Picked Leaf
Batch No.001 · Gathering interest

One tea. One batch.
The one I drink myself.

I'm Vv, in China. I don't run a tea warehouse and I don't list hundreds of teas. I drink Fuding white tea every day, and once in a while I find a batch I'd happily drink for a year. This is that batch — chosen by the cup, lab-tested before it ships, and sold only until the lot runs out.

2026 Fuding King Peony 牡丹王

Loose leaf · Panxi, Fuding · Spring 2026 harvest · 15 kg lot — 150 packs

Goal: 30 notes of interest. At 30 notes I lock the lot, send it for testing, publish the report here, then email each of you to confirm — orders and payment only come after that. No money is taken now, and a note commits you to nothing.

Want Silver Needle (白毫银针) instead? That's possible too. Just leave a note below and mention Silver Needle in your message — I'll reply with availability and price.

1 pack(s) · in the size chosen above

Your email is only used to reach you when this batch locks — no marketing, no sharing.


              

                
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          Dry King Peony in a white porcelain gaiwan — silver-downed buds and small first leaves
          

            King Peony, dry leaf — the buds are the pale, fuzzy ones.
            the pale fuzz is the point ↑
          

        

      

    


    

      

        
600–1,200 m
Panxi altitude

        
88%+
Forest cover, Panxi

        
Spring 2026
Harvest — printed on pack

        
15 kg
Whole lot, then it's gone

        
Lab-tested
Report published here

      

    

  


  
  

    

      

        
Why this grade

        
White Peony has grades. This is the top one.

        
King Peony (Mudan Wang 牡丹王) is picked first in early spring, made almost entirely of downy buds and the smallest first leaves. Regular White Peony lets the leaf open — one bud with two or three leaves. You taste the difference as sweetness and aroma, not strength.

      

      

        

          

            

              
Silver Needle白毫银针 · buds only

              
Delicate to the point of quiet — and priced far beyond this harvest. If you'd like Silver Needle, you can leave a note for that too — just mention it in your message.

              
100%buds

            

            

              
King PeonyBatch 001牡丹王 · bud + first leaf

              
White flowers, warm hay, honey — and almost no bitterness, even if you over-steep it.

              
~75%buds

            

            

              
White Peony白牡丹 · bud + 2–3 leaves

              
Good tea, broader leaf, less of the top-note sweetness. This lot's seller offered it. I didn't choose it.

              
~40%buds

            

            

              
Shou Mei寿眉 · mature leaves

              
The grade most aged white tea is made from. Not what this site is about — see below.

              
~10%buds

            

          

        

        

          

            
Judge it by what you can see

            
    
              
  • Fat, pale buds covered in fine white down (the “hao”) — that's where the sweetness lives.
    • 
              
  • One bud, one small leaf — the leaf has barely opened. Big dark leaves mean a lower grade, whatever the label says.
    • 
              
  • As graded by the seller — described here by what's visible in the leaf itself, which you can check against the photo when your pack arrives.
    • 
            

            same spring, two grades — side-by-side photo goes here
          

          
The seller offered several grades of the same spring harvest, regular White Peony included. I bought the King Peony because that's the one I drink. You're getting the grade I chose for myself, not the grade with the best margin.

        

      

    

  


  
  

    

      

        
A note on age — my position

        
“You'll hear that white tea gets better for seven years. I don't buy it — literally. The King Peony I love is the year it's picked.”

        

          
The florals are brightest and the sweetness is cleanest in the harvest year — and nothing has had time to go flat in a warehouse. Aged white tea is also the most faked category in the market: the year is whatever the seller says it is.

          
So I only sell the current harvest. If the new spring tea isn't out yet, I sell last year's — and the harvest year is printed on every pack, so you always know exactly what you're drinking. Freshness you can verify beats a vintage you have to take on faith.

        

        
This batch is a fresh tea, and it tastes like one: white flowers and fresh hay up front, then a clear, almost juicy sweetness — like biting into a white peach, not dried fruit. Drink it this year. That's not a warning, that's the point.

      

    

  


  
  

    

      

        
How this works

        
Interest first. I buy after. Nobody stocks a warehouse.

      

      

        

          1
          
Leave a note

          
Your name, email, size and how many packs — on the card at the top of this page. No deposit, no payment — the note is the signal that tells me the demand is real.

        

        

          2
          
At 30 notes, the lot is locked

          
I confirm the same 15 kg lot — same batch, unblended — check it against my kept reference sample, and send it for pesticide & heavy-metal testing to US limits.

        

        

          3
          
Report first, orders after

          
The lab report is published on this page first. Then I email everyone who left a note: you confirm only if you still want it, and ordering and payment are arranged at that point — not before. Changed your mind? Just don't reply; you owe nothing.

        

        

          4
          
One shipment, then US delivery

          
The whole lot flies to the US together and ships to you domestically. No single parcels from China, no surprise customs bills. Expect 2–3 weeks after the batch locks.

        

      


      

        

          
From the Journal

          
King Peony vs. regular White Peony — the difference you can see in the leaf. Two grades of the same spring harvest, side by side: the buds tell you everything the price tag won't.

        

        Read the Journal
      

    

  


  


  
  


  

    

      
Home · Current Batch

      
Batch No.001 — full detail

      
Batch No.001, in full

      
Everything to know before you decide: where it's from, what it tastes like, how to brew it, and exactly where the $69.99 goes.

    

  


  

    


      

        Tea bushes growing scattered under pine trees in the Panxi high country, Fuding
        

          
Origin

          
Panxi, Fuding — Fujian

          
High country west of Fuding · mist most mornings · one of the townships serious white-tea drinkers in China ask for by name

        

      


      

        

          

            
TeaKing Peony (牡丹王)Top grade of White Peony — first spring picking

            
HarvestEarly spring 2026Current-year tea, per this site's rule

            
FormLoose leafNever pressed into cakes — nothing to pry apart

            
OriginPanxi Town, Fuding, Fujian600–1,200 m · 88%+ forest cover · gravelly mountain soil

            
Lot15 kg = 150 × 100 g packsSingle lot, not blended, not market stock

            
SourceCollected from farming households in PanxiVia a Fuding-local trader I buy from repeatedly — see the honest version, right

            
As described by the supplierFuding Dahao cultivar · first picking from older bushes · 600–800 mWithered and dried in the sun the farmhouse way — no roasting, no machine heat. These are the supplier's words for this lot, stated as his description, not as something I have independently verified.

          

        

        

          
Where this tea comes from — honestly

          
I buy this tea from a small trader based in Fuding, who collects the made tea from farming households in Panxi. I've bought from him repeatedly because the cups have been consistent — but I haven't stood in the garden, and I won't pretend I have.

          
What I can verify, I do: I drink every lot myself against a kept reference sample before it ships, and each shipping lot is lab-tested before it leaves China. The harvest year is printed on the pack; the tasting notes below are mine, not his sales pitch.

          
When he offered several grades of this spring's harvest, I chose the King Peony — the one in my own cup. That's the whole sourcing story. No farm of my own, no invented lineage.

        

      


      

        Dry King Peony leaf in bulk — downy silver buds mixed with small green first leaves
        

          The dry leaf — silver down on nearly every bud, one bud to a small leaf.
          the pale fuzz is the whole point
        

      


      

        
My tasting notes

        
“This is a fresh tea, and it tastes like one. White flowers and fresh hay up front; then a clear, almost juicy sweetness — closer to white peach than to dried fruit or honey cake. The liquor stays clean through six steeps, and it never turns bitter if you forget it in the mug. On hot afternoons I cold-brew it, and it comes out like sweet spring water with flowers in it. Drink this batch this year. That's not a warning — that's the point.”

        — Vv, from my own cup
        

          White flowers
          Fresh hay
          Honey
          White peach
          Soft, creamy finish
          Almost no bitterness
        

      

    

  


  
  

    

      

        

          
How to brew

          
Three ways. All forgiving.

          
Fresh King Peony is one of the most beginner-proof teas there is — the one mistake that matters is boiling water. Stay at 85 °C and it won't turn bitter on you.

        

        

          King Peony buds meeting first water in a white dish — the white down visible on every bud
          
First water on the leaf — the down is real, and it's where the sweetness lives.

        

      

      

        
        
        
      

      

        

          
3 g
Leaf

          
150 ml
Water · gaiwan

          
85 °C
Temperature

          
20 sec
First steep, +10 sec each

        

        
About six good steeps. The honey arrives around steep three — pour those into a small pitcher first if you're sharing, or drink straight from the gaiwan the way I do on weekday mornings.

      

      

        

          
5 g
Leaf

          
350 ml
Water · mug or pot

          
85 °C
Temperature

          
2 min
Steep

        

        
The no-equipment version: a mug, a small strainer, water off the boil for a minute. Re-steep the same leaves once more at 3 minutes — fresh white tea holds up better than you'd expect.

      

      

        

          
10 g
Leaf

          
750 ml
Cold water · bottle

          
Fridge
Temperature

          
8 hrs
Steep — overnight

        

        
★ The summer move. Cold water pulls out the sweetness and leaves the bitterness behind — this is where fresh King Peony beats aged tea outright. Floral, honeyed, zero effort. Make it the night before.

      

    

  


  
  

    

      

        
Price, opened up

        
Where the $69.99 goes

        
Same transparency habit as the tea itself: every part of the price, on the page, long before anyone is asked to confirm an order.

      

      

        

          
          
    
            
  • The tea itselfFarmer-lot tea — 100 g at the collected price of ¥800/kg
    ≈ $11
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  • Lab testingOne test on the shipping lot, shared across all 150 packs
    ≈ $4
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  • PackingFood-grade packing by a licensed facility, English labels
    ≈ $3
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  • China → US freight & customsThe whole lot flies together — that's how this stays affordable
    ≈ $7
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  • US warehousing & last-mileDomestic delivery to your door, tracking included
    ≈ $11
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  • Payment & site costsCard / wallet processing and running this site
    ≈ $3
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  • The restMy time selecting and tasting — and what keeps the next batch possible
    $30.99
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100 g full pack$69.99

          
50 g taster: $39.99. Free US shipping on orders over $50 — one full pack already qualifies.

        

        

          
Batch & testing

          
Lot size: 15 kg, packed as 150 × 100 g. The tea that gets tested is the tea that ships — the shipping lot itself, not a sample from my shelf.

          
    
            
  • Pesticide multi-residue screen + lead, to US limits
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  • CNAS-accredited third-party lab
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  • Report published on this page before any order is confirmed
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  • Lot fails → the batch doesn't go ahead — nobody has paid anything, so there's nothing to refund
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          Report status: pending — published here when the batch locks
        

      

    

  


  
  

    

      

        
Questions

        
Before you leave a note

      

      

        

          
          
No. This stage is interest only — no payment, no order. When the batch locks and the lab report is published here, I'll email you: confirm then if you still want it, and ordering and payment happen at that point. Changed your mind? Simply don't reply — there's no obligation and no chasing.

        

        

          
          
Because the batch only exists if 30 of you leave a note saying you want it. After the lock, allow about three weeks: lot delivery, testing, licensed packing, one flight to the US, then domestic delivery with tracking. One bulk shipment instead of 150 individual parcels from China is what keeps the price where it is — and no customs bill ever lands on you.

        

        

          
          
Quality problems are on me: if the tea arrives damp or spoiled, it's the wrong item, or it's damaged in transit, tell me within 14 days of delivery with a photo and I'll replace it or refund you. Taste preference isn't covered — whether a flavour suits you is personal, and I can't treat it as a quality fault. If you're unsure, start with the 50 g taster ($39.99): enough for a week of mornings, so you can try it properly before deciding on a full pack — that's the lowest-cost way to find out.

        

        

          
          
You can, and it will change — softer, darker, quieter. But I selected this lot for how it tastes now. If you want an aged tea, buy one that was stored on purpose, not this one by accident.

        

        

          
          
Yes — all real tea does, white tea included. It's also lab-tested for pesticide residues and lead against US limits, with the report public on this page. Beyond that, no health claims here: it's tea, it's fresh, it tastes good. You won't find detox, weight-loss, or blood-pressure claims anywhere on this site.

        

      

    

  


  


  
  


  

    

      
Home · How I Choose

      
How I choose

      
The standard every batch has to pass

      
One page of rules, applied the same way to every lot — including the ones that fail and never get listed. If a batch can't be described honestly, traced to one lot, and tested, it doesn't appear on this site.

    

  


  

    

      

        

          
What gets listed

          
    
            
  • Spring tea only for white tea — first picking, bud-heavy grades
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  • Current harvest first — last year's only while the new spring tea isn't out, always labelled
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  • One lot, tasted by me against a kept reference sample before it ships
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  • Tested per lot — the report is public, or the batch doesn't ship
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  • A price I can itemise — if I can't show where the money goes, I don't sell it
    • 
          

        

        

          
What never gets listed

          
    
            
  • Summer & autumn leaf sold as spring tea — heavier spray season, thinner cup
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  • Flavoured or scented tea dressed up as natural aroma
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  • Invented vintages — “seven-year aged” cakes with no paper trail
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  • Blended lots passed off as a single batch
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  • Any health claim — no detox, no slimming, no medicine talk, ever
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          The batch passport
          Every batch · same fields · no exceptions
        

        

          
Origin
Panxi, FudingTownship-level, stated as far as it can be verified

          
Harvest
Spring 2026Year printed on every pack

          
Grade, as visible
King PeonyDescribed by the leaf itself, not the label

          
Lot
15 kg, single lotNot blended, not topped up mid-sale

          
Tasting
By me, against a reference sampleNotes are mine, re-tasted before listing

          
Testing
Per-lot lab reportPublished on the batch page before any order is confirmed

        

      

      
Every batch page carries these same fields. Sourcing is stated as far as it can be verified, and a batch page is never quietly rewritten after a batch has sold.

    

  


  


  
  


  

    

      
Home · Journal

      
Picked Leaf Journal

      
Notes from my own tea table

      
One tea at a time, including the ones I'll never sell you — and why.

    

  


  

    

      

        
        

          JOURNAL · 02 · IN DRAFT
          
Why I don't sell aged white tea
The fresh-vs-aged argument, settled the only way I trust: the same grade, side by side, in my gaiwan.

          →
        

        

          JOURNAL · 03 · IN DRAFT
          
How to cold-brew white tea (and why summer is its best season)
Ten grams, cold water, one night in the fridge. Why fresh white tea cold-brews better than any aged cake.

          →
        

      


      

        
        
King Peony vs. regular White Peony: the difference you can see in the leaf

        
JOURNAL · 01 — TWO GRADES, ONE SPRING HARVEST

        
White Peony has grades, and King Peony (Mudan Wang, 牡丹王) is the top one — picked first in early spring. Regular White Peony is one bud with two or three leaves, the leaf already open. King Peony is almost all downy buds and the smallest first leaf. You don't need a certificate to see it: hold the two side by side and the buds tell you everything the price tag won't.

        
“Fat, pale buds covered in fine white down — that's where the sweetness lives.”

        

          King Peony leaves after brewing — still green, buds whole
          
King Peony after brewing: still green, buds still whole, one bud to a small leaf.

        

        
In the cup, the difference tastes like sweetness and aroma, not strength: white flowers, warm hay, honey — and almost no bitterness, even if you over-steep it. The broader leaf of regular White Peony makes a good tea; it just gives you less of that top-note sweetness.

        
My supplier offered several grades of the same harvest, the regular Peony included. I bought the King — not because it has the best margin (it has the worst), but because it's the one in my own cup. When your pack arrives, check the leaf against the photos on the batch page: one bud, one small leaf, down you can see. That's the whole test.

        
— Vv · Batch No.001 — the King Peony in this article — is gathering interest now; if you'd buy it, leave a note on the Home page.

      

    

  


  


  
  


  

    

      
Home · About

      
About

      
One person, one tea table

    

  


  

    

      

        

          Hands pouring pale golden white tea from a white gaiwan into a glass pitcher
          
Illustrative photo — my own tea-table shots replace this before the first batch ships.

        

        

          
Hi — I'm Vv. I buy tea the way you'll drink it: one lot at a time.

          
I build software in China, and I drink a lot of tea — mostly Fuding white tea and oolong. This site started because friends overseas kept asking what I was drinking and where they could get the same thing, and I couldn't honestly point them to any shop I trusted.

          
So: one tea at a time, the one in my cup, with the paperwork shown. When a batch sells out, this site goes quiet until I find the next one. That's not a marketing trick; it's just what one person can actually stand behind.

          — Vv
        

      


      
    
        
  • Current harvest onlyLast year's only while the new spring tea isn't out — always labelled
    • 
        
  • Harvest year on every packSo you always know exactly what you're drinking
    • 
        
  • Lab report public before orders openThe shipping lot itself is tested, not a shelf sample
    • 
        
  • No payment at the interest stageNotes first — orders and payment only after the lab report
    • 
        
  • Sourcing stated honestlyWhat I verified, what I haven't — both are on the batch page
    • 
        
  • No health claims, everNo detox, no slimming, no medicine talk
    •