Bai Lin Gong Fu

báilín gōngfū

白琳工夫

One of Fujian's three classic "gong fu" reds — made from the downy Fuding big-white bush. Abundant golden tips, a honey-and-cream sweetness and a bright tangerine-red liquor.

Region: Bai Lin, Fuding, Fujian — 200–800 m
Harvest: Spring — downy bud-and-leaf
Oxidation: Fully oxidised
Cultivar: Fuding Da Bai (big white) bush

In the cup

Honey and cream over a soft fruit, with a downy sweetness and a bright, mellow finish — gentle and refined.

What it gives

A warming, smooth red — soft and naturally sweet, low in astringency and easy to drink without milk.

Bai Lin Gong Fu is one of the three classic gong fu reds of Fujian, alongside Tan Yang and Zheng He gong fu. Gōngfū here means the careful, skilled work of the maker — a fully made, leaf-style red rather than the bud teas. It takes its name from the village of Bai Lin in Fuding, in the north of the province.

It is made from the same downy Da Bai “big white” bush that gives Fuding its famous white teas, which is why a good Bai Lin Gong Fu is so rich in fine golden tips. That down translates into a soft, honeyed, almost creamy character and the bright tangerine-red liquor the tea is known for.

In the cup

Brew hot, around 90–95 °C, with a quick rinse and short steeps. The cup is bright and refined — honey and cream over a soft fruit, with a downy sweetness and a clean, mellow finish. It is gentle and well-mannered, takes no milk, and gives several pleasant rounds.

How to brew