Someone told me once that white tea just tasted like a cup of hot water to them. I probably would have agreed early on in my tea journey. When your tastebuds are accustomed to strong root beer and sweet, fizzy, highly flavored soda it takes a while to train your palate to find subtle flavors, at least it did for me. Perhaps the real foodies “get it” right from the start.
I haven’t had unflavored white tea in a while and decided that today would be a good day to take a cup of Bai MuDan outside and enjoy its simplicity while sitting in the sunshine, a rare treat in late winter. Though very windy, it is warm and the sun is welcome after many days of rain.
The packet called for two grams of leaf for twelve ounces of water, which I thought seemed to far too little at first. I used my new Upton Digital Tea Scale since large leaf white tea can be tricky to judge. Teavivre recommends five to eight minutes, and I steeped for about five because I was ready for my break!
First, this is a beautiful golden cup of tea. The color is rich and deep and it actually LOOKS full bodied in the cup. The flavor did not let me down. No one could mistake this for a “cup of hot water!” The flavor lingers for quite a while, too.
I see a lot of white tea described accurately as tasting like sunshine on hay, mainly Shou Mei, but this Bai MuDan tastes like golden stalks with a hint of spring in the air, with the scent of distant flowers laid over, and maybe even a little soft, sweet vegetable like snow pea or sugar snap peas.
I think this is going to be my go-to quiet time cup for a while.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Description
Teavivre’s White Peony Bai MuDan tea is farmed and produced on Mt. Taimu, using material from Dabaihao tea trees. While this is a slightly oxidized white tea, it is produced with the same minimal processing as Silver Needle white tea, with the main difference between the two being that silver needle uses only buds, while bai mudan includes opened leaves as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Peony by Tea n’ Joy . . . . The Black Tea Drinkers’ White Tea . . .
Hello, fellow tea drinkers!
This week I officially got back my taste buds after being ill and I thought it was wise to partake in my first cup of white tea. So I figured that Tea n’ Joy’s White Peony was the way to go, for based on the description this tea is a perfect starter for black tea drinkers.
As far as white tea goes I didn’t know what I was expecting for my friends have informed me that white tea is usually very bland. Given that impression, I took that first sip and was pleasantly surprised. I will say that when I think of white tea I think of something that is light and cleansing and this brew did deliver that. But in addition to the palette cleansing, I was also greeted with a sweet after taste. It’s hard to put a description on it but the best that I can say is that it has a creamy sweetness. Also, White Peony goes amazing with cookies or biscotti. I myself used an almond chocolate biscotti and I did not regret it!
Now how hard is this tea going to hurt your wallet? Well at 4 oz it is priced at $18, 8 oz is $26, and $42 for 16 oz. So doing the math that is $4.50 an ounce which is normal for most loose leaf tea blends nowadays. Now I did not see an option to buy this tea as a sample outright but if you do make a purchase on their qualifying tea blends (White Peony is a blend that is qualified) you can receive two samples.
Given that this tea did appeal to me as an almost exclusively black tea drinker I will be sure to purchase this blend in the future. This blend has also motivated me to try other blends from Tea n’ Joy, their blend Earl Gray Moon is most definitely catching my eye.
See you for the next cuppa!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tea ‘n Joy
Description
Also known as “Pai Mu Tan” or “Bai Mu Dan,” White Peony is the second-most famous white tea after Silver Needle (“Bai Hao Yin Zhen”). Its flavor is bolder and deeper than Silver Needle, making it an exceptional choice for new white tea drinkers, especially those who usually prefer black teas. Refreshing and faintly reminiscent of fresh apples with a lovely, lingering flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
White Thunder from The Love Tea Company. . . .
White Thunder by The Love Tea Company, a mint white tea that also happens to be the last of the three teas sent to me by CuppaGeek as part of the Tea It Forward program. I have mentioned it before and will mention it again because Tea It Forward is a great program that allows you to let someone know they’re loved and in doing so, a $1 donation to The Flagg Foundation for Mental Wellness is made in your name.
The tea utilizes a Bai Mu Dan base with peppermint and spearmint on top. This makes for a more full and floral tea thanks to the base. It is sweet and mild and despite the strong mint ingredients, the flavoring remains gentle and smooth. Overall it is very fresh and clean while also being very natural tasting. The Love Tea Company says the White Thunder name is drawn from the Boom and Crack sounds of your taste buds loving this blend but to me the natural and fresh taste of the tea is more comforting and reminiscent of the feeling one might get while sipping on tea and listening to the cracks of thunder outside (as a storm lover, this is a very calming scenario for me).
Since The Love Tea Company was so generous with their samples, I was also able to try this iced and see how it compares to the hot cup. My first impression of the iced tea is that the bai mu dan is far more floral iced than hot. I think for me, it is too floral here as the mint is more of an after thought as opposed to a partner. It is not bad, but it is more like drinking just a plain bai mu dan than a flavored one and given white teas are not my favorite, I am finding that I prefer the hot cup of this more.
This tea definitely has some high quality ingredients and the flavors are nicely balanced in the hot cup. It is a delightful tea that is flavorful enough to be interesting while also remaining mild enough that it is easy to drink and drink and drink. As someone who doesn’t love white teas, especially bai mu dans, I was surprised I enjoyed this like I did. Thank you CuppaGeek for sending this one to me to try and even better, I am glad in doing so that you also helped a great cause!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
Bai Mudan, also known as White Peony is a type of white tea made from pluckings of one leaf shoot and two immediate young leaves. Bai Mudan is sometimes preferred by white tea drinkers for its fuller flavor and greater potency than other major types of white tea. For an extra kick, peppermint and spearmint are added to this blend. Boom, crack, that’s the sound of your taste buds loving this blend.
Caffeine: Medium
Steep 2 teaspoons @ 195° for 3 – 5 minutes
Ingredients: White tea, bai mu dan, peppermint, spearmint
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pineapple Angel Food Cake White Tea from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
All Organic ingredients: White Peony, Pineapple Pieces, Vanilla Bean and Natural Flavors
This particular blend is sold out. Learn what white teas are available here.
Taster’s Review:
Sipdown! Gotta love a sipdown. Sipdowns make me happy and sad. Happy that I’ve enjoyed a tea to the point that I’ve finished it. Sad because if that tea is from 52Teas it means that more than likely that tea is one you can’t get again.
I believe I reviewed this tea on my blog CuppaGeek, but I don’t believe I did here. So I thought with the summer finally upon us, this would be a great tea to try both hot and iced for these upcoming summer months, allowing me to sipdown a tea from my always growing tea stash.
With a tea named Pineapple Angel Food Cake White Tea, there are high expectations of a lush white tea with icing notes and that tropical pineapple feel. A hard goal to hit when it comes to tea, but one that 52Teas did amazingly well!
First I tried the tea hot. Prepped with water at 165F and allowed to steep for about 5 minutes and then allowed to cool for about 3. I took a sip and the flavors exploded. They captured the title of this tea perfectly. Lush notes of a decadent angel food cake with a vanilla icing and pineapple topping. The white tea provides a silky like feel that gives a unique dessert taste. The flavors are subtle but not so much that you can’t pick them out. They mingle together very well and make me sad that I have sipped this tea down. This is a tea that I should have bought a bigger pouch of.
Then after loving the tea as hot, I tried the tea as iced. I have to say this tea sings as a hot tea but as an iced tea it is pretty tasty as well. You still get all of those same notes but the pineapple flavors seem to be a bit sharper. The cake and vanilla notes were my favorite part when I tried the tea hot. Still, absolutely delicious and I have already drank two tall tumblers full and I’m going for a third.
Another wonderful offering from 52Teas. They really do dessert teas justice!