Bai Mudan Wang
The top grade of Bai Mudan, with a much higher proportion of bud to leaf than standard White Peony. It sits between Bai Mudan and Silver Needle in both composition and price, and is often the better value of the three.
Character
More body than Silver Needle and more sweetness than standard Bai Mudan — the middle of the white-tea range and arguably its best value.
- Flavour
- Sweet, Fruity, Floral
- Aroma
- Honeyed, Fresh
- Mouthfeel
- Medium, Silky, Smooth
- Complexity
- Moderate
- Notes
- honey, melon, fresh hay, wildflower
- Aftertaste
- Sweet and clean with real length.
Moderate intensity: noticeable weight or grip, but neither dominates the cup.
Provenance and production
- Origin
- China
- Region
- Fuding
- Cultivar
- Fuding Da Bai
- Oxidation
- Minimally oxidised
- Harvest
- Spring
- Processing
- Withering → Sun-drying (shai qing)
History
The King grade was introduced as producers responded to a market that wanted Silver Needle’s delicacy at Bai Mudan’s price. It is a commercial grading refinement rather than a traditional distinction.
Brewing
Western brewing (teapot or mug)
1.5–2.5 g/100 ml · 83–93 °C · 1 authored infusion
Gongfu brewing (gaiwan)
4–6 g/100 ml · 90–100 °C · 5 authored infusions
No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.
If you like this
Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.
Editorially linked
Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.
- Fuding Silver Needle
Up the grade ladder to buds only. More delicacy, less body, and a considerably higher price for a subtler tea.
- Bai Mudan
Standard and top grades of White Peony, differing in bud proportion. The King grade sits between Bai Mudan and Silver Needle in composition and price.
Similar sensory profile
Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.
- Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle)
Shares 7 descriptors with Bai Mudan Wang: sweet, floral, fruity, silky, smooth, honeyed and fresh.
- Oriental Beauty
Shares 7 descriptors with Bai Mudan Wang: fruity, sweet, floral, silky, smooth, medium and honeyed.
- Anxi Huang Jin Gui
Shares 6 descriptors with Bai Mudan Wang: floral, fruity, sweet, medium, silky and honeyed.
- Bailin Jin Hao
Shares 6 descriptors with Bai Mudan Wang: sweet, fruity, medium, silky, smooth and honeyed.
- Gong Mei
Shares 6 descriptors with Bai Mudan Wang: sweet, floral, fruity, medium, smooth and honeyed.
- Ling Tou Dan Cong
Shares 6 descriptors with Bai Mudan Wang: floral, sweet, fruity, medium, smooth and honeyed.
Journeys featuring this tea
- Exploring white tea — Someone who found white tea thin and suspects they are missing something.
- I want lighter tea — Someone who finds ordinary tea heavy, astringent or too strong.