品茶 :: 白茶

A statue of Lu Yu (陆羽),
the 'God of Tea',
stands in front of 'Tea City'.

Went to the 'Tea City' at Maliandao (马连道茶城). It's a long street with many little tea shops which are also wholesalers in tea. Halfway down the street, stands the 'Tea City'. It's an enormous building spanning 3 floors of shops selling tea, tea pots, wares and everything to do with Chinese tea culture. Many of the shops are run by families of tea growers in Fujian and Zhejiang.

Do know your teas somewhat before coming here. Some online forums note scams, and others hail authentic purchases. The thing is, there're hundreds, if not thousands of shops that litter the area. It's time consuming to sieve through without a recommendation, and basic knowledge of what you're looking for. If you just want something average of about S$40 for 500 grams (1 jin), plenty to choose from. But if you're looking at higher price points, do homework before coming here. Bring cash, loads of cash. International credit cards don't quite work here.

Since I had bought the pricey and valuable pu'er from Yunnan, I'm looking to top up my white teas in Beijing. Specifically the silver needle (白毫银针), and a few jin of white peony tea (白牡丹). I found a couple of tea shops specializing in white teas, strolled around, and picked one to walk into for a chat. The shopkeeper humored me, and allowed me to interrupt his lunch hour, and cheerfully put the water on boil to brew a range of teas for tasting.

I found pleasing aromas and taste from several batches both young and aged. This shop offered what I wanted. So I handed over wads of cash in exchange for light tins and jars of dry precious leaves. I had to stash them away in the hotel's safe deposit box. (I did that in Yunnan!) This has got to be a first! Prized purchases. :)