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.
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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 Tea from Handmade Tea
Tea Type: White Tea
Where To Buy: Handmade Tea
Product Description:
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.
Tasters Review:
I’m very saddened by the news of Davy Jones’s passing. I am a HUGE life-long Monkees Fan. He was my favorite. I especially LOVED the episode of the Brady Bunch he appeared in – taking Marcia to Prom. A friend of mine had a mutual admiration for him and told me today she, too, swooned over him! I’m sure we are not the only two who’s hearts he made sputter. I had two cups-worth of this tea today in his memory! RIP Davy Jones! You will be missed!
I seriously LOVE the whole concept of this company! Everything about the company shouts QUALITY!
Caleb from Handmade Tea sent us a good size tin of this lovely white tea offering along with 3 small sample tins. In each sample tin were each of the 3 individual ingredients that were in this tea. He does this because we wants tea lovers and his customers to be able to see, touch/feel, and smell each of the ingredients stand-alone. Another PLUS for doing this is if a specific tea drinker would like a little extra of one flavor in the tea they are able to add a little more if they wish! GENIUS! How many times have we said…I wish such and such had a little bit more (enter ingredient here).
Caleb also sends great information along with the tea! This is wonderful! It tells me he’s really taken the time and effort with his tea offerings!
His packaging is just as impressive! Like I mentioned above the tins are wonderful but the labels are great as well! And…the brown fitted boxes that hold the tins that hold the tea are neat, too! He secures the box with twine and presses a good-ole-fashion wax seal on top!
As for this specific tea…I think it’s very good! I have to say the White Peony, alone, is right up there with the best quality of Peony I have tried! The dried strawberries are amazing! The cacao nibs are mixed sparingly thru-out the loose leaf mix…I must admit I purposely added a little more from the sample tin! I TOTALLY LOVE THE FACT I CAN DO THIS!!!!
The flavor is great! The Peony and Strawberry combo is the highlight and the cacao is like a back-up dancer! Very nice!
Bai Mu Dan from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
Other Names: Bai Mu Dan Tea, Pai Mu Dan Tea, White Pekoe Tea
White Peony undergoes very little processing. Made from just the unopened silvery buds and the small, top two leaves it is picked in spring and gently withered to yield a refreshing, easy-drinking tea, full of soft fruit flavours and melon notes with a lingering sweet aftertaste.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea that I’m tasting from the “Migration” themed Steepster Select Package. At first, I kind of wondered why a Bai Mu Dan would be offered as part of a “Migration” theme … but after opening the pouch, I understood. The leaves are crisp and dry, just like the fallen leaves that cover the ground this time of year.
The tea these beautiful, whole leaves produces is exquisite! Definitely one of the very best Bai Mu Dan teas I’ve yet to taste. It is surprisingly rich and flavorful. Many White Peony/Bai Mu Dan teas that I’ve tried in the past tend to be somewhat pale in flavor – delicate – but, this is not a typical Bai Mu Dan!
It possesses a delightfully sweet flavor and as the description above suggests, I taste the melon notes! That melon flavors intensify as the tea cools. There is very little vegetative/grassy taste to this Bai Mu Dan. Instead, I taste a crisp, clean, and sweet delicious flavor unlike any other Bai Mu Dan I’ve tasted in recent memory. Sure, many of those white teas tasted good, maybe even great, but, this one stands out as exceptional.
Organic White Peony (Ba Mu Dan) from Teavivre
Tea Type:
White Tea
Where To Buy:
Teavivre
Product Description:
Origin: Organically grown at Mt. Taimu in Fuding, Fujian, China
Ingredients: Made from one or two leaf buds covered with fine downy white hairs
Harvest time: Hand-picked in March, 2011
Taste: A delicate, slightly flowery, sweet, lingering taste
Brew: 2-3 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)
Health Benefits: White Peony tea undergoes minimal processing and so it retains all the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that all white teas are renowned for.
Certifications: The particular Organic White Peony (Bai MuDan) tea that TeaVivre is selling, is guaranteed to be organically grown and produced, independently verified to meet USDA, EU, JAS organic certifications.
Tasters Review:
Normally it’s hit and miss with me with flowery teas BUT there is something about pure white Peony that I generally enjoy! This one is no exception! It’s Top-Notch! Pure, Clean, Crisp! Slightly sweet and slightly floral. A bit juicy and velvety as well!
This tea gets a thumbs up from me! This is a nice relaxing white tea that I would recommend to just about anyone!
White Peony from Rishi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Rishi Tea
Company Description:
White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) is the most common style of traditional white tea and consists of two tealeaves and a silvery bud. Bai Mu Dan is prized for its smooth, sweet flavor and slightly woody, toasted aroma. Gentle processing and a unique withering process result in an amber-orange infusion with low astringency, weighty mouth-feel and a mild flavor that pairs well with most foods.
Taster’s Review:
Several years ago, I wasn’t really “hip” to white tea. I had tried a few, and the few that I had tried were very delicate in taste, almost to the point of tasting a bit like a cup of hot water that’s been slightly tinted. I could find very little flavor in the big, silvery tea leaves covered in snowy fuzz.
Then I started playing around with brewing times and temperatures. And I found that when I would brew a white tea at a lower temperature (around 165°F) and for a longer period of time (about 4 minutes) – I would extract a good deal of flavor out of the white tea – and I fell in love with it!
White Peony – also known as Bai Mu Dan – is one of the more popular varieties of white teas. Despite the name (Bai Mu Dan means White Peony in Chinese) this is not a floral scented or flavored tea. It has a very smooth and sweet flavor that has a gentle vegetative quality to it. Not harsh or grassy, the vegetative note is very pleasant, tasting a bit like roasted asparagus – but softer. There are hints of wood and nut to it as well as a very delicate floral note in the finish. It leaves a very luxurious feel in the mouth, very silky!
This tea is absolutely delightful. Because I brew it at such a low temperature, it’s a very nice tea to enjoy even on a warm summer afternoon.