2026 Yao Qing Style Yunnan White Peony | Ming Qian Yao Qing Bai Mu Dan - Option: 500 g

This Yunnan White Peony – Bai Mudan 白牡丹 represents an unusual meeting of two traditional Chinese approaches to tea processing. It is based on Yunnan large-leaf tea material and the principles of white tea production, while the withering stage incorporates 摇青 Yáo Qīng, a technique of gently shaking and tossing the leaves best known from oolong processing. The result is a white tea with a more expressive aroma, deeper fruitiness and a remarkably varied appearance of the dry leaves.

White Peony is characterized by the harvesting of young shoots in which a downy bud is accompanied by young leaves. It is precisely this greater proportion of leaf that distinguishes it from the purely bud-based Baihao Yinzhen 白毫银针 – Silver Needle, giving the tea a fuller body and broader flavour spectrum. In Yunnan, this style acquires an even more distinctive character thanks to the local large-leaf tea plants – bringing greater sweetness, ripe-fruit notes and depth without losing the softness typical of white tea.

Yao Qing Style Processing

Classical white tea production is based primarily on withering followed by drying, with the leaves handled as gently as possible during the withering stage. In this tea, however, the process incorporates the technique known as 摇青 Yáo Qīng, literally “shaking the green”.

Partially withered leaves are gently shaken or tossed during withering and then allowed to rest again. The movement causes subtle mechanical stress to the surface and edges of the leaves, encouraging localized enzymatic oxidation. Each intervention is followed by a period of rest during which the leaves continue their slow transformation. The tea maker thus works with a rhythm of movement and stillness, somewhat reminiscent of traditional oolong processing, but with a considerably gentler intervention and within the framework of white tea production.

Yao Qing is not the same as rolling, 揉捻 róuniǎn. The aim is not to crush the leaves, squeeze out their juices or shape them, but rather to gently influence the natural course of withering. Once this stage is complete, the tea is not heat-fixed as an oolong would be, but continues towards the drying process characteristic of white tea.

For this reason, we regard it not as an oolong, but as a white tea processed using a technique borrowed from the oolong tradition.

Leaves That Reveal Their Processing

One of the most striking features of this tea is the appearance of its dry leaves. Alongside silvery buds and green or olive-coloured areas, there are coppery, reddish-brown and very dark sections. Some leaves may even appear almost black on one side while remaining noticeably lighter on the other.

This is not necessarily a sign of excessive roasting or a defect. It is one of the consequences of the uneven, locally intensified oxidation encouraged by Yao Qing. Different parts of the leaf experience different levels of pressure and mechanical stress during shaking and therefore do not transform at the same rate during the subsequent resting period.

A single shoot can thus display an entire spectrum of colours, from silver and green through olive and copper to dark brown. The dry leaf becomes almost a record of its own processing.

Character of the Infusion

Yao Qing has a particularly important influence on the tea's aromatic character. While traditionally processed White Peony tends to be delicate, fresh, lightly herbal and floral, controlled shaking during withering moves the profile towards more pronounced floral and fruity notes.

In the infusion, the natural sweetness of Yunnan large-leaf tea combines with honeyed notes, ripe fruit and floral fragrance, at times reminiscent of lightly oxidized oolongs. Green and herbal tones recede into the background, while the tea becomes rounder, deeper and more aromatic than a conventionally processed Yunnan White Peony.

Despite the more pronounced oxidative transformation, it retains the characteristic softness of white tea. It is precisely the contrast between the gentle structure of white tea and the rich aromatic expression inspired by oolong processing that makes this tea particularly intriguing.

Preparation

Gongfu Cha

For a fuller expression of its aroma, we recommend preparing the tea in a gaiwan or a small teapot.

5–6 g tea / 100–120 ml water
Water temperature: 90–95 °C

Steep the first infusion for approximately 15–20 seconds, gradually increasing the brewing time for subsequent infusions according to taste. The tea is well suited to repeated infusions, and its character evolves from cup to cup – from fresher floral notes through ripe fruit and honey to softer, sweet final infusions.

Due to the large and light leaves, we recommend measuring the tea by weight rather than volume.

Western Style

3–4 g tea / 250 ml water
Water temperature: 90–95 °C
Steeping time: approximately 3–4 minutes

A longer infusion emphasizes body, fruitiness and honeyed notes, while a shorter steeping time brings the floral fragrance and more delicate side of the tea to the foreground.

Yao Qing Style White Peony is a beautiful example of how different traditions of Chinese tea craftsmanship can meet. Bai Mudan 白牡丹 provides the foundation of white tea, Yunnan large-leaf material brings strength and sweetness, while 摇青 Yáo Qīng adds movement – a gentle intervention that opens another layer of aroma and flavour during the long withering process.