2024 First Harvest White Peony Tea with Charcoal Roasting

2024 First Harvest White Peony Tea with Charcoal Roasting

This White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) was picked in the 2024 spring harvest – one bud with one or two tender leaves – and finished over fruit-wood charcoal. Now that the 2024 batch has had a year of rest, the roast has settled into the leaf: the floral character and the charcoal warmth have fused into a rounder, more composed cup than the tea showed when it first left the roaster.

A Year of Settling Makes the Difference

Freshly roasted white tea can be a little assertive – the charcoal note sits apart from the floral top notes. The 2024 batch has had twelve months to integrate. The roast depth is now folded into the body, so the tea drinks smooth and even from the first infusion, without the youthful edges of a just-roasted leaf.

This resting period is a deliberate part of the process, not an afterthought. When the tea first leaves the roaster, the heat can keep the roast flavor sitting on the surface, separate from the bud's floral character; over the year the two layers gradually merge, and the tea develops the calm, even finish that is hard to achieve with a fresh roast. Drinkers used to just-roasted tea notice the difference immediately in the smoothness of the first cup.

Raw Material and Craft

• One bud, one or two leaves – the classic White Peony pluck, more affordable than single-bud Silver Needle while keeping the floral freshness of the bud.
• Fruit-wood charcoal roast – slow, low-heat roasting that adds warmth without masking the leaf's natural character.
• 2024 batch, rested – a year of rest has harmonised the roasted and floral layers.

The presence of the leaves alongside the bud matters here: the leaves give the tea a fuller body and a slightly deeper sweetness than a single-bud tea, which is exactly what lets it carry the roast without turning heavy. During the roast, the tea maker keeps the heat low and turns the leaf regularly, so the charcoal character penetrates evenly and the floral top notes are left intact.

Tasting Notes

• Dry leaf: downy scent with a settled, faint smoky note.
• Liquor: clear amber.
• Taste: floral opening, then a smooth, rounded body where the roast has fully merged.
• Aftertaste: sweet and warm, lingering.

In the cup, the floral note arrives first and stays clean rather than being buried, while the body underneath is smooth and rounded, with the roast present as warmth rather than smoke. The sweetness builds gently as the cup cools, and the finish lingers on the tongue with a soft, honeyed warmth. Across several infusions the tea keeps its composure: the first cups are the most floral, the middle ones the fullest, and the later ones soften into a quiet, sweet warmth that is easy to keep drinking.

Brewing Guide

In a gaiwan, use about 3 g of leaf per 100 ml at 90–95°C, steeping the first round for 10–15 seconds and lengthening each subsequent round by a few seconds. In a thermos or covered cup, use about 2 g per 300 ml with a 3–4 minute steep, topping up with hot water as you go. The rested, roasted leaf is forgiving of a slightly higher temperature than an unroasted White Peony, but a hard rolling boil will still flatten the floral notes. The tea drinks well both as a quick thermos cup and as a multi-round gaiwan session.

Who It Suits

This is the version to choose if you prefer a roasted White Peony that is already calm and integrated – drink it now, or hold it for another year or two and the honeyed depth will keep building. It is equally suited to daily drinking and to gifting: the rested roast gives it a composed character that needs no explanation, and because it is a 2024 batch the stock is fixed. Store it sealed, away from light, heat, and strong odors, to protect the integration it has already achieved. Available in 30 g, 250 g, and 500 g.