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A strong, deep flavour, rich, full bodied with some maltiness but not the heaviness or sickliness that Assams sometimes can have. Brews very dark in the cup, the leaves are very small and could almost have come out of a teabag. Though I like all my teas black I imagine many people might find this undrinkable or overwhelming without milk, and sugar too if that’s your thing. But if you want something with a strong flavour and kick, to blast you into the day, or a punch to equal coffee then this would fit the bill. Powerful and invigorating it’s one I’ll always have in the cupboard.

Most cheap bagged white teas don’t claim to be any particular grade but this one says it is authentic Bai Mudan (or Pai Mu Tan, otherwise known as white peony). While it certainly doesn’t compare with any loose leaf Pai Mu Tan I’ve tried it’s considerably better than any of the other cheaper bagged whites I’ve tasted, it has something of the Pai Mu Tan taste, the sweetness, and hints of melon, peach. The manufacturers say it has a slight nuttiness which is often said of Pai Mu Tans but I don’t get that though I never do in any of them, to me it always has a slight woodiness behind the sweetness. It brews quite dark in the cup for a white tea, and tastes very clean and fresh, if I don’t have access to leaves or an infuser and want a white tea then this is my preferred choice.

This is better than some other cheap white tea teabags, and probably quite ok for the price, but has none of the flavour of a decent white tea. In it’s favour it can be steeped for a good while before becoming bitter which is rare with cheap whites, what little taste it does have isn’t unpleasant, and for the price you can’t expect much. But if you want decent white tea with real sweetness and subtlety look elsewhere.

A beautiful, clean tasting white peony, naturally sweet, slightly fruity with hints of peach and melon, and just the tiniest bit of woodiness, light but still with some depth. Could drink this all day, very refreshing, uplifting and more satisfying than any silver needles I’ve tried.

A lovely, medium strength tea which definitely has the creaminess the manufacturer’s blurb claims. Initially I noticed the Ceylon and Darjeeling more than the Assam (though that might be because I’ve been drinking blends with more Assam the last few days), it has a pleasant floral aftertaste and some underlying depth without being at all heavy. Second cup I tasted more of the Assam, definitely some malt there, no bitterness and very little astringency. Could easily be drunk all day though perhaps best as an afternoon tea, a full English breakfast or spicy dinner is probably going to obscure the more delicate notes though brewed strong the Assam might stand up to it. All in all a rounded, smooth, elegant blend, very pleasurable.

Very pleasant, strong and hearty enough to be an excellent breakfast brew, but not too heavy, and smooth enough to drink any time, it does have an almost honey like quality as the blurb says. Lovely malty tones from the assam, but enough brightness from the ceylon to give it a lift, very easy to drink black and unsweetened though could probably take a little milk if that’s your thing. Wouldn’t say it’s unusually distinctive (except perhaps for the smoothness) but as a good, all round assam/ceylon blend it’s an excellent choice.