Gong Mei vs Shou Mei

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.

Shou Mei

Shou Mei is the humblest of Fujian white teas, made from mature leaves and buds left on the bush longer than Silver Needle or White Peony. The cup is earthy-sweet with notes of autumn leaves, dried grass, and a gentle honey finish. Older leaves brew into a mellow, forgiving infusion that steeps well and improves with age. It is the everyday white tea of Fuding and Zhenghe, and an affordable way to explore how white teas mature.

Gong Mei

Water temperature

85–90°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

2–3 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Shou Mei

Water temperature

85–90°C

Leaf to water

3g / 250ml

Steep time

2–3 min

Re-steep

2–3 times

Gong Mei

Low caffeine — roughly 20–40 mg per brewed serving

A gentle lift that rarely interferes with rest.

Shou Mei

Low caffeine — roughly 20–40 mg per brewed serving

A gentle lift that rarely interferes with rest.

Gong Mei

China · Fujian

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

Shou Mei

China · Fujian

Shou Mei is produced in Fuding and Zhenghe counties, Fujian, the classic white tea heartland.