2019 Fuding Golden Orchard Aged Shou Mei
Size
Tea Profile
| Tea Type | Aged Shou Mei White Tea |
|---|---|
| Cultivar | Fuding Da Bai (福鼎大白茶) and Fuding Da Hao (福鼎大毫茶) |
| Origin | Ningde, Fuding, Fujian |
| Production Date | 2019 |
| Form | Shou Mei loose leaf |
| Character | Orchard fruit, wildflower honey and sweet woods, with a full, syrupy body and a lingering herbal-mineral finish |
Origin and Character
This 2019 Shou Mei white tea comes from Fuding in Fujian, China, and combines Fuding Da Bai and Fuding Da Hao cultivars.
Golden Orchard takes its name from the tea's fruit-led character in our nine-infusion tasting. Red apple and honey open the session, followed by clean, woody notes, poached pears and apples, and a mild white-wine impression. The third infusion brings apple crumble, Bircher muesli, tree fruit and a sweet tang, rounded by wildflower honey sweetness.
Through the middle infusions, the character deepens towards sweet woods and apple skins. The tang becomes more pronounced as the sweetness and body build. Later, medicinal and herbal notes emerge alongside varnished woods, antique furniture and aged, cooked jujube and apple. The final infusions move towards mineral sweetness and river-stream stones, while traces of apple skin and a slight peppery sensation remain.
Aroma and Flavour
| Aroma | Dark honey and a slightly creamy impression on the gaiwan lid during the sixth infusion. |
|---|---|
| Flavour | Red apple, honey, poached pear and apple, a mild white-wine note, apple crumble, Bircher muesli and wildflower honey; deepening into sweet and varnished woods, cooked jujube, herbal and medicinal notes, and river-stone minerality. |
| Mouthfeel | Increasingly full and thick through the middle infusions; slightly syrupy and soothing in the throat as the sixth infusion cools. |
| Finish | A slight peppery sensation in the throat during the sixth and eighth infusions, giving way to a very sweet, herbal, medicinal and mineral final cup. |
✦ The Astraluna Perspective ✦
What stood out to me was how clearly the orchard-fruit character developed across the session. I began without a rinse, and the first infusion gave me red apple and honey. The second felt clean, woody and fruity, with poached pears and apples and a mild white-wine note. By the third, I was finding apple crumble, Bircher muesli and tree fruit, with a sweet tang and wildflower honey sweetness.
The fourth infusion carried those same impressions into a darker register, with more sweet woods and apple skins. In the fifth, the tang grew heavier, the sweetness increased and the body became thicker. The sixth deepened that texture again. The gaiwan lid smelled of dark honey with a slightly creamy edge, while the cup brought more medicinal flavours, varnished woods and a slight peppery aftertaste in the throat. As it cooled, it became a little syrupy and soothing.
By the seventh infusion, the thick body was carrying antique furniture, aged cooked jujube and apple, with minerality beginning to show. The eighth was lighter in flavour but still mineral-sweet, with a little apple skin, a slight peppery throat sensation and a distinctive note of the charred edges of Indian naan bread.
I extended the ninth infusion to five minutes. It was very sweet, herbal and medicinal, with the mineral character of stones in a river stream. For me, the progression from orchard fruit and honey to sweet woods and river-stone minerality is what gives this tea its character.
Brewing Notes
| Method | Leaf | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gong Fu | 5 g per 100 ml | 100°C | 10 sec, then gradually extend |
| Western | 3 g per 250 ml | 100°C | Approximately 3 min |
For Gong Fu brewing, begin without a rinse, using short infusions and extending gradually as the compressed leaf opens. Our tasting reached nine infusions, using 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 35 sec, 50 sec, 90 sec, 2 min 30 sec and 5 min. Orchard fruit and honey deepen into sweet woods and a fuller body, followed by herbal sweetness and river-stone minerality.
For Western brewing, use a roomy infuser or a covered teapot and strain completely after approximately 3 minutes. Reinfuse for 4 minutes, then 5–6 minutes to taste. Allow the cup to cool slightly to explore its sweetness and texture; a syrupy quality was especially noticeable as the sixth Gong Fu infusion cooled.
Storage
Store in a clean, dry and odour-free environment away from direct sunlight, excess humidity and strong surrounding aromas. Keep the tea protected from spices, coffee, incense and fragranced products to preserve its character.