"2024 Sun-Dried Shou Mei & Chen Pi — Fuding Guanyang · Waffle Cake"
This is the first product in our range that blends two ingredients, and it's a pairing with a long history in Chinese tea culture: white tea and dried tangerine peel, known as Chen Pi (陈皮).
The tea is a 2024 spring Shou Mei from Guanyang Town in Fuding, made from Fuding Dahao cultivar and withered outdoors under direct sun. The Chen Pi is also from 2024, dried and cut into fine strips before being blended with the tea leaf. Both are from the same year — this is a young tea, not an aged one, and it's worth being upfront about that: the character here comes from the process and the pairing, not from years of storage.
Sun-dried Shou Mei already leans toward the fuller, sweeter end of the white tea spectrum. The sun exposure during withering drives a deeper initial oxidation, producing a thick, dark liquor and a warmth that shade-withered teas of the same grade don't quite match. Chen Pi adds another layer on top of that: a dry, citrusy brightness that cuts through the sweetness, a mild bitterness that gives the cup some structure, and a distinctive aroma that lingers after the sip. The two complement each other more than they compete — the tea provides body and sweetness, the peel provides lift and complexity.
The shape is worth a mention. Each 30g piece is pressed into a waffle form — scored into six equal sections, each around 5g. You break off one section by hand for a gongfu session, half a section for a mug or thermos. No tools, no guesswork, no loose tea going everywhere.
The tea meets Chinese national food safety standards (GB). There is no organic certification.
At a Glance
| Tea type |
Shou Mei (寿眉) + Chen Pi blend, compressed |
| Harvest |
Spring 2024 |
| Origin |
Guanyang Town, Fuding, Fujian |
| Cultivar |
Fuding Dahao |
| Process |
Sun-dried withering |
| Net weight |
~30g per cake (±3–5g) |
| Sections |
6 break-apart pieces, ~5g each |
| Liquor |
Deep amber |
| Flavor |
Sweet and full-bodied, with citrus lift from Chen Pi |
| Certification |
China national standard (GB) / food safety |
Brewing
Gongfu (recommended): Break off one section (~5g) by hand and place in a gaiwan or small teapot. Water at 95–100 °C. First steep 20–30 seconds, extend by 10–15 seconds each round. Expect 7–9 rounds. The Chen Pi aroma tends to be most prominent in the first few steeps, then settles into the background as the tea flavor comes forward.
Grandpa / long steep: Half a section in a mug or thermos, 95–100 °C water. Drink as it steeps and refill when the cup is about a third full. The blend holds up well to long contact with water — neither the tea nor the peel turns sharp or bitter.
Western / pot: One section per 300–400ml, 95–100 °C, 3–4 minutes. The citrus note from the Chen Pi comes through clearly in a longer steep, making this a particularly good option for this style.
Packs
Available in 1, 5, 10, and 50 cakes. Each cake covers six full gongfu sessions. The 50-pack is the most economical option and stores well at room temperature in a dry, odor-free space.
New to Chen Pi white tea? The combination is more approachable than it might sound. The peel doesn't dominate — it adds a background citrus note and a gentle complexity that makes the cup more interesting without changing the fundamental character of the tea. If you're already comfortable with Fuding white tea, this is an easy next step.
