This aged Shou Mei was produced eight years ago and then sealed for aging. At the invitation of a friend, it was entered into the "World Kung Fu Tea Competition 世界功夫茶大赛” and unexpectedly won a gold award. Therefore, we call it "Gold Award Shou Mei 金奖寿眉.” Aging and freshness are not opposites but are interconnected, with happy flavors stored over time, day by day. This is a very sweet aged white tea that can be either boiled or steeped. Please enjoy this cup full of happiness. Where does the "Gold Award" come from? The three essential elements of good tea that cannot be ignored are: raw materials, craftsmanship, and storage. This tea comes from high-mountain trees, old tea trees, and a superior geographical environment.
The tea garden for "Gold Award Shou Mei" is located in Xikun Village, Guanyang Town 管阳镇, Fuding, at an altitude of around 700 meters. It is shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, with fertile soil rich in organic matter. This "Gold Award Shou Mei" exhibits distinct characteristics of Guanyang high-mountain tea: a prominent aroma and a very sweet, mellow taste! The raw materials are all harvested from Fuding Da Hao (Big Hairy) old trees nearly 20 years old. After dry storage, the downy aroma and plum fragrance are evident. The tea infusion is sweet, mellow, and smooth, with a rich and high-flying aroma, and it is remarkably durable through many steepings.
The pure sun-drying process has always been my fundamental criterion for selecting Fuding white tea. The energy transformation from nature is truly marvelous. Taking advantage of good weather, the leaves are spread out on long bamboo platters, arranged in rows, and sun-dried in the courtyard. After drying, they are not pressed into cakes but are immediately packed into aluminum foil bags and then sealed in food-grade airtight bags. In this way, the aroma of spring sunshine, various floral and fruity notes, and the fragrance of fresh tea polyphenols and amino acids are all sealed in. They are then allowed to slowly and meticulously transform into aged tea in a purely dry warehouse.
The dry tea leaves are earthy yellow and greyish-green with brown hues, and the tea hairs are distinct. The dry aroma is rich, with an aged character, carrying notes of plum and zongzi (glutinous rice dumpling) fragrance. The brewed tea is a bright orange-yellow, with tea hairs floating and settling. The downy aroma and plum fragrance are pronounced. The tea infusion is mellow and full-bodied, with a strong colloidal texture upon entry and a swift, intense returning sweetness (回甘, huigan). The infusion is soft, with notes of jujube and grain appearing in the brew. The sweetness is noticeable, and the returning sweetness is long-lasting. It is very durable through multiple infusions, capable of being steeped more than ten times.
