How to brew White peony and shou mei
Bai Mudan, Shou Mei, Gong Mei.
Buds with leaves take hotter water than silver needle to bring out their honeyed, woody depth.
Starting recipe
| Setting | Western (mug or teapot) | Gongfu (small pot or gaiwan) |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 185–203°F (85–95°C) | 185–203°F (85–95°C) |
| Leaf | 1.5–3 g per 100 ml | 4–7 g per 100 ml |
| Steepdial starts at | 194°F (90°C) · 4 g · 250 ml | 194°F (90°C) · 5 g · 100 ml |
| First steep | 2:00–5:00 | 0:10–0:30 |
| A whole session | 3:00 · 4:00 · 5:00 | 0:15 · 0:12 · 0:15 · 0:20 · 0:30 · 0:40 · 1:00 |
The details
Rinse
Not needed. Start with the first steep.
Drinking window
Keeps well: at its best for about 12 months once opened. Can also be aged on purpose: put it on the Aging Shelf if that's your plan.
Caffeine
Contains caffeine. How much depends on the leaf, the water temperature and the steep time; the style alone is a poor guide.
Iced and cold brew
Cold brew: 1.3 g per 100 ml of cold water, in the fridge for about 6 hours. Keep it cold and drink it within a day or two. For iced tea now, brew a concentrated hot cup (the same leaf in half the water) and pour it over an equal weight of ice; Steepdial accounts for the ice in the total water.
How Steepdial adjusts
After a session you tap what you'd change: more flavor, less bitter, less drying. Steepdial changes one thing at a time, staying near the ranges above, and remembers what worked for that tea.
Short steeps and pour time
The first gongfu steep is 0:15. If your pot takes several seconds to empty, start pouring a little early, or turn on the pour cue in Steepdial.