Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: thepuriTEA
Tea Description:
Also known as “Bai Mu Dan,” White Peony is an excellent everyday white tea with a full flavor that appeals to many black-tea drinkers. Each spring in Fujian, China, it is hand-plucked as sets of two leaves for each bud, and then minimally processed for a nuanced flavor and high level of antioxidants. White Peony’s pale golden brew has complexly woodsy, floral aromas with hints of cocoa, peaches and apricots. Its layered, full, woodsy, bittersweet flavor is almost reminiscent of our Golden Yunnan black tea. Its light, clean aftertaste makes it a perfect tea for pairing with honey-drizzled apricots or toasted English muffins with butter and honey.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This White Peony Tea from thepuriTea is amazing … it certainly qualifies as one of the best Bai Mu Dan teas I’ve ever had. I shouldn’t be surprised, of course, because thepuriTea seldom fails to impress me … in fact, I can’t think of a time when they have failed to impress me with their teas.
The flavor is so surprising. My first sip, I tasted creaminess: sweet, luscious, creaminess! After that first sip, my palate began to explore many of the flavors that are suggested in the description above. Yes, I taste the notes of cocoa – and they are profound! I taste sweet peaches. I taste a hint of flower in the distance, and a slight woody/oaky taste.
And while most Bai Mu Dan teas tend to be very delicate … this one is much fuller flavored. It does have that lighter quality … this is not a black tea, after all, but from the moment I take a sip, my palate is greeted with so much flavor … it doesn’t have to go searching for it.
What I’m not noticing much of here, are strong notes of vegetation or of hay … which are often found in Bai Mu Dan. That’s why I find this cup so surprising. I enjoy those vegetal and hay notes in other Bai Mu Dan – don’t get me wrong! – but, it was nice to try this cup and discover something a little different!
I’m sure you’re probably thinking, oh, sure, it’s just a Bai Mu Dan … and you’ve tried one, you’ve tried them all. Not true! And the same can be said with just about any type of tea … don’t think that just because you’ve tried one type of tea that you won’t like that tea from any company. It is important to taste around … and discover new teas! Otherwise, you may just be missing out on a new favorite!
Amore’ from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
The Amore loose leaf white tea features a beautiful blend of organic flower-scented white loose-leaf teas, wild roses, organic peppermint and seasonally selected botanicals.
With its refreshing and aromatic qualities, drinking a cup of Amore white tea makes a great occasion for an after meal pick-up, or for sipping in the evening with someone you love.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Amore’ from The Persimmon Tree is a beautiful tea to look at and I find it to be so soothing, relaxing, and just calming. I always have a cup of tea beside me on the table when I fall asleep at night, even if I don’t finish it, I just like to know a cup is there. This tea will be a perfect bedside companion!
Delicate big white tea leaves that look all fluffy like clouds or a big squishy pillow, pretty roses, the soothing, breathe easy aroma of mint, what more could one ask for at night?
I have found that I do not love mint teas the way that I once did, yet my love for floral teas has developed more. I still like mint, but I appreciate the floral aspect of this tea more so than the mint aspect that I used to love. I feel the balance in this tea airs a bit more on the mint side but the floral does come through wonderfully as does the white base.
Everything about this tea tastes natural. I have done a lot of essential oil and herb blending in my days and I can say that I do not detect anything less than natural in this tea blend. Plus organic elements are used which I respect greatly!
I have taken some quotes from The Persimmon Tree’s “About Us” page located here and I could not agree more!
“Simply put, tea is one of life’s rewarding pleasures. It makes us feel better by giving us a relaxing escape from life’s hectic pace.”
“A cup of tea can wake you up in the morning, compliment your afternoon, or take you away to a restful place in the evening. The tea-brewing ritual is one that can be therapeutic, enjoyable, social, and even sacred.”
I could not agree more especially when it comes to this tea, being so soothing, relaxing, calming. I think I like this even more than a chamomile tea for bedtime although I swear I do taste chamomile in here.
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Also as an added bonus The Persimmon Tree is offering SororiTea Sister readers a special discount which you can use between now and 1/31/2012. Just use the code SororiTea-Amore-0113 at check out for 20% off this Amore White Tea!
Pink Sonoma Wine Infused White Tea from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
We are proud to introduce our newest wine infused tea, the Pink Sonoma!
Thoroughly saturated with the flavor of a light cabernet, Pink Sonoma is based on the sweetness of a strong white tea. We have given this base a powerful floral aroma and body by adding a good measure of rose petals, as well as a light touch of jasmine. Try steeping Pink Sonoma in boiling water for a little over two minutes, at a ration of one teaspoon tea leaf each five ounces of water.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve said on many occasions that I’m not a big wine drinker. My husband has been trying a few wines lately and has been enjoying them, and is trying to get me back in to wine (I used to drink them more some years ago, but now I prefer my tea, thank you very much!) But I must say that if I were given a glass of wine and I took a sip and it tasted like this, I’d happily finish the glass and might even consider another.
This is a beautifully floral tasting tea – I like that it’s floral but it isn’t overdone. Notes of rose with hints of jasmine add a lovely sweetness to the cup without tasting perfume-y or soapy. These floral notes accent the wine notes as well as the flavor of the white tea.
The wine is pleasant, with fruit tones – a soft grape, maybe a hint of apple in there. Crisp and enjoyable, a flavor that seems to glide over the palate easily.
The white tea is not overpowered by these flavors, either. It is a soft taste, not vegetative, exactly, and not of hay or other notes that I often taste with white tea … it just tastes of white tea – soft and delicate.
Served hot, this tea has an agreeable flavor, but I think I prefer it iced. Even though the weather is such that I seldom enjoy iced tea right now, after trying this one hot, I decided I’d let it cool and try it iced. And I must say, this is so much more refreshing chilled. The fruit notes really pop, and the overall cup is very sweet and flavorful … this is one I might stock up on when the warm weather returns!
SororiTea’s Tri Pi Chai from Uniq Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White & Black Teas
Where to Buy: Uniq Teas
Tea Description:
Started with a White Chai Base added a hint of Caramel & Raspberry. Aromatic, Spicy, Sweet, fruit and vegetal notes underneath with a overall medium strength flavor. A Sororitea Sisters White/Black Tea Blend.
Taster’s Review:
After enjoying my own blend from Uniq Teas, I really looked forward to trying the blends that my SororiTea Sisters created. This SororiTea’s Tri Pi Chai was crafted by Jennifer aka TeaEqualsBliss, and she used a base of White Chai, and blended that with a touch of Caramel Black tea and Raspberry Black tea.
And I really like this. I like that I taste both the black and the white tea here, the white tea isn’t overpowered by the black tea. The black tea tastes like a lighter black tea – imagine resteeping the leaves of a black tea twice … the flavor would be significantly lighter, and that’s what I taste here. I still get the essence of the earthy, black tea flavor but, it’s lighter than a typical black tea – not so robust and strong.
The white tea is actually the stronger of the two teas, and it tastes fresh and delicate and there is a creaminess to it that complements the flavor of the caramel quite nicely.
The spiciness of the chai is fairly mild, I taste cardamom and cinnamon, and maybe just a hint of ginger. There’s just a touch of that prickly, peppery taste of the ginger that hits the back of the tongue. And the lemongrass adds a brightness to the cup … it doesn’t taste overly citrus-y … it’s just sort of … bright.
The caramel is soft, as is the raspberry. I think that the raspberry is a little stronger than the caramel … or at least, it’s more noticeable in this cup. It tastes sweet, tart, and has that berry tingle in the aftertaste. The caramel is more like a presence of sweetness rather than an obvious caramel-y taste.
Overall, this is something I really enjoyed. I really like how the flavors come together and provide a taste that is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, a little bit tart and a whole lot of tasty!
Cantaloupe & Cream Tea from Butiki Teas
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!