White tea made from tender shoots of seed-grown tea populations. Its national product definition is narrower than Shoumei's, which also allows Dabai and Shuixian material.
Small, curled leaves with some downy tips, grey-green to dark green. Common descriptions include orange-yellow liquor, a fresh aroma and a clear sweetness.
Under GB/T 22291-2017, Gongmei must come from seed-grown group bushes. Shoumei may come from Dabai, Shuixian or group bushes, and from shoots or leaves. Leafy tea from clonal Dabai does not meet that standard’s Gongmei product definition. In the trade, Gongmei is still often described as the better grade of Shoumei. A 2020 explainer notes that Gongmei made from caicha is now a small niche.
GB/T 22291-2017 grades: 特级, 一级, 二级 and 三级. The plant-material category is a seed-grown population (群体种), not a single named clone. Jianyang's government says Gongmei and Shoumei there are made from small-leaf group varieties; the page's wording is '小叶种茶等无性群体品种'. The Fuding GI specification registered with the EU lists only Silver Needle, White Peony and new-craft white tea, so Gongmei falls outside that text. The Fuding association draft standard does include it.
Read Shou Mei alongside this entry: their definitions overlap in permissible plant material, while the national Gongmei definition specifically requires the population-type source.
A 2022 study tested ten samples across five white-tea types, including new-craft white tea. Gongmei had the highest total catechin result in that set. This does not rank all Gongmei above other white teas, establish the caffeine content of a particular lot, or predict the taste of every infusion. Its value is showing that a leafier product is not chemically just a diluted version of bud tea.
Price ranks compare recorded retail offers for the same tea, including offers outside the current delivery filter. Shipping and import charges are excluded.
| Product | Vendor | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
2016 Fuding Sun-Dried Gongmei White Tea Cake (357 g)
Details and price notes357 g compressed cake (variant 46911500419295). |
Quiche TeasSelected destinations |
$29.10 / 357 g | $8.15 |
Guan Yang Lao Bai Cha Gong Mei White Tea Cake
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$37.50 / 350 g | $10.71 |
Fuding Gong Mei White Tea Mini Bricks
DetailsCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
|
Yunnan SourcingSelected destinations |
$14.25 / 100 g | $14.25 |
| Gongmei | Teehaus CölnSelected destinations |
€9.00 / 50 g | $20.19 €18.00 / 100 g |
Aged Gong Mei Dragon Pearls (2015)
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Shop base currency GBP. The seller's pages do not state whether this price includes tax. Excludes shipping. |
Curious TeaWorldwide |
£11.00 / 50 g | $29.36 £22.00 / 100 g |
2024 Zhenghe Gong Mei (30 g Sample)
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Shop base currency USD. The seller's pages do not state whether this price includes tax. Excludes shipping. |
Rivers and Lakes TeaSelected destinations |
$9.00 / 30 g | $30.00 |
2012 Old Gong Mei White Tea Canister
Details and price notesCompare the details Recorded seller claims; a blank means unrecorded here, not necessarily absent from the seller’s page. Matching production does not establish identical storage or condition.
Shop base currency HKD. Hong Kong has no VAT/sales tax. Excludes shipping. |
The Natural Tea Co.Selected destinations |
HK$98.00 / 30 g | $41.62 HK$326.67 / 100 g |
Prices recorded on the dates checked. Conversions use ECB rates dated 2026-10-20; original prices appear alongside. Origin, age and cultivar are stated by the vendor.
| Product | Vendor | Channel | per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Fuding Sun-Dried Gongmei White Tea Cake (357 g) | Quiche Teas | International retail | $8.15 |
| Guan Yang Lao Bai Cha Gong Mei White Tea Cake | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $10.71 |
| Fuding Gong Mei White Tea Mini Bricks | Yunnan Sourcing | International retail | $14.25 |
| Gongmei | Teehaus Cöln | International retail | $20.19 |
| Aged Gong Mei Dragon Pearls (2015) | Curious Tea | International retail | $29.36 |
| 2024 Zhenghe Gong Mei (30 g Sample) | Rivers and Lakes Tea | International retail | $30.00 |
| 2012 Old Gong Mei White Tea Canister | The Natural Tea Co. | International retail | $41.62 |
