Quick verdict: Perfume and Silver Needle-like sweetness broaden into sweet grass, hay and flowers, with more body and a coating across the palate. The profile holds through the middle infusions; body returns in infusion 8 before flavour softens in infusion 9.
Fuding benchmark · Part 2 of 4. Previous: Silver Needle · Series index and brewing comparison. Next: Gong Mei, review to come.
Tea & Brewing Parameters
| Tea | Bai Mu Dan 白牡丹 · White Peony |
| Brand / set | Mei Bo Zhen 梅伯珍 · Fuding White Tea |
| Harvest year / batch | Not recorded in this session |
| Water | Volvic Natural Mineral Water |
| Teaware | 130 ml Mutton Fat Jade porcelain gaiwan |
| Leaf | 4.7 g |
| Temperature | 90°C for infusions 1–8; 95°C for infusion 9 |
| Infusions | 9 |
| Steeping sequence | 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 70, 90 and 120 seconds |
The session followed the brewing sequence set out in the running tasting log. The intended benchmark dose was 5 g; the actual weighed dose was 4.7 g. No separate rinse observation was recorded.
Fuding White Tea Benchmark · Part 2 of 4 · Mei Bo Zhen 梅伯珍
This Bai Mu Dan began in familiar territory: perfume-like fragrance, silvery buds and an opening that reminded me of Silver Needle. Then its body grew, the palate coating deepened, and sweet grass, hay and flowers came into focus. The image that stayed with me was simple—a wildflower garden, stirred by a soft, fragrant breeze.
This is the second tasting in my four-tea Mei Bo Zhen Fuding white-tea benchmark set, following Bai Hao Yin Zhen, with Gong Mei and Shou Mei still to come. The comparisons below refer to my experience of these samples, rather than a rule for every tea bearing those names.
The hero image is an AI-generated illustration inspired by my tasting imagery. The six photographs within the review document the actual tea and session.
Dry Leaf
Perfume-like scent. The leaves looked as though they had been mixed with Silver Needles: numerous silvery, down-covered buds among green-grey leaves. That bud-rich appearance was my first connection with the preceding benchmark tea.
Warm Gaiwan
Lid: Faint perfume.
Cup: Stronger perfume, with the sweetness of Silver Needles.
Infusions
Infusion 1 — A Familiar Opening
90°C · 10 seconds
After the first pour, the lid was grassy and sweet; the cup carried the same character much more strongly. Pale yellow liquor. An opening like Silver Needle, but with a little more body. Other than that, nothing further yet for this first infusion.
Infusion 2 — The White-Tea Character Emerges
90°C · 15 seconds
Distinct white-tea taste emerges. The sweetness, mild “astringency,” followed by a smooth swallow and light tongue coating. There was a small gripping sensation, but the swallow remained smooth.
Infusion 3 — The Garden Appears
90°C · 20 seconds
More body now, compared to the delicate Silver Needles. Sweet grass, hay and flowers are more distinct. Coats the palate now.
Imagery: I just see a simple garden filled with grass, wildflowers of different colours scattered around it. There is also long wheat or barley in patches, painting a relaxing scenery.
Infusion 4 — A Soft Wind
90°C · 30 seconds
More body, more flowery than fruity. Flowery and grassy.
Imagery: A soft wind blows and sways the garden. The air is filled with fragrant notes of flowers and grass.
Infusion 5 — Enjoying the Breeze
90°C · 40 seconds
Taste stabilises. The floral-grassy character holds.
Imagery: I continue to enjoy the soft, fragrant breeze brushing against my face.
Infusion 6 — Holding Steady
90°C · 50 seconds
Same. The profile remains steady. My final note for this infusion corrected the earlier impression of it being a little blander.
Infusion 7 — The Garden Remains
90°C · 70 seconds
Same. No new change noted in the flavour or imagery.
Infusion 8 — The Breeze Returns
90°C · 90 seconds
Colour darkens. Body revitalised.
Imagery: The breeze stopped for a brief moment, then came back.
Infusion 9 — One Last Breath
95°C · 2 minutes
The colour is there, but the taste fades a little.
Imagery: I take in another breath of the wind, then go on my way.
Spent Leaves
They smell like the beginning, just much blander. The leaves are supple. The opened material shows buds, young leaves and stems, with olive-green and tan colouring—a final look at the material behind this garden-like session.
Tasting Scorecard — Descriptive Assessment
No numerical ratings were assigned during this session. This scorecard records the observed qualities without inventing an overall score.
| Attribute | Session notes |
|---|---|
| Dry leaf aroma | Perfume-like fragrance. |
| Warm gaiwan aroma | Faint perfume on the lid; stronger perfume and Silver Needle-like sweetness in the cup. |
| Wet / spent leaf aroma | A much blander echo of the beginning. |
| Floral | Distinct flowers from infusion 3; more floral than fruity by infusion 4. |
| Grass / hay | Sweet grass and hay form a central part of the garden character. |
| Fruit | No specific fruit note recorded; floral character was more prominent. |
| Sweetness | Silver Needle-like at the opening, developing into sweet grass, hay and flowers. |
| Astringency | Mild grip in infusion 2, followed by a smooth swallow. |
| Bitterness | Not specifically assessed in the tasting notes. |
| Body / texture | Fuller than the Silver Needle sample; tongue coating expands to palate coating. Body revives in infusion 8. |
| Longevity | Nine infusions; a steady middle phase, renewed body at infusion 8, slight flavour fading at infusion 9. |
| Defining imagery | A wildflower garden stirred by a soft, fragrant breeze. |
Closing Reflection
What distinguished this Bai Mu Dan from the Silver Needle I had tasted was not a dramatic change of direction, but a broadening of the experience. The familiar opening gained body, a light grip and more noticeable palate coating. Sweet grass, hay and flowers became its own expression.
The middle infusions offered consistency rather than constant transformation. Then the eighth brought the body back into focus, like the breeze returning to the garden. By the ninth, the colour remained while the flavour softened: one last breath of the wind before going on my way.
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