Sau Mei is usually made from the same kind of tea bushes as those for White Peonies, except that the former kind of tea is processed through a hasted process for oxidizing the leaves. Higher quality ones do have silvery leaf buds like those in White Peony so it is tempting for some traders to sell them as the more expensive version.
Sau Mei is used extensively in dim sum restaurants for its lower price. Although the best of this tea variety is really quite cheap, the lowest grades are used most of the time for better margin. Having said that, however, it is perhaps the safest tea to choose when you happen to dine in one of these. It is produced quite automatically so less chance for unwanted contamination in case it is not a proper production setup. It is also TCM neutral and tastes okay with most food.
In terms of choosing a White Peony to buy, please do refer to related pages in the Tea Guardian so you are not falling into traps. Remember to examine the photos there carefully for the look:
