Shou Mei tea (寿眉, Shòu Méi) is a kind of Chinese white tea and is native to the Fuding City, Fujian Province. Besides, there is another white tea called Gong Mei tea, which is an upgrade version of Shou Mei tea.
Shou means “longevity” and Mei means “eyebrow”, so Shou Mei tea is also called Longevity Eyebrow. Gong means “tribute”, so Gong Mei tea is also called Tribute Eyebrow.
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Characteristics Shou Mei Tea
Shou Mei tea is made from one bud with three leaves or with four leaves. Bai Mu Dan is made from one bud with one leaf or with two leaves. Bai Hao Yin Zhen is made from 100% of buds. Bud is more tender and precious than the leaf, so the price and quality of Shou Mei tea are lower than that of Bai Hao Yin Zhen and Bai Mu Dan.
The appearance of Shou Mei tea is not good, like a pile of dried leaves, which has no special characteristics and is unremarkable. In this age of looking at the face, Shou Mei tea’s ugly appearance does not take advantage. But after you drink it, you will find Shou Mei tea’s characteristics are low-key and introverted.
Shou Mei tea looks like the eyebrows of the Longevity Star, who is the God of longevity in ancient Chinese mythology.
After brewing, the tea liquid of Shou Mei tea is bright and orange-yellow. It tastes mellow, strong, and smooth. The fragrance of it is similar to the herbal fragrance and the aged Shou Mei tea smells like jujube’s fragrance. Shou Mei tea is like the aged wine. The older it is, the more fragrant it is.
Besides, the total yield of Shou Mei tea is the largest, accounting for more than half of the total yield of all white tea. In spring, half of the time is spent producing Shou Mei tea. In autumn, Shou Mei tea is produced throughout this season.
Due to its affordable price and high yield, even though the quality of the Shou Mei is not the best, its sales are the best.
Benefits of Shou Mei Tea
Shou Mei tea is rich in amino acids, tea polyphenols, vitamins, and trace elements needed by the human body.
Benefits of Shou Mei tea:
- Detox
- Refresh
- Diuretic
- Clear heat
- Anti-aging
- Anti-cancer
- Antibacterial
- Improve eyesight
- Anti-inflammatory
Gong Mei Tea
Gong Mei tea is made from one bud with two leaves or with three leaves. Its quality and price are higher than that of Shou Mei tea and are between Bai Mu Dan and Shou Mei tea. So we can consider that Gong Mei tea is an upgrade version of Shou Mei tea.
According to a legend, during the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), the high-quality Shou Mei tea was purchased by the royal family. The things purchased by the royal family are called Gong Pin (Tribute), so the high-quality Shou Mei tea is called Gong Mei (Tribute Eyebrow).
The picking time of Gong Mei tea is earlier than that of Shou Mei tea, so Gong Mei tea leaves are more tender than that of Shou Mei tea. The color of the tea liquid of Gong Mei tea is brighter than that of Shou Mei tea.
In recent years, because the difference between Gong Mei tea and Shou Mei tea is getting smaller and smaller, the local people mostly like to call this tea Shou Mei, rarely Gong Mei. In their view, the small difference between Shoumei and Gongmei is not so important.