Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Golden Moon Tea
Product Description:
First in the world to find flavored white tea, Golden Moon Tea presents rare white tea enlivened with the nectar of succulent melon. This luxurious delicacy is light, refreshing and exotic.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:My first couple of sips of this tea, I noticed an almost wine-like taste to this tea, and I thought maybe my taste buds were acting up (they do that just before I am about to get sick, and I am hoping I am not about to get sick!) But then I visited Steepster and I noticed that other tasters have indicated a wine-like taste to this tea. It’s very intriguing!
The white tea has a delicate flavor – crisp, sweet and almost effervescent. The melon notes are beautifully balanced with the lightness of the white tea – creating a gentle flavor that is mild and sweet and delicious.
As we are experiencing some mighty cool weather, I chose to drink this hot, and it’s delicious. However, as tasty as it is hot, I am thinking it is even better iced as it has such a refreshing quality to it. This is one to add to your shopping list because when the weather gets warmer, you’ll want to keep a supply of this tea on hand!
White Peony (Bai MuDan) from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
A great White Peony (Bai MuDan) Tea
- Organically grown at Mt. Taimu in Fujian province
- Tea buds covered in white hairs, with one or two new leaves
- Pale orange-yellow color when brewed
- A delicate, slightly flowery, sweet, lingering taste
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I think this very well may be the highest quality Bai Mu Dan tea that I’ve ever experienced. The dry leaves vary in color from light green to silvery white. Most Bai Mu Dan teas that I’ve seen are more of a very light tan to off-white color. These leaves are covered with fluffy, fuzzy hairs, and possess a strong grassy scent. They brew to a beautiful, very pale yellow color that is more pale than it is yellow.
And it tastes so good. So delicate and sweet. There are notes of a grassy/vegetative taste, but it is much softer than the aroma of the dry leaf might suggest. There is a very pleasant creamy note to this tea, it’s very soft and luxurious … like wrapping ones self in a soft, fluffy robe.
There are hints of flower in the distance, and a delicious honey-esque sweetness to this cup. The sweetness lingers well into the aftertaste. There is no bitterness to this tea, and very little astringency. The cup is quite smooth from start to finish.
If you’re new to white tea, and what to experience one of the very best available, this tea should be on your MUST TRY list.
Ceylon Silver Tips from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Product Description:
Carefully hand picked tender buds from Glentilt Estate in Sri-Lanka (Ceylon).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the nicest white teas I’ve encountered. From start to finish, it is such a joy! The leaves are just like the picture above: long needles, and that same silvery-white color! They are covered in fuzz. They have a light scent that is slightly grassy, reminding me of a freshly cut grass smell in spring.
The color of the liquor is very pale – in fact, had I not measured the tea myself, I would have thought maybe someone to put tea in the teapot. In fact, everything about this tea is light: the color, the scent, and the flavor.
But, don’t mistake that for being flavorless, because it isn’t. Delicate, yes … but, it is also so delicious. It tastes fresh with hints of flower in the distance. It has a creamy taste and texture to it. It is crisp and soothing. It is delicious sipped hot, and it even tastes great as it cools.
What I like best about this tea is that it has a very relaxing quality to it, I sipped it later in the evening and found that it let me just enjoy my evening, but I also find my thoughts traveling back to the thoughts of this tea. It has that memorable kind of quality to it.
If you love white tea, you really should try this one. You’ll be glad you did.
Moon Swirl White Tips from Imperial Tea Garden
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Imperial Tea Garden
Product Description:
At 16.65% by dry weight, moon swirl green tea is one of the highest polyphenol antioxidant teas rated by independent lab tests. The quality of this hand made luxury green tea is evident from the fuzzy white tips that slowly unfurl with each steep. Moon Swirl White Tip is grown at nearly 5000 feet above sea level in the mountains of the Hunan Province. The early spring growth is hand plucked from only the top buds and skillfully rolled by hand. When infused, the grass, wheat, and mild sweetness are well balanced with assertive astringency. Due to these conditions, only a few thousand kilos are manufactured per year.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This tea is incredible. Truly enchanting; this tea seems to draw me in deeper with each sip, revealing more of itself to me as I sip it.
The first couple of sips were remarkably sweet and smooth. By mid-cup, a dry, cleansing astringency develops, which prepares the palate for the next sip. The flavor is of sweet grass and hints of hay, reminding me of the air in the hay fields of the small town where I grew up. On the days when the hay would be harvested and bailed, you could actually taste the hay in the air.
But, this tea has a lightness to it too, which makes the aforementioned comparison to the air quite apropos; it has a clean, pure kind of taste to it that reminds me quite a bit of a white tea.
Overall, I’m finding this tea to taste incredibly fresh and delicious. No bitterness to speak of, although if you wish to keep the astringency to a minimum, steep at a lower temperature. I don’t find the astringency bothersome, in fact, I like the way it refreshes the palate. It has a natural sweetness to it, this is one that doesn’t need sweetening as the addition may overwhelm the delicate balance of flavors here.
An excellent green tea, not too vegetative a flavor, but enough to remind you of what you’re drinking, and a very memorable sweetness. Very nice.
On the Ninth Day of Christmas, 52Teas Sent to Me …
Today’s tea is another one of my favorites from this past year. I seem to have more hits than misses when it comes to 52Teas, but, I suppose that is what makes them my favorite tea company. Not only does Frank manage to create some really unusual and totally unique flavored teas, but, he does it well. He doesn’t just toss flavoring in with some tea leaves and call it a blend. He takes the time to create something that tastes as good and interesting as it sounds. Having been a tea artist, I can speak from experience and say that it is NOT easy. But, Frank makes it look easy because it is a rare occasion when I’m actually disappointed by one of his teas. Most of the time, I’m just as pleased as can be with his creations.
And today’s blend is no exception. He brought back some cherished childhood memories with this tea blend.
For the ninth tea of Christmas, 52Teas gave to me …
I wasn’t allowed to drink a lot of soda as a kid, which, looking back now, I think was a good thing. I was pretty frustrated with it as a kid though, because all I drank was water and punch (aka Kool-Aid, which was made with saccharine – YUCK!) There was a rare occasion as a child when we would visit my father’s best friend, he would make me a special “cocktail” consisting of ginger ale, ice and a maraschino cherry. It looked much like the glass on the label. It made me feel grown up to have a drink that at least looked like the adults drinks, even if it didn’t taste like it (and truth be told, I still prefer the way the ginger ale would taste over a mixed drink).
And then, there was the even more rare occasion when I might be sick to my stomach, and was allowed to drink “flat” ginger ale, which was supposed to settle my stomach (according to my step-mom). Those were the only two times I was really allowed to have soda (unless we were out to eat, which was an even more rare occasion), and both times involved Ginger Ale. So, Ginger Ale is kind of a special beverage for me, and Frank has managed to capture that flavor very well in this tea.
Like the other teas in this 12 Teas of Christmas series, I have reviewed this tea previously … and I love it now as much as I loved it then.