White Peony (Bai MuDan) Tea

Ok, so yesterday I was sipping the organic silver needle and loving it, but I thought to myself, I’m not sure I can tell the difference between it and the white peony. I didn’t want to do a side by side comparison as they both re-steep way too many times for me to try. Instead I am doing a back to back 2 day comparison.

Immediately, I notice some big differences. First off the leaf of the organic silver needle is made of perfect looking buds of uniform size. The white peony is a lot more random shreddings of various sizes and shapes with some buds. The scent of sweet hay, while steeping, filled the room with the OSN. The WP I really didn’t notice while brewing. A grassy hay scent did develop as the wet leaf cooled in the press waiting for the next steep. Both steeped 2 minutes for the first cup. Each produces a very light, slightly yellow, liquor. The WP is a little darker.

I am a self-confessing Splenda junkie. I resisted the urge at the beginning with both first cups. The OSN produced a complex cup even without additives. The WP seemed flat in comparison. Once I added sweetener the WP also produced the cucumber melon notes I caught in the OSN. There is some difference in the complexity, and this has more of a grassy hay taste, but this is still a really good cup. My use of sweetener evens the playing field quite a bit and explains, to me at least, why I wasn’t sure I could tell the difference between them.

My experience with white tea beyond these two is limited to bagged versions such as Twinings and Stash, among others. Both of the Teavivre versions easily blow all of these out of the water. Compared one to the other, the organic silver needle seems the clear winner, all things being equal, especially if you don’t use sweetener. Keep in mind though, there is a substantial price difference between the two. The white peony is a really good and economical tea choice that is a big improvement over bagged.

I found another sample packet of this from Teavivre and chucked the whole thing in to steep since my daughter visited tonight and wanted to have tea together. This was refreshing and lovely. The most memorable part of this tea to me was how it seemed to dance over my tongue, like it was washing over but not really touching. It was an interesting and very enjoyable sensation, and there was such a freshness to the cup. Sweet, sweet grass or hay, fresh snowmelt, the barest hint of nut…

In the past I have noted a slight drying sensation or astringency as the tea cooled, but I didn’t pick that up at all tonight. (Maybe we drank it too quickly for it to cool to that point.) Just refreshing, clean, pure white tea.

Thankyou to Angel and TEAVIVRE for this wonderful sample!
Dry smell: tastes like sweet hay and fresh grass
Taste: I still taste the hay a little bit but there is certainly floral and sweet notes poking through this very fresh white tea base. I like white teas because they are so fresh and light!
2nd steep: 95degrees, 3minutes, now the white hay base is lighter and the floral sweetness is really taking centre stage, my favourite steep
3rd steep: 95degrees, 4minutes, losing the sweet floral taste but still good.
I think this tea would also be good to mix with other teas that are floral

This will be a sipdown when I return from Europe, as I have one sample pack left. At first I thought I wasn’t really going to be into this tea this afternoon. By smell it was very hayish and a bit earthy, reminding me of all the parts of white teas that I usually don’t care for all that much. But then when I started drinking it I really enjoyed it! It was sweet and honeyed, and even a bit floral. Quite a nice afternoon tea, and something to keep me going at my work today.

Sipdown #60

This is a sweet, luscious, creamy, sunshine and hay tea. I have definitely enjoyed Teavivre’s White Peony over everyone else’s. This is where I’ll be returning when it’s time to re-stock my whites. A very enjoyable, quintessential example of this kind of tea.

This was cold-brewed again for 24 or so hours. I used the whole sample pack in the Mason Jar. The brew is strong even for a white tea and quite invigorating. In my previous reviews it was calming and I even suggested a shorter steep time. All in all I am enjoying this creation. Perfect on a summer day. Very cooling and refreshing.

I haven’t felt good all week and haven’t gone to class and it sucks. I think it’s a combination of actually being sick and stupid grass pollen. No rest for the allergic. So after whining about not having any soup, it was finally like hey dummy, you have enough tea to supply a small nation-state’s army. Who needs soup?

I’ve been feeling in the mood for white tea so I figured I would revisit this bai mu dan. First time around I was really getting cucumber from it, I remember. Today it reminds me of straw and some light flowers. I feel like maybe even sauteed zucchini is present too. It really is reminding me of cooked zucchini.

This is definitely feeling nice on my sore throat. And even after all the time I’ve had it, it’s still got that lovely fresh aroma and taste, like I rolled around outside in a field. Except I wouldn’t do that right now, it’s too hot.

We got our box from Teavivre today, so a big thank you to Angel and the rest of the Teavivre team.

I should start this off with a bit of a disclaimer that I wouldn’t consider myself much of a white tea fan. They tend to be subtle and contemplative teas. Maybe more useful to someone with a more discerning palate than my own.

However – this is by far the best white tea I’ve ever had. The flavor itself is still a little subdued, but the heavier feel of this brew really took me for surprise (actually, I’ve felt that way about both of the Teavivre teas I’ve tried now… it’s probably a mark of quality).

There’s a little sweetness to this, and a very… fresh, spring, vegetation taste to it. A light tea with a grassy flavor, and… something, like cucumber skin, or maybe sprouts on the edge. Very very fresh tasting. At the end, there’s a spicier, maybe light peppery flavor to it, reminds me of that same somewhat leafy, peppery taste from a golden Yunnan tea. Not sure if that makes sense.

I don’t think this one is going to make it to the ‘keep’ list, but I’m glad that I tried it. Thanks again Angel!

Special thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sharing this nice white in her very bountiful envelope!

First, I must say that my tasting note on this tea may seem a little different than others that have posted. It may be because I chose to add a little extra leaf in the pot, nonetheless the result is very tasty!

The aroma of the dry leaves are sweet and enticing. There is a certain floral undertone to the wet leaves, similar to blossoming honey suckle. Even though there is sweetness at its base, there is certainly much more. I found the liquid when first poured, to have a distinct aquatic flavor. Only one word that I know how to specify exactly – seaweed! I tried several smaller cups (87ml) to confirm this detection. Yes indeed!

As the cup cools, the grassy pelagic notes soften to a smoother, thicker malty sip. With the body of the tea, there is a certain coppery cocoa-like flavor. One last thing, you also find a touch of astringency towards the end, but your palate is left with a clean, ginger-like taste that lingers nicely.

Very nice cup of tea!

I’ve been on something of a “light and mild” tea kick lately. This is very odd for me considering my normal tastes (pu-erh, dark roasted oolong, and black teas). Yet all day yesterday while I was in the office, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of this Bai Mu Dan sitting lonely (okay, maybe not so lonely) in my cupboard at home. Remembering how the caffeine from the white tea is more likely to send a jolt of electricity (in a good way) through me, I decided to pull out the tea, freshen the water in my electric kettle, and leave it all in plain sight for the morning!

I prepared this tea gong fu style once again. My senses were a bit dulled by having just woken, so I won’t describe the aroma and flavor in as much detail as before, but you can see my previous log on this tea for those details!

As I expected, this tea provided a fresh clarity to my morning and the briskness of the flavor brought my palate alive! I definitely enjoy this tea still and even brought some to keep in my tea drawer in the office so I can utilize its inspiring flavor while stuck at work!