Bella Blanca

Day 18 of the Dammann Freres advent calendar. I was excited to see a white tea in here! This brews up a nice amber color. The dry leaf smells clearly of apricot, bergamot, and almond. The apricot and bergamot flavors are both pretty strong and balance each other nicely, though the overall impression is a touch more tart than I’d like. I think I’d be ok with it if it wasn’t also so drying; tart plus drying doesn’t leave the most delightful after-sensation. No idea where that almond went to!

I’m looking at the ingredients list now and it shows mango, not apricot. I had apricots for breakfast this morning (several hours ago), so that flavor is very fresh in my mind, and this still reads closer to apricot than mango for me. If I had to guess, I’d guess that my brain is reading the combination of the sweetness of the mango flavoring and the tartness of the bergamot flavoring as a tarter stone fruit. 

I iced the second steep and had it a couple of days later. When I came back to this tasting note to add details from that steep before posting, I was surprised to see how consistent the experience was. That iced steep also had a tart stone fruit flavor. Not overly sweet, but definitely fruity. What did come through in the second steep that I didn’t find much in the first was a slight floral note.

Disappointingly, I didn’t get much from the base tea here, besides that drying sensation and light-to-medium body. To the blend’s credit, the base doesn’t clash with the flavorings, and perhaps is supporting them so seamlessly that I just can’t tell. But after so so many black tea blends, I was hoping for a white tea that would really wow me. This is tasty enough but I’m not floored, you know?

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

Same mango almond biscuit flavour as my much loved Mango Lassi – so that’s a plus! It also smells amazing.

Bai mu tan isn’t ever going to be my favourite white tea but the natural notes of blueberries, hay, and honey take the fruity flavouring in a ovverripe, jam-like direction. I actually don’t get much bergamot at all; I do get a citrusy strawberry-mango juice medley though.

I’d rather this have a black tea base. Or try it iced! It’s very sweet as is.

Dammann Frères Advent Calendar 2022 – Day 18

Ooh, a white tea with mango, bergamot, and almond? Sounds intriguing.

Honestly, it’s a bit meh to me, and I think it’s because of the white tea base. It’s quite strong on the musty hay notes, emphasis on the musty. I can definitely taste a bit of (very nice) juicy mango and a touch of floral bergamot. I think the almond is adding a bit of desserty sweetness?

Anyway, a shame that the base sort of overpowers the flavoring here, if it were a bit more delicate I think this could’ve been a really nice tea.