20
drank White Tea by Golden Moon Tea
911 tasting notes

I just finished watching a Modern Marvels show on tea ( http://bit.ly/11xMMn ). The History Channel is so cool. Anyway, it made me want something more on the green end of the tea spectrum so I rooted around in my samples and pulled out this one.

Okay, this bag? Has like the most minuscule amount of tea ever. One gram. One. For the way I make tea, this isn’t even half a cup. Even using Western style brewing, this isn’t even half a cup. Shame on you, Golden Moon. That’s pathetic.

I went ahead a brewed up a full cup of this but I’m honestly not expecting much. The resulting tea is less pale than I expected but the taste… Initially all I could taste was hot water and Splenda. I did not, however, add Splenda to this. It just tasted like I did (and while they say it doesn’t, Splenda totally has a taste). As it cooled, the Splenda taste became a bit like… well, something a little more flavored than Splenda but I can’t get enough of the taste to figure it out. Maybe honeyed soybean water. Which is probably the chrysanthemum (the honey taste) and the white tea (soybean water). The chrysanthemum dominates but the white tea pokes out more if I slurp but slurping also brings out a weird vegetal bitterness.

The more this cools, the more actual taste I get but I’m underwhelmed. The aftertaste I’m left with once my cup is done is that of Splenda-ed soybean water. So perhaps it is a good thing that I had such a tiny amount of leaf in my sample packet. Because I don’t think I’d like this taste at all if it were more intense. At the same time, maybe if there were more leaf, I’d get more depth to the flavors and not be left with a Splenda-like aftertaste.

I did a second steep of this one (@3mins) to see if I could find anything like what others have found (or anything at all redeeming) and all I got was soybean water with a little Splenda. I decided I didn’t need to experience another whole cup of that and poured it out. My rating is based on the first steep.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 0 sec
Cofftea

AWESOME!!!

Cofftea

^ in reference to the show, not the measly amount of tea.

Angrboda

What is this splenda business anyway? Some sort of artificial sweetener or an herb or some such? I’ve heard (or seen rather) people talk about something called stevia, which I’ve gathered must be some sort of herb.

Auggy

@Cofftea, it really is an awesome show. Even if a lot of it is about Lipton and CTC teas, not orthodox.
@Angrboda, Splenda is an artificial sweetner made from sugar so it is supposed to taste like sugar. It sorta does – closer than other fake sweeteners out there. But I’m not a big fan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda

Angrboda

Okay, thanks. I’ve been wondering about this for a while, having seen both and getting them mixed up a lot. I’m not familiar with either. No clue what artificial sweetener is like over here, except you get them in little tablets. I expect it’s probably more or less the same. I prefer real sugar myself.

Auggy

Sugar rules! :)

Angrboda

Indeed. :) If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Unless you’ve got diabetes. In which case it’s broken.

…or something.

chana

I can buy stevia leaves in the market here, at spice and herb shops. Putting a couple of leaves in a cup sweetens the tea, it’s not a sugar taste, I can’t really think how to describe it. The local organic market also sells stevia in a liquid form – that has more of an aftertaste though.

teaplz

Awww that you didn’t like this, and that’s SO WEIRD. My sample packet had around a teaspoon and a half, and I dumped the entire bag in. My version was buttery and floral and naturally sweet-tasting. I can’t stand artificial sugar… wow. Totally different! Oh well, there are many white teas under the sun! Did takgoti give you any of Samovar’s Bai Mu Dan? Cause that tastes really delicious.

Auggy

Yep, I have some of that one – I’m looking forward to it!

Ricky

Haha, you should try Harney & Son’s Bai Mei. I thought this one was decent, Bai Mei was way worse than this. I have about half the packet left, want it? :D

I don’t recall how much I had in this sampler, but it definitely wasn’t enough to ration it into two servings.

Auggy

You make it sound so tempting! :P

Ricky

Comes with ♥, ★, rainbows and a complimentary red balloon as well! =D

takgoti

@Angrboda Yer funneh.

@Ricky They’re magically delicious!

Angrboda

Tak, thank you, one does one’s best. :p

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Comments

Cofftea

AWESOME!!!

Cofftea

^ in reference to the show, not the measly amount of tea.

Angrboda

What is this splenda business anyway? Some sort of artificial sweetener or an herb or some such? I’ve heard (or seen rather) people talk about something called stevia, which I’ve gathered must be some sort of herb.

Auggy

@Cofftea, it really is an awesome show. Even if a lot of it is about Lipton and CTC teas, not orthodox.
@Angrboda, Splenda is an artificial sweetner made from sugar so it is supposed to taste like sugar. It sorta does – closer than other fake sweeteners out there. But I’m not a big fan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splenda

Angrboda

Okay, thanks. I’ve been wondering about this for a while, having seen both and getting them mixed up a lot. I’m not familiar with either. No clue what artificial sweetener is like over here, except you get them in little tablets. I expect it’s probably more or less the same. I prefer real sugar myself.

Auggy

Sugar rules! :)

Angrboda

Indeed. :) If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Unless you’ve got diabetes. In which case it’s broken.

…or something.

chana

I can buy stevia leaves in the market here, at spice and herb shops. Putting a couple of leaves in a cup sweetens the tea, it’s not a sugar taste, I can’t really think how to describe it. The local organic market also sells stevia in a liquid form – that has more of an aftertaste though.

teaplz

Awww that you didn’t like this, and that’s SO WEIRD. My sample packet had around a teaspoon and a half, and I dumped the entire bag in. My version was buttery and floral and naturally sweet-tasting. I can’t stand artificial sugar… wow. Totally different! Oh well, there are many white teas under the sun! Did takgoti give you any of Samovar’s Bai Mu Dan? Cause that tastes really delicious.

Auggy

Yep, I have some of that one – I’m looking forward to it!

Ricky

Haha, you should try Harney & Son’s Bai Mei. I thought this one was decent, Bai Mei was way worse than this. I have about half the packet left, want it? :D

I don’t recall how much I had in this sampler, but it definitely wasn’t enough to ration it into two servings.

Auggy

You make it sound so tempting! :P

Ricky

Comes with ♥, ★, rainbows and a complimentary red balloon as well! =D

takgoti

@Angrboda Yer funneh.

@Ricky They’re magically delicious!

Angrboda

Tak, thank you, one does one’s best. :p

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Bio

I’m trying to be a better tea logger and actually post semi-regularly again! I’ve let my tea tasting senses become too complacent – it’s time for some focused and attentive tea drinking!

Sometimes my notices for PMs and such have been questionable. Email me at your own risk at aug3zimm at gmail dot com.

1 – 10 – Bleck. Didn’t finish the cup.
11 – 25 – Drinkable. But don’t punish me by making me have it again.
26 – 40 – Meh. Most likely will see if the husband likes it iced.
41 – 60 – Okayish. Maybe one day I’ll kill off what I have in my pantry.
61 – 75 – Decent. I might pick some up if I needed tea.
76 – 85 – Nice. I’d probably buy but wouldn’t hunt it down.
86 – 100 – Yum! I will hunt down the vendor to get this tea!

Not that anyone but me particularly cares, but there it is.

Location

Texas

Website

http://pinkness.danzimmermann...

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