Cherries Jubilee Bai Mu Dan from 52Teas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  White

Where to Buy:  52Teas

Product Description:

As for this week’s Tea of the Week, it is an amazingly harmonious blend of light, sweet bai mu dan white tea, dried cherries and natural flavors including cherry, brandy and just a bit of vanilla. I really think you’re going to like this one.

Taster’s Review:

When I saw that this tea would be headed my way, I was a little worried.  Yes, I know that Frank of 52Teas is the “Willy Wonka of Teas” and I’ve enjoyed just about everything from 52Teas that I’ve tried … I can’t think of any I’ve not enjoyed.  But, cherry and brandy flavors together worried me just a wee bit, because I was worried that the combination might end up tasting cough syrup-y.

And when I smelled the dry leaf, my apprehension was not alleviated, because it does smell a little like cough syrup.  The aroma of the vanilla and the cherry do have an appealing fragrance, but there is also just a bit of cough syrup-iness to the scent as well.  So, yes… worry I did.

But, those worries assuaged when I took my first sip.  Deee-lish!  This in no way, shape or form tastes like cough syrup.  Hooray!

The Bai Mu Dan makes an excellent base – it is light and crisp.  At first it was a little difficult to discern the flavor of the Bai Mu Dan but it developed nicely as I continued to sip.  Now I can taste hints of freshness from the Bai Mu Dan:  sweet and delicate and very nice.

The cherry flavor is sweet but there is a touch of tartness in there too.  Not a lot, but just enough to keep the cherry flavor from tasting too sickly sweet.  The brandy flavor is light here, and it doesn’t really taste much like alcohol at all, although I do taste the brandy-wine like taste, without the solvent taste of alcohol.

My favorite flavor here, though, is the vanilla.  It isn’t an overwhelming flavor, but I like how it ties everything together.  It “blurs the edges” – so to speak – between the flavors of white tea, cherry and brandy flavors, and makes it a very cohesive, seamless flavor.

This tea just proves that Frank has earned his title of “Willy Wonka of Teas!”