety, is produced in Zhenghe, known as the “Hometown of Chinese White Tea.” White Peony tea is picked at the stage of one bud and two leaves, requiring that the buds and leaves are covered with white down, referred to as “three whites.” The shape of the tea is two leaves embracing a bud, with a natural leaf posture and white down covering the back of the leaves. After brewing, the liquor turns apricot yellow or orange-yellow, clear and bright, with a fresh and lasting downy fragrance. The veins are slightly red, scattered among the green leaves, earning it the praise of “red dress on a white body.” The preparation method for drinking White Peony tea is similar to that of green tea but, due to the lack of kneading, the tea juice does not easily seep out, so the brewing time is slightly longer than for green tea. “White like clouds, green like dreams, clean like snow, fragrant like orchids,” this tea, which is cold and cool in nature, has the effects of heat-clearing and summer-heat dispelling, making it an excellent drink for refreshing the heart and purifying the spirit in summer.
It is said that this tea plant was transformed from a peony flower, and there is a beautiful story full of filial piety behind it. In the Western Han Dynasty, there was a magistrate named Mao Yi who was honest and upright. Disgusted by the corruption of officials, he resigned from his post and retreated to the mountains with his elderly mother. One day, they came to a lush green mountain, feeling a strange fragrance in the air. Mao Yi asked an old man nearby about the source of the fragrance. Near the old man was a pool of shimmering water, beside which stood 18 blooming white peonies.
The old man pointed to the pool and said, “That's Lotus Pond, and the fragrance comes from those 18 white peonies by the pond. It has been like this for many years.” Mao Yi and his mother found the place to be picturesque, like a fairyland, and decided to settle there. They worked hard, farming the land and planting crops. As his mother grew older and became overworked, she fell ill. Mao Yi searched far and wide for medicine to cure her, but her condition did not improve, leaving him in despair. One day, after walking a great distance in search of medicine, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep by the roadside. In his half-dream state, he saw a Silver-haired immortal standing before him, saying, “To cure your mother's illness, you need carp paired with new tea; neither can be missing.” When Mao Yi returned home, his mother told him, “I dreamed that an immortal said my illness can only be cured by eating carp paired with new tea.” Mao Yi realized that they had both shared the same dream, believing it to be divine guidance.
It was the depth of winter, and the water in Lotus Pond was frozen. Despite the cold, Mao Yi broke through the ice and caught a carp. However, where could he find fresh spring tea in the middle of winter? Mao Yi sat by the pond in despair, his head steaming despite the cold. He cried out, “Where can I find fresh spring tea?” At that moment, there was a loud noise, and Mao Yi saw that the 18 white peonies by the pond had transformed into 18 tea plants, their branches laden with tender green shoots. Amazed, Mao Yi immediately plucked the young tea leaves. Dried, the leaves resembled white peonies, emitting a unique fragrance. Mao Yi cooked the new tea with the carp and served it to his mother, and she was indeed cured. From then on, Mao Yi took good care of these 18 divine tea plants and helped people grow tea. Later generations built the White Peony Temple in memory of Mao Yi's renunciation of his official position to grow tea, benefiting the people. The tea produced in this area was called “White Peony” tea.
This legend explains the origin of the name of Zhenghe White Peony tea and aligns with its properties. White tea is the coolest among the six major categories of Chinese tea (green, black, oolong, yellow, white, and dark), possessing cooling, heat-dispelling, and detoxifying effects. As summer approaches, drinking white tea is highly beneficial. White tea differs from green tea and black tea. Green tea is unfermented, black tea is fully fermented, while white tea undergoes a slight fermentation. Named “white tea” because most of the tea is made from buds covered with white down.
White Peony tea is a rare treasure among white teas, named because the green leaves are interspersed with silver-white downy buds, resembling flowers. After brewing, the green leaves support the tender buds, much like the budding of a peony, hence the name “White Peony” tea. The production process of White Peony tea differs from other teas, involving no stir-frying or rolling, just Wilting and Drying. This promotes oxidation, maintaining the tea's cooling, heat-dispelling, detoxifying effects, and natural freshness. According to Ming Dynasty's Tian Yiheng in “The Art of Boiling Spring Water,” “Tea made by fire is secondary, while sun-dried tea is superior, more natural, and free of the smoky flavor.” This highlights the superior quality of White Peony tea.
I. Raw Materials for White Peony Tea
1. The main raw materials for producing White Peony are the buds and leaves of the Zhenghe Dahao and Fuding Dahao tea varieties, occasionally using a small amount of Shuixian variety tea buds and leaves for blending.
2. The raw materials used for making White Peony should have visible white down and plump, tender buds and leaves. Traditionally, the picking standard is the first flush of spring tea, consisting of one bud and two leaves, with the length of the bud and two leaves being roughly equal. It also requires “three whites,” meaning the bud and two leaves are covered with white down.
3. The picking period is during spring, summer, and autumn. For spring tea, the standard is generally one bud and two leaves, and it also requires “three whites,” meaning the bud, first leaf, and second leaf should all have white down.
II. Processing Steps for White Peony Tea
The manufacturing of White Peony does not involve stir-frying or rolling, only wilting and baking, but the techniques are difficult to master.
1. Indoor natural wilting yields the best quality. The freshly picked buds and leaves are evenly spread thinly on a Bamboo tray without overlapping. When the moisture content reaches about 70%, two trays are combined into one. When the moisture content reaches about 85%, two trays are again combined into one. Wilting continues until the moisture content is around 5% when the leaves are removed from the tray and placed in a baking cage to be dried at a temperature of 90–100°C, resulting in rough-processed tea.
2. The refining process is relatively simple, involving manual sorting to remove stems, fragments, wax leaves, red leaves, and dark leaves, followed by low-temperature baking. The baking temperature should be moderate; too high and the aroma lacks freshness, too low and the aroma is bland.
3. The key to the production process lies in the wilting, which needs to be adjusted according to weather conditions. On sunny days in spring and autumn or clear days in summer that are not stiflingly hot, indoor natural wilting or compound wilting is recommended.
4. During refinement, the fire aroma should complement the tea aroma, preserving the appearance of the down and ensuring a fresh and mellow taste. When the moisture content is around 4–5%, the tea is packed while still warm.
After these processes, the finished White Peony tea features plump buds, fleshy leaves with undulating surfaces, leaves curling toward the back, and buds connected to the stem. The color of the front of the leaf is deep gray-green, while the back