Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
The sweet cream notes of our Organic Bai Mu Dan compliment the cantaloupe and cream notes. This tea starts with vegetal and floral notes that quickly develop into mouth watering cantaloupe and cream notes. Try with our Brown Crystal Sugar for a sweet dessert treat. Our Cantaloupe & Cream won 3rd place in the Flavored White Tea category of the 2012 Spring Hot Tea Class at the North American Tea Championship.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh yum! Seriously … this is so very good! No big surprise, really, because I can’t think of any tea from Butiki Teas that I’ve really disliked … but, what does surprise me is how long it took me to get around to trying this amazing tea! It is so good!
From the moment that I poured the hot water into my teapot to start the infusion process, I knew I was in for a treat. A strong melon note filled the kitchen! It smelled as though I had just cut into a fresh cantaloupe (although, I guess the proper term would be muskmelon – as from what I understand, here in the US the melons we think of as cantaloupe are actually muskmelon).
The first few sips possess stronger notes of cream than of cantaloupe, and this cream taste is reminiscent of fresh, raw milk. I’ve only had fresh, raw milk maybe a handful of times in my lifetime, and all of these occasions were in my youth, but my memories of these occasions are fond. I really liked it. It might not have been as safe for me to drink as homogenized milk, but, I’m still alive and kicking, so it must not have been too bad for me.
Just before I reach the “mid-cup” point, the flavors begin to shift a little bit, with the creamy notes waning and the cantaloupe emerging into the forefront. YUM! Sweet, juicy cantaloupe!
This blend also includes helichrysum blossoms, and this is a flower that I have no experience with (at least, none that I can recall) and I don’t know how much flavor this flower contributes to the overall cup. I will say, though, that it does add a bit of beauty to the dry leaf.
What a combination of flavors! Usually when I’ve eaten cantaloupe, it has either been on its own or with other fruits as part of a fresh fruit plate, but, I don’t think I’ve ever had cantaloupe and cream before … and it’s really good. I might just have to indulge in something like this once cantaloupe is in season again.
Delicious!
