Jason,

Shou Mei is the lowest grade, if I might use that word, of a varietal that
produces Silver Needle (Yin Zhen) at the top (only buds), White Peony (Pai
Mu Tan or Bai Mu Dan) second (a mix of buds and first leaves), and finally
Old Man's Eyebrow (Shou Mei, all or nearly all leaf). I've tried Upton's
Shou Mei offerings this year. They are *not* impressive, IMO. In Pursuit of
Tea has a nice White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) which features more leaf than bud
and can be slightly smokey, but also a bit sweet which is nice. The offering
from Fragrant Leaf features a higher percentage of bud, and is thus not
smokey and is more gentle. I'd stay away from Shou Mei and begin with Bai Mu
Dan. Either of these companies will serve you well.

In Pursuit of Tea: <http://store.yahoo.com/teastores/whiteteas.html>
Fragrant Leaf <http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/whiteteas.html>

Michael





Jason in /16/04


> I got some Shou Mei white tea from Upton today...and was surprised a bit by
> what it looked like and smelled like. First, I had read that white tea is
> the bud and first leaf, and often covered with a silvery down (hence the
> name). There supposedly isn't any fermentation/oxidation, so the leaves
> should have a greenish hue, not a brownish one.
>
> This tea I got smelled strongly of a black tea (not altogether unpleasant,
> but not what I was expecting), had mostly brownish/reddish leaves, and a
> very few smallish green leaves. The down-covered buds must be really
> hidden...
>
> There were other grades on Upton's site as well...but they looked
> completely different. The flowery white pekoe tips and white paklum tips,
> and white snow buds, look more like the type of tea I've read about. I can
> imagine they taste quite a bit different from the Shou Mei I have too.
>
> Anyone have any feedback? I'm probably going to send it back, and request
> one of the others (higher price, but what's the point of drinking tea you
> don't like)?
>
> Jason