Mu Dan Wang - Penoy King - 牡丹王 (2013）
Tea Profile
Category: Zhenghe White Tea · Peony King (Top Grade White Peony)
Type: White Tea (Bai Cha 白茶)
Location: Jinping Village (锦屏村), Zhenghe County, Fujian Province — Core High Mountain Production Area
Altitude: High mountain origin
Harvest Year: Spring 2013
Cultivar: Zhenghe Da Bai Hao 政和大白毫
Age: 15 years of natural aging
Storage: First-hand storage in a dry, clean environment
The Story of This Tea
Peony King, or Mu Dan Wang, represents the highest grade within the White Peony category. Made from one bud and one tender leaf, its picking standard approaches that of Bai Hao Yin Zhen, with abundant downy buds and small, delicate leaves. The result is a tea that combines the freshness of Silver Needle with the floral fragrance and smooth sweetness of Bai Mu Dan.
This 2012 Peony King was produced in Jinping Village, Zhenghe County, one of the core high-mountain origins for Fujian white tea. Crafted from the Da Bai Hao cultivar, it has naturally aged for fifteen years under clean, dry storage. Over time, its colour has transformed from silvery green to deep golden-brown, with the fine white hairs turning amber-gold. The leaves remain intact, showing the integrity and care of the original processing.
During the first few years, its youthful floral aroma gradually softened into honeyed sweetness and subtle fruitiness reminiscent of dried plum. After five years, more complex notes of aged wood, tangerine peel, and jujube emerged. Now, at fifteen years, this Peony King is rich, thick, and deeply mellow. The tea liquor flows like honey water — smooth, sweet, and warming, with a long, soothing aftertaste and the distinctive aged charm known as chen yun (陈韵).