Bai Mu Dan vs Jasmine Silver Needle

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.

Jasmine Silver Needle

Jasmine Silver Needle takes delicate Fujian Silver Needle buds and scents them with fresh jasmine blossoms over repeated cycles. The result is intensely aromatic: the tea's soft honey-melon base wrapped in heady fresh jasmine. The cup is silky and lightly sweet with a clean floral finish and very little astringency. Quality versions let the tea show through the perfume rather than drowning it.

Bai Mu Dan

Water temperature

85–90°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

2–3 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Jasmine Silver Needle

Water temperature

80–85°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.

Jasmine Silver Needle

Medium caffeine — roughly 30–50 mg per brewed serving

A moderate, steady lift without an intense spike.

Bai Mu Dan

China · Fujian

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

Jasmine Silver Needle

China · Fujian

Fine jasmine-scented teas are traditionally made in Fujian, using spring Silver Needle buds.