Still largely considered an insider tip, white tea from the Zheng He region of Fujian province has enjoyed an excellent reputation amongst locals and connoisseurs for some time. Due to the excellent quality, many consider Zheng He white teas to be on a par with those from neighbouring Fuding – the much sought-after origin terroir of white tea.
Fringed by mountains and flowing rivers, far away from large cities, Zheng He offers optimal conditions for producing first-class tea. The altitude varies between 800m to 1000m, making it slightly higher than Fuding, resulting in slightly less sunlight and more rain, which means the tea plants grow a little slower while absorbing more minerals from the fertile soil. The tea plants are therefore very rich in nutrients and develop a particularly intense flavour.
The tea farm itself is sheltered from the wind by the regional Wuyi Mountains and is not far Sonxi: a town that boasts more than a millennium of tea history. No pesticides are used to cultivate the plants and local cows are regularly led into the fields to loosen and enrich the soil.
The tea is made from first harvest leaves and buds hand-plucked between late March and early April. Due to the unpredictable weather, these are then carefully withered alternately indoors and outdoors on bamboo troughs in a process known as mixed withering or fushi weidiao (複式萎凋). This takes place over several days until the tea has reached the desired level of maturity. Finally, any remaining moisture is removed through gentle oven drying.
