Tea: Wild Fu'an Dabai Broom Tea (荒野福安大白- 把把茶)
Tea Type: White
Location: Fujian, Zhenghe County
Producer: Shenghuan Factory
Harvest: June 2025
Tasting Notes: Cucumber, Cream, Fig, Red Dates, Nutmeg
While not as milky as other picks, this tea provides a rollercoaster of flavors that is not always present in white teas. 6-8 grams of this tea in your favorite ~100-120ml Gaiwan is what you need to get on this ride. Creamy and vegetal notes are dominant in the earlier infusions, before being taken over by fruitier notes closer to figs or red dates, while a more mineral, nutmeg like flavor radiates in the background. This is a tea you can and should brew harder and push further than you may usually do with white tea.
This tea's unique shape is a creative utilization of some of the Fu'an Dabai cultivar bushes that have become semi-wild due to less demand for white tea. We will post a video to show you how to enjoy it at home.
Some 910 years ago, what is now Zhenghe County got its current name (政和 "Rule Peaceful") got its name thanks to the bud tea they sent to the Song Imperial Court that year - Year Zhenghe (1115) of Emperor Huizong. Whether or not that tribute bud tea is what we now know as 'Silver Needles" is a matter of debate, but the white tea of this region today is undebatably underrated. Directly inland from Fuding, and at a higher elevation than Fuding, the tea of this region matures later in the season, and sells cheaper, usually mislabeled as Fuding white tea. When processed right, however, tea from this region can offer creamy and fruity flavors that go beyond what is prized in Fuding white tea. It is worth a try.
