Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Golden Tips
Tea Description:
Handpicked from the most delicate and tender portions of the tea bush, early morning and just before sunrise, this Okayti White is a class apart. The fluffy silver needles are manufactured to perfection and display an opulence only found in certain select White teas. The nose to the infusion is superb with a delicate character combined with grassy notes which follow sweet hints of honey. The liquor is pale and almost colourless. The flowery character in the flavor is extremely complex and perfectly fruity. With no grassiness at all, the flavor keeps on developing in the mouth once you keep rolling it for a few seconds till it peaks and flushes your mouth with a unique sweetness. If you love white tea, you should not miss this.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, this is a lovely white Darjeeling! It seems like the Darjeeling region focuses primarily on their black tea production, but I find that the white, green and Oolong offerings that I’ve tried to be just as delightful – if not more so! – as the black teas and so when I do discover a white Darjeeling like this one from Golden Tips, I’m a very happy sipper!
To brew this tea, I used my 2 cup teapot (it’s a little ceramic teapot) and I ‘eyeballed’ a measurement of leaves that is approximately 2 bamboo scoops. (These leaves are very fluffy and difficult to measure with an actual bamboo scoop. So I must imagine that my hand is the bamboo scoop.) Then I poured water heated to 170°F into the teapot, put the lid on the teapot and let the tea steep for 3 1/2 minutes. Then I strained the tea into my brand new mug that my daughter gave me for Christmas.
And ah! This is truly a delight to sip.
The flavor is delicate – it is a white tea! – but not as delicate as you might expect! This has a stronger, more assertive flavor than a Chinese Silver Needle, but it’s certainly not as assertive as another leaf type.
It’s sweet with a very pleasant, thick texture. The description above suggests floral notes, and I am tasting those, but I’m also tasting delicious notes of melon and sweet grape. The sweetness comes not only from these fruit notes but also a honey-esque sweetness. There is an enjoyable balance between the fruity notes, floral tones and honeyed sweetness and I like how these play on the palate.
And this is a white tea! That means multiple infusions!
The second cup is darker in color. The first cup was quite light, almost colorless! This time there’s more of a light yellow-amber color to the cup. The flavor is stronger too, but I’m finding that balance between the fruit, floral and honey notes to remain. Each of those flavors is stronger with the second infusion but the flavors are still balanced. The texture seems a little thinner than the first cup and the best way I can think of to describe this difference is that the first cup was almost “creamy” in the consistency although it didn’t taste creamy. The texture of this cup isn’t as creamy.
With later infusions, I noticed the flavors change a little. The honey notes softened somewhat and I started to pick up on distant nutty tones. The tea is still sweet, just not as honey-like. I started to pick up on orchid notes. I could taste floral notes throughout, but I couldn’t really distinguish the flower I was tasting and as I continued to steep these leaves I began to taste more defined notes of orchid and maybe even a hint of honeysuckle.
The grape notes started to become more wine-like to me, too. Like a gentle white wine, but not such a dry or astringent finish as I’d experience from a white wine. Quite lovely!
If you’re one who tends to avoid white teas because you find that they taste too delicate for you, try a Darjeeling white tea like this Okayti Silver Needle. I think you’ll find the flavor more pronounced and much more satisfying!
Tink’s Fairy Dust White Tea Blend from Tealee
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Tealee
Tisane Description:
There’s something magical about this aromatic combination of soothing ingredients. Perfect for the moments you find yourself day dreaming about Neverland.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf aroma is absolutely beautiful! I smell strong notes of lavender and I love the way they meld with the lime leaves. Lovely!
To brew this tea, I used my Breville One Touch – yeah, I don’t usually use my Breville to brew white teas, but because the leaf is a little smaller here, I felt comfortable using the Breville this time. I measured 2 heaping bamboo scoops into the basket of the tea maker and poured 500ml of water into the kettle. I set the timer for 3 1/2 minutes and the temperature for 165°F. Then I let the machine do it’s thing.
The brewed tea is almost as beautifully fragrant as the dry leaf. This is a tea that you want to inhale deeply when you lift the cup to your lips – smell it first! – and then take a sip. It will make the experience even more enjoyable!
Nice! I was a little worried when I smelled the strong lavender – I worried that maybe the lavender had been overdone. Too much lavender ends up tasting too perfume-ish or soapy and even though I love lavender, I don’t want to drink something that tastes like I should be bathing in it instead.
Fortunately, the lavender is just right! It is strong enough to offer a powerful aromatic experience but not so powerful that I am not able to enjoy the flavor as much as I enjoy the fragrance. This is really lovely!
The lavender is the strongest flavor of the cup, and it has a sweet flavor that is distinctly lavender. Sweet and floral, but not perfume-ish. When I drink teas with lavender, I feel an almost instant “calming” effect and I don’t know if that’s because my brain knows that it just drank lavender and lavender has that effect on me, but I’m starting to feel that – I feel relaxed and as I continue to sip, I feel myself becoming more and more calm.
The lime leaves taste light and citrus-y, and this citrus note is especially noticed in the aftertaste. I can feel a distinct “lime” note on my tongue – as if I just had tasted a tiny bit of lime. I like the way the lime notes play with the lavender – it’s an unexpected but delightful flavor combination.
The white tea is a delicate flavor. It’s soft and sweet. It’s a nice base for these flavors, because a more aggressive tea would be less “calming” and I like the way the lavender is soothing me.
A really pleasant blend! Tealee has some really enticing tea blends on their website. Lots of teas to explore!
1997 Light Green 7582 Private Order Pu-erh Tea from White Two Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: White Two Tea
Tea Description:
This cake is made from the Menghai factory recipe 7582, composed of many larger leaves. This production was made on private order at a smaller factory between 1995-1999, we decided to take the median of the age and list it as 1997, though we can not pinpoint an exact year. The tea is already smooth and easy to drink. There is some humidity that still shows up in early steeps.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about White Two Tea’s Tea Club Subscription here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice!
The aroma of the dry leaf is delicate and earthy. It’s not a strong fragrance which I sometimes find in an aged tea. I’m glad the earthy notes are rather subtle here because it’s usually that really strong, earthy scent that I find off-putting. This is not off-putting at all.
To brew it, I grabbed my gaiwan. I eyeballed a measurement of leaf (the sampling I received from White Two Tea had been broken off the cake) and placed it in my gaiwan. After having brewed cake pu-erh enough times, I’ve gotten to the point where I can recognize by sight how much tea is “the right amount.”
As I said, the sampling had already been broken off the cake, but a couple of the pieces were a little thicker, so I took a knife and I split the leaves apart so that I’d get a proper infusion.
I brought the water in my kettle to 185° and I poured enough water into my gaiwan to cover the leaves. Then I let that steep for 15 seconds and strained off the liquid, discarding it. This is a “rinse” or a reawakening of the leaves. I find this step is crucial for the best tasting cup of tea.
Then I filled the gaiwan with more water (same temperature) and let it steep for 45 seconds and strained it into my little teacup.
Ah … this is lovely! It’s sweet and mellow. The earthiness is perhaps the most pleasant earthiness I’ve yet to taste from a pu-erh. There have been times when the earthy qualities are just not pleasant at all. They taste a bit more like earth than they do earthy, if you get what I’m saying. But, this is more like the flavor of a mushroom. That’s the kind of earthy I like.
It’s not brine-y. It doesn’t taste fishy. It’s remarkably smooth with no astringency and no bitterness. It’s a really lovely cup of tea. And since it’s a pu-erh, I can take this for several infusions (and by several infusions – when it comes to pu-erh – I mean more than 3 or 4!)
The second infusion presented a slightly deeper flavor than the first. Earthy, and I’m starting to pick up on the development of a caramel-y like flavor. Very pleasant. Mild. Smooth. A hint of a vegetative flavor that complements the aforementioned mushroom note.
The flavor kept getting deeper with each subsequent infusion. It remained very mellow, smooth and sweet. The sweetness develops from a caramel-y note to more of a dark molasses-y type of flavor.
I picked up on notes of raw cacao in later infusions. I’m also picking up on a mineral-y quality and a slight ‘tangy’ note to it. Not astringent tangy, but as if someone had squeezed a lime on my tongue but without the distinct lime note.
I really enjoyed this tea – the first that I’ve tried from this new-to-me company! I found this experience to be quite encouraging of what is to come!
White Vanilla Peppermint Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Polar bears? Candy canes? It’s that time of the year again! Yay consumerism! Yay tasty things! So hop on board the capitalism train, and try out a bag of our exclusive limited-edition White Vanilla Peppermint black tea blend! It has tea from Australia if you can even believe it. It tastes like a polar bear got into a fight with a mint plant that exploded all over your face. Seriously, try it.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m really enjoying the teas this company I found on Etsy! The holiday blends are really unique. I love that they didn’t go the standard orange spice holiday blend route. Don’t get me wrong! I enjoy those orange spice blends, but, it’s nice to find something that ventures off the beaten path, you know?
And this blend is different from any other holiday blend I’ve yet to try. Mint is a popular “holiday” flavor, but M&K’s decided to change the mint a bit by adding licorice to the blend. I like the way the licorice cuts through some of those strong minty notes to give this more of a candy-like flavor than a mouthwash-y one. The sweet candy-ish taste is enhanced further with the addition of creamy vanilla.
And let’s not forget the black tea in this – because M&K’s didn’t! This has a strong, full-flavored black tea base that’s rich and has a hefty impact. It’s the kind of tea that I imagine I’d want for Christmas morning when my daughter wakes me up at the crack of dawn to open presents.
I like the way everything comes together in this blend. The peppermint is cool and refreshing. The licorice adds a sharp, snappy flavor that I like. The vanilla softens the sharper edges of the licorice and tones down the peppermint a little bit.
The black tea offers a lot of interest to this blend too, I’m tasting hints of smoke. I like the way that wisp of smoke melds with these other flavors, it sort of tastes like Christmas Day: it’s around 9 am. All the presents have been opened and you’re relaxing before you start working on that holiday dinner. There’s a fire roaring in your fireplace and you’re curled up next to the warmth of the fire and sipping on tea and enjoying something sweet that Santa left you in your stocking. That’s what this tea tastes like!
It’s a nice (and different) holiday blend!
Black Currant Flavored Iced White Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Southern Boy Teas
Tea Description:
Now THIS is the good stuff. Don’t let the uncomplicated, single flavor of this tea give you the impression that is is some humdrum tea. This is a BEAUTIFUL blend of premium shou mei fannings with organic black currant flavors. This is a crowd-pleaser and a thirst-quencher. You’re going to want a few of these, trust me.
Learn more about this iced tea here.
Learn how to subscribe to SBT’s tea of the week here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! I was so excited to try the first White Iced Tea from Southern Boy Teas. And it looks like SBT chose one of my favorite white tea creations from 52Teas to work with, the Black Currant Bai Mu Dan! The 52Teas blend tasted amazing iced and this does too!
Of course, this Black Currant White Iced Tea was made with a Shou Mei base rather than a Bai Mu Dan so it’s a little different right from the off. But this is still every bit as refreshing as I remember that tea tasting. Tart black currant flavor that contrasts with the sweet white tea base. These two components were made for one another!
The Shou Mei is also a stronger tasting tea than a typical Bai Mu Dan. It’s sweet and hay-like. I like the crisp, airy flavor that reminds me of the way the air tastes after a hay cutting. You have to be out where they cut hay to experience that, of course. I grew up in such a place. Or, if you don’t want to take a drive out to the country, you can just brew a pitcher of this iced tea and get some of that same flavor in a glass.
Actually, I think that the iced tea is better than the air in the country. The air in the country can sometimes also smell a bit like the cows and horses that eat the hay. And that’s not my favorite smell.
To brew this tea, I went with the hot brew method. I heated 1 quart of water in the kettle of my tea maker to 160°F and then dropped the sachet into the water and let it steep for 2 1/2 minutes. The parameters on the package suggest “not more than 90 seconds” but 90 seconds just didn’t seem long enough for me at such a low temperature. So I made the decision to go with a little more time and I’m glad I did. I’m really happy with the resulting flavor! For the second quart, I resteeped the sachet for 3 minutes. I combined both quarts in my iced tea pitcher and stashed it in the ice box.
After several hours of cool time, I am left with a pitcher full of yummy black currant iced tea. I love the white tea base. It’s crisp and refreshing. I look forward to the other white tea creations that SBT comes up with!