2014 Sun-Dried Shou Mei Fuding 100g Waffle Cake

"2014 Sun-Dried Shou Mei — Fuding Guanyang · 100g Waffle Cake"

This is a 2014 late-spring Shou Mei from Xitou village, Guanyang Town — one of the higher-elevation growing areas in Fuding. The material is a blend of Fuding Dabai and Fuding Dahao cultivars, withered outdoors under direct sun. After roughly two years of loose-leaf aging, it was pressed into this waffle cake in February 2016.

Shou Mei is the broadest-leaf grade of Fuding white tea, harvested later in the spring than White Peony. The leaves are larger, more fully developed, and the material includes more stems than a finer grade would. That's not a compromise — it's the nature of the grade, and it has a direct effect on what ends up in the cup. The thick leaf and stem carry a higher proportion of natural sugars, and over a decade of aging those sugars translate into a notably sweet, full-bodied cup. Shou Mei also tends to be more durable than finer grades: the heavier leaf holds up across more steeps, which is why this tea runs to 12 or more rounds in a gongfu session. The price reflects the grade honestly.

Ten-plus years of aging from a sun-dried base has brought this tea well into mature territory. The liquor pours a deep reddish amber, sometimes tipping toward red-brown. The dominant notes are dried date and the warm medicinal depth that comes with properly aged white tea — what the Chinese call 药香 — with a sweetness that carries clean through to the finish. There's nothing raw or sharp left. It's settled and mellow and ready to drink now.

The waffle format is practical. Each 100g cake is scored into 18 equal sections of around 5.5g each — one section, one gongfu session. Break it off by hand, brew it, done. No tools, no measuring, no loose leaf to deal with.

The tea meets Chinese national food safety standards (GB). There is no organic certification.

At a Glance

Brewing

Boiling water (100 °C) is the right choice here. Shou Mei's thick leaf and stem structure is built for it — the heat opens up the leaf fully and brings out both the sweetness and the depth. Lower temperatures will leave something on the table.

Gongfu (recommended): Break off one section (~5.5g) by hand and brew in a gaiwan or small teapot (around 110ml). A quick rinse with boiling water before the first steep helps loosen the compressed leaf. First steep 20–30 seconds, extend by 10–15 seconds each round. Expect 12 or more rounds — Shou Mei's heavier leaf holds up longer than finer grades.

Grandpa / long steep: Half a section in a mug or thermos with boiling water. Drink as it steeps, refill when the cup is about a third full. The maturity and natural sweetness of this tea make it forgiving — no bitterness, no sharp edges even with extended steeping.

Western / pot: One section per 300–400ml, boiling water, 3–4 minutes. The dark, full-bodied liquor comes through clearly this way.

Available Sizes

Single Cake (100g) — 18 gongfu sessions. A practical way to try it before committing to more.

Tin Box — 5 Cakes (500g) — stores well in the tin. A reasonable choice if you drink daily or want a presentable option for giving.

Bundle — 10 Cakes (1kg) — wrapped in hemp rope. The most economical option. Store in a dry, odor-free space at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.

On value: This is daily drinking tea. The grade is honest, the aging is real, and the price reflects both. Shou Mei at this age gives you more steeps per session than a finer grade would, which makes it practical as well as enjoyable.

If you're comparing across the range: We also carry a 2014 White Peony waffle cake from the same harvest, same producer, same format. The White Peony uses a finer grade of leaf with a slightly more delicate character; this Shou Mei is fuller-bodied, yields more steeps, and sits at a similar price point. Neither is objectively better — they're different expressions of the same year and origin.