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Harvest
First and second flush
In early spring, the bud and first leaves of the tea plant are hand-plucked while still tender. If chewed raw, the young leaves have a clean and lightly bitter taste with a sweet finish, and almost immediately creates a refreshing moisture in the throat. The White Peony King gets its name from the slightly floral fragrance that comes from the tea plants themselves during the early spring harvest.
Processing
The tea is sun-dried on a bamboo rack for one or two days. As the buds and top leaves begin to silver, the tea is gently rotated to ensure consistency. Since the day-to-day weather changes during the harvest can effect the tea’s condition, harvested batches are dried separately and combined later based on their individual qualities.
The White Peony King is finished over fir and fruit tree charcoal at a low temperature. This slow process maintains the integrity of the young leaves, while the nearly odorless flames from the sweet wood impart a clean aroma.
Shang Tea is the one of the few producers left in the region that still uses a traditional charcoal oven to cure teas. Most farmers have switched to electric-powered processing factories to save time and money, though many will finish small batches over charcoal for their own personal collections. For Shang Tea, the clean taste of the tea and the sustainable management of the land are worth the extra time and expense.
