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The dry leaf is adorable. The tiny, tender leaves are covered with a downy silver hair that coats the inside of the sample pouch. I held a few my hand and admired them before putting them in the infuser. I did not follow the brewing directions online, opting to use my preferred method for first tastings of straight tea. There is enough in the sample that I will be able to experiment with brewing parameters a little.

Method:
~1.5tsp/10oz
Pre-boiling
First steep: 2min
Second steep: 2min 30sec
Third steep: 3min
Fourth steep: 4min

The liquid is a very pale, clear yellow. It smells of apricot, hay, and fresh flowers. I wait several minutes until it’s just cool enough to drink. My first impression is that it tastes very, very fresh. It has a natural sweetness and it tastes very “clean”. Faintly floral, like honeysuckle flowers, with a somewhat fruity undertone. There is a long, deliciously creamy finish. Soft and lovely. It’s a taste that lingers in the mouth.

The second steep yields stronger notes of fruit. There’s a sweet lychee flavor, followed by hay, flowers, white peach, and cream. Long finish is underscored with a light tartness. I’m in love with the delicate, sweet peach notes in this infusion; it took me a moment to pick them out. It’s DEFINITELY white peach, not yellow peach.

Third steep is thick, juicy, and malty—malty?! It’s still has a strong, fresh, fruity taste, but the creamy notes have become much stronger. Almost milky or custard-like. I was surprised by how much flavor was in this cup. So, I opted for a fourth. It contained many of the same flavors, but they were a little less intense. Ah, well!

Thanks for the sample nannuoshan! I can tell this is a high quality white tea. I’m super excited to try the Dian Yin Zhen to see how it compares.