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

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

Jason, I can vouch for Bai Mu Dan being a good starting point. I'd even
go so far as to say the Bai Mu Dan would be better tasting than Silver
Needle for some folks. However, I also think that a sample size of
Silver Needle is something everyone needs to try. It has a very unique
and delicate flavor.

Steve

Michael Plant wrote:
> 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.

An excellent green tea I like just as much is called White Monkey. It
is two leaf and a bud. Just as expensive as any Silver Needles. This
is my favorite green tea because it's taste is more white than green.
All Sow Mee I've seen looks like dried lawn leaf from my maple tree.
I remember packing the pot for any taste at all. You can't complain
about the penny/gram price.

Jim

Steve Hay > wrote in message news:<ebSmd.12867$pP5.1716@trnddc05>...
> Jason, I can vouch for Bai Mu Dan being a good starting point. I'd even
> go so far as to say the Bai Mu Dan would be better tasting than Silver
> Needle for some folks. However, I also think that a sample size of
> Silver Needle is something everyone needs to try. It has a very unique
> and delicate flavor.
>
> Steve
>
> Michael Plant wrote:
> > 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.

An excellent green tea I like just as much is called White Monkey. It
is two leaf and a bud. Just as expensive as any Silver Needles. This
is my favorite green tea because it's taste is more white than green.
All Sow Mee I've seen looks like dried lawn leaf from my maple tree.
I remember packing the pot for any taste at all. You can't complain
about the penny/gram price.

Jim

Steve Hay > wrote in message news:<ebSmd.12867$pP5.1716@trnddc05>...
> Jason, I can vouch for Bai Mu Dan being a good starting point. I'd even
> go so far as to say the Bai Mu Dan would be better tasting than Silver
> Needle for some folks. However, I also think that a sample size of
> Silver Needle is something everyone needs to try. It has a very unique
> and delicate flavor.
>
> Steve
>
> Michael Plant wrote:
> > 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.

Jason in Oakland > writes:

> 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).

Not necessarily. "White tea" refers not to a grade of leaf but to a
processing method.

> There supposedly isn't any fermentation/oxidation, so the leaves
> should have a greenish hue, not a brownish one.

Actually, it's common for white tea to be slightly more oxidized than
green tea, since white tea is dried more slowly.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

The Shou Mei I get from Funalliance (Longevity Eyebrow King) is very
different from what you describe. Mine is almost all bud-and-leaf
sets with a few larger leaves and leaf fragments. Very sweet and baky
in a sort of cinnamon-toast way. This is my only experience with
white tea, but it's a positive one.

Cheers,

Cameron

Jason in Oakland > wrote in message >.. .
> 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

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

The Shou Mei I get from Funalliance (Longevity Eyebrow King) is very
different from what you describe. Mine is almost all bud-and-leaf
sets with a few larger leaves and leaf fragments. Very sweet and baky
in a sort of cinnamon-toast way. This is my only experience with
white tea, but it's a positive one.

Cheers,

Cameron

Jason in Oakland > wrote in message >.. .
> 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

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

Jason in Oakland > writes:

> 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).

Not necessarily. "White tea" refers not to a grade of leaf but to a
processing method.

> There supposedly isn't any fermentation/oxidation, so the leaves
> should have a greenish hue, not a brownish one.

Actually, it's common for white tea to be slightly more oxidized than
green tea, since white tea is dried more slowly.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html