Fuding White Tea refers to white tea produced in Fuding City, Fujian Province. Fuding is one of the birthplaces of Chinese white tea and remains the region producing the highest quality today. The primary tea tree variety used for Fuding White Tea is the Fuding Dabai tea tree, which is characterized by prominent downy hairs. The resulting white tea is visually appealing and delicious, and it commands the highest prices on the market.
Fuding White Tea, Top-Grade Chinese White Tea
Fuding City is the birthplace of white tea, as well as the area with the highest yield and quality today. It has a long history of tea cultivation, with trade ports established for exporting white tea as early as the Kangxi Emperor’s reign in the Qing Dynasty. The Baihao Yinzhen produced in Fuding back then was regarded as a world-class tea. Due to the popularity of the tea, production areas continued to expand, and white tea is now also produced in the Zhenghe and Songxi regions.
The local area primarily cultivates the Fuding Dabai tea variety, along with a small amount of varieties like Shuixian. The Fuding Dabai is a small tree-type variety with thick leaves, dense branches, and abundant downy hairs. It sprouts in March during the spring and stops growing in November. The annual harvesting period lasts up to 8 months, yielding a good harvest. Among them, the first flush of spring tea is of the highest quality and serves as the primary raw material for making Fuding White Tea.
Production Craftsmanship and Pricing of Fuding White Tea
Fuding white tea is made using the same traditional methods as general white teas, graded by the harvest selection: Baihao Yinzhen (Silver Needle, consisting of only tender buds), Baimudan (White Peony, one bud with one to two leaves), Gongmei (Tribute Eyebrow, one bud with three to four leaves), and Shoumei (Longevity Eyebrow, mature leaves). After harvesting, the leaves are spread out for withering. Unlike other teas, withering requires no fixation (kill-green) or rolling; the leaves go straight to gentle heat drying until the moisture content drops to 6% to complete the rough tea. The simple production process preserves the original, pristine flavor of the tea leaves.
Traditionally crafted Fuding white tea features prominent pekoe (white hairs) and a smooth, mellow liquor. Baihao Yinzhen, made exclusively from single buds, requires tens of thousands of buds to produce 500 g, which is why it often commands a premium price. For harvests featuring one bud with one to two leaves—such as the third spring flush or summer and autumn harvests—you can find them locally at much more accessible prices.
How to Brew Fuding White Tea
Spring water or mineral water is ideal. Any type of teaware works well. Water temperature should be around 90°C. The recommended tea-to-water ratio is 1:40 (e.g., use 2.5 g of Fuding white tea for a 100 ml teapot), which can be adjusted to personal taste. Because Fuding white tea is neither rolled nor fixed, the first infusion typically requires a 5-minute steep, adding 1 minute for each subsequent infusion. It can be steeped about 4 to 5 times.