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Shou Mei White Tea

Wikipedia: Shou_Mei_tea 
Last Updated: Mar. 12, 2014 

About Shou Mei White Tea

Closeup of large-leaf tea with dark brown, silvery, and olive green colorsLoose-Leaf Shou Mei (Longevity Eyebrows) White Tea, Photo © Akuppa John Wigham, CC BY 2.0.
Shou mei(寿眉), often translated longevity eyebrows, and sometimes spelled sow mee, is a Chinese white tea made of large leaves and having a dark color. Shou mei tends to be made out of more mature leaves, and contains relatively fewer tips or leaf buds, although the portion of tips can vary considerably within this style. Although it is usually classified as a white tea, the brewed tea tends to be darker in color than most white teas, reflecting an increased level of oxidation. Shou mei is usually described as richer and bolder in comparison to other white teas. The flavor and aroma is sometimes described as more similar to that of oolong tea than other white teas.

The dry leaves are diverse in color, and usually include some brown leaves as well as some greenish and silvery leaves. Overall, the leaves tend to be browner in color than other white teas, which tend to have more silvery-green leaves.

Although considered a lower grade of white tea, and generally less expensive than other grades, shou mei is preferred to other white teas by some tea drinkers due to the boldness of its aroma, which bears some resemblance to autumn leaves.

Shou mei is the unofficial state tea of Missouri.

Recent Shou Mei Reviews — RSS rss icon

85 / 100
Picture of Shou Mei White

Shou Mei White from Caina Tea

Style: Shou Mei White Tea – Region: Fujian, China
Oct. 11th, 2017

Shou Mei is a very stem-y and leafy loose left. Caina says to steep 1tbsp for about 25 seconds, with all the stems and big leafs it's pretty hard to measure. It's actually a lot easier just to eyeball and take a guess, if you drink a lot of loose leaf tea it's not that hard to guesstimate it. To me it has a light flowe...

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87 / 100
Picture of Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

The dry cake smelled, to me, precisely of rich, unscented pipe tobacco—Scottish shag, or an English blend with Turkish leaf. Once brewed, the liquor is a perfect amber-honey tone, and the aroma has the sharpness of honey accompanied by a vaguely floral quality. The honey note follows into the taste of the liquor—mu...

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90 / 100
Picture of Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

I loved this. I love Shou Mei, and this was the first example of it I tried in compressed form. It was definitely one of the best samples of Shou mei that I've tried.

The dry leaf of this cake has a moderate smell of dried fruit, with a hint of fermenting fruit in there. It's not the most aromatic of TeaVivre's t...

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87 / 100
Picture of Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

The aroma is sweet, like a rich blend of muscatel and honey, in fact it reminds me a bit of honey wine (specifically the Grecian Honeyed Wine I used to make when I could imbibe in my younger days) with a nice finish of hay.

The taste, oh man, it is so sweet! I feel like I am drinking tea that tastes like mown hay, f...

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67 / 100
Picture of Shoumei White Tea

Shoumei White Tea from Foojoy

Style: Shou Mei White Tea – Region: China
May. 28th, 2013

I love shou mei, a darker white tea, and I love Foojoy, so I was expecting to like this one, and I did. It's remarkably high quality for such an inexpensive tea bag. The only shou mei I've tried in tea bags.

This tea is surprisingly pungent, with the characteristic aroma of autumn leaves, and a hint of spice and p...

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Most-Rated Shou Mei

Picture of Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

Brand:TeaVivre
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:Fuding, Fujian, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
83
3 Ratings
No image of this tea

Shoumei White Tea

Brand:Foojoy
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
83
3 Ratings
Picture of Season's Pick Shou Mei

Season's Pick Shou Mei

Brand:Upton Tea Imports
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:Fujian, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
Picture of 2009 Shou Mei (Sow Mee or Longevity Brow)

2009 Shou Mei (Sow Mee or Longevity Brow)

Brand:Life in Teacup
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:Fujian, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
Picture of First Grade Shou Mei White Tea

First Grade Shou Mei White Tea

Brand:Upton Tea Imports
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:Fujian, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating

Top-Rated Shou Mei

Picture of Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

Brand:TeaVivre
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:Fuding, Fujian, China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Compressed
83
3 Ratings
No image of this tea

Shoumei White Tea

Brand:Foojoy
Style:Shou Mei White Tea
Region:China
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Teabag
83
3 Ratings

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