White Tea · FFET10390
Fuding white tea
White tea from Fuding, Fujian, made through withering and drying without pan-frying or rolling.
Tea made by withering and drying only, with no pan-frying or rolling.
Fuding white tea is produced in Fuding, Fujian, in forms including Silver Needle, White Peony, Gong Mei and Shou Mei. Processing includes withering, piling, drying and sorting, without pan-frying or rolling. The craft of making Fuding white tea entered the third batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011.
What
Fuding white tea is white tea produced in Fuding, Fujian. Its forms include Silver Needle, White Peony, Gong Mei and Shou Mei.1
When
The craft profile traces the beginning of white tea making in Fuding to 1875, but this is a retrospective account. A passage quoted in the Tea Classic mentions a white tea mountain east of Yongjia without naming Fuding. Identifying that mountain with Taimu Mountain is also a later interpretation and does not establish when Fuding white tea began.1,2
Where
Fuding lies in northeastern Fujian on the Zhejiang border and is part of Ningde.1
How
Fresh leaves undergo withering, piling, drying and sorting. They are neither pan-fried nor rolled, and drying uses gentle heat.1
Why
Withering and drying, without pan-frying or rolling, characterize its processing. Silver Needle is made solely from downy tea buds.1,3
Impact and influence
The craft of making Fuding white tea entered the third batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011. Fuding white tea also appears in a 2019 notice authorizing producers to use the special geographical indication mark.1,4