Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
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About this Blend:
Murmur starts with a white peony base which features the signature unopened tea bud and two accompanying leaves. This tea has beautiful delicate notes of juicy honeydew drizzled in honey, with accents of darker fruit and chocolate. Next, the strawberries are added to accent the white peony’s fruity notes and add a little tartness to the back of the palate. Lastly the cacao nibs contribute to the rich, classic chocolate taste that pops mid palate.
Read more about Handmade Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I mentioned in part 1 of this review, I wanted to approach reviewing this tea by reviewing three separate tastings. The first part of this review featured my first tasting of the actual blend “Murmur” as blended by Handmade tea. This article will feature the last two tastings: the second tasting will be of the White Peony Tea base, while the third will be of a taster’s improved batch of Murmur, with extra strawberries and cacao nibs.
Second Tasting
This is a decent Bai Mu Dan. It’s of good quality, beautifully colored leaves ranging from a pale, silvery green to a light tan. These leaves are broken, but I wouldn’t say that they’re “crushed” – I’ve seen larger, whole leaves with some of the higher quality White Peony teas that I’ve encountered, while I’ve encountered some crushed, tiny leaves. These are somewhere in the middle – appearing more whole than broken, and I was happy to see the tiny, silvery hairs on the leaves, indicating that these leaves have been handled well. White Peony is a delicate tea, and it should be handled as such!
As for the taste, it is good. Delicately flavored – that’s to be expected – with distant notes of vegetation and a soft, velvet-y mouthfeel. Some fruity notes, but interestingly enough, I found that when it’s part of the blend, the melon-esque tones of this tea really seem to emerge. The addition of the dried strawberries and cacao nibs emphasized the subtle melon notes of the tea, allowing this taster to explore some of the nuances that I might have otherwise missed with the pure Bai Mu Dan.
Third Tasting
For this third and final tasting (at least, for reviewing purposes), I decided to add what was left of the freeze-dried strawberries and the cacao nibs to the large tin of blended tea. I say “what was left” because my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, had tried and reviewed this tea before I did, so she also used some of the berries and cacao. The two sampler tins were about half-full when I got them, and I emptied the entire contents of both small sampler tins into the blended tea and gave them a gentle shake to combine.
I have to say, that of the three tastings, this one is my favorite. The chocolate is stronger, and the strawberry flavor also emerges somewhat stronger – although because this is a “blended” tea and not a “flavored” one, neither flavor is particularly strong. If you were to taste a chocolate strawberry flavored tea that was flavored by a reputable company side-by-side with this blended tea, they’d taste very different.
But that’s not to say that this is not good – I really like this, and with a white tea, this blended approach really works well because it keeps the flavors subtle so that the white tea is not overwhelmed. Instead, it seems to be celebrated with the strawberries and cacao bringing out flavors that I didn’t notice when drinking the pure White Peony Tea.
Overall, a very tasty tea that offers a pleasant, contemplative cup when you want one … or just really refreshing taste that calms and soothes you when you just want to relax and contemplate nothing!
Murmur from Handmade Tea, part 1
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
About this Blend:
Murmur starts with a white peony base which features the signature unopened tea bud and two accompanying leaves. This tea has beautiful delicate notes of juicy honeydew drizzled in honey, with accents of darker fruit and chocolate. Next, the strawberries are added to accent the white peony’s fruity notes and add a little tartness to the back of the palate. Lastly the cacao nibs contribute to the rich, classic chocolate taste that pops mid palate.
Read more about Handmade Tea here.
NOTE: this tea was the tea of the month for February, 2012. However, I did notice that – after a quick visit to the Handmade Tea website, that this particular tea is offered on FAB for just a couple more days! So if you’re interested, you need to act now! Also worth mentioning, Caleb at Handmade Tea is offering a 15% discount on the first month’s subscription to Steepster members who subscribe to the monthly service. Read more about that discount here.
Taster’s Review:
I want to approach this review a little differently (as you have probably already noticed!) because, really, this tea and tea company are a little different from any other that I’ve yet to encounter. This tea is true to its name, it is truly a handmade tea – something that you, the consumer, could have easily crafted yourself with the right tools at your disposal. This tea required no real skill in tea flavoring, because it is NOT a flavored tea. It is a blend that falls somewhere between tisane and tea. It takes high quality, pure, unflavored loose leaf tea and mixes with it dried fruit, spices, and other components to create something that is a little like a fruit tisane and a little like a pure, whole leaf tea.
Let me start by telling you a little bit about the packaging and what is included with each package. Each box is tied with red twine and sealed with a wax seal which adds a touch of class and makes one feel like they’re getting something very special. Inside the twine sealed box is a large tin of tea that holds the blended tea. In this case, it is a white peony blend with dried strawberries and cacao nibs. There are also three tiny tins which hold small amounts of each of the components: one for white peony tea, one for dried strawberries, and one for cacao nibs. These individual components allow you to personalize your experience further. Wand a little more strawberries? Add them! More chocolate-y flavor? Make it so! Or maybe you’d just like to eat the strawberries right there at your kitchen counter. Sure, go right ahead!
So, let’s get right down to it. I’m going to do three separate tastings of this tea. The first time, I’m going to taste the blend as I received it. The second, I’m going to taste the white peony on its own. And then, I’m going to customize it by adding a few more strawberries and cacao nibs.
First Tasting
If you’re expecting chocolate covered strawberries – you’re going to be sorely disappointed. This … isn’t a flavored tea. That is why I decided to craft this review differently to begin with … this initial tasting. I wanted a strong chocolate and strawberry presence, and it isn’t there. A wee bit disappointing when you’re expecting one thing and you get another… HOWEVER… this IS really quite good, so it is a little weird for me to say I’m disappointed. Instead, I would want to say that this isn’t a chocolate covered strawberry experience. This is a white tea experience with hints of strawberry and chocolate.
What I taste mostly is white tea. Nothing wrong with that: this is an excellent white peony! Sweet with honey-like tones and hints of melon. I notice a dew-like taste to this, a taste that evokes thoughts of those early spring mornings when the new spring leaves and grass are sparkling with dew drops. It is vegetative and fresh tasting, and overall, it hosts a beautiful delicateness to it.
About mid-sip, I notice the chocolate. It doesn’t really pop in like “HEY! I’M HERE!” instead it sort of creeps into the taste buds awareness … as if it is being drizzled over the palate. The chocolate is subtle and smooth … but very delicious. I wish it was stronger, of course, and it will be in my third tasting of this tea!
Finally, the strawberry creeps in at the finish, and lingers into the aftertaste, offering that berry taste that I’d experience if I were to bite into a fresh berry. After I’ve eaten the berry, the aftertaste that remains… it’s that same aftertaste. Sweet yet tart. Not strong or overwhelmingly present, but, there in the aftertaste, haunting the taste buds with strawberry goodness.
Overall, this first cup of Murmur tea was really delicious, even if it didn’t fulfill my expectations … I still really enjoyed it.
I will be writing a second part to this review which will publish in a few days time which will include my impressions of the tasting of the white peony on its own, as well as the tasting of the customized cuppa.