Bai Mu Dan vs Gong Mei

Bai Mu Dan

Bai Mu Dan is a white tea made from buds and the top two leaves, withered and dried with minimal handling. The cup is soft and mellow with gentle honey sweetness, mild floral notes, and a faint autumn-leaf earthiness. It is forgiving to brew and more affordable than Silver Needle, making it a common entry point into white tea.

Gong Mei

Gong Mei sits between Bai Mu Dan and Shou Mei, made from larger leaves with fewer buds than White Peony. The cup is mellow and slightly earthy with a soft hay-and-honey sweetness and a light floral edge. It brews a rounder, sweeter infusion than Shou Mei and handles repeated steeps gracefully. Traditionally tied to the Shou Mei cultivar, it remains a gentle, approachable white tea for everyday drinking.

Bai Mu Dan

Water temperature

85–90°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

2–3 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Gong Mei

Water temperature

85–90°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

2–3 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Bai Mu Dan

Low caffeine — roughly 25–45 mg per brewed serving

A gentle lift that rarely interferes with rest.

Gong Mei

Low caffeine — roughly 20–40 mg per brewed serving

A gentle lift that rarely interferes with rest.

Bai Mu Dan

China · Fujian

Fujian's Fuding and Zhenghe counties are the classic homes of white tea.

Gong Mei

China · Fujian

Gong Mei is made in Fujian, mainly in the Fuding and Zhenghe white tea producing areas.