Royal White Peony

Tea type
White Tea
Ingredients
Organic White Tea Leaves
Flavors
Grain, Hay, Lima Beans, Peas, Vegetal, Creamy, Umami
Sold in
Bulk, Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Kosher, Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 2 min, 45 sec 11 oz / 315 ml

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22 Tasting Notes View all

  • “(DavidsTea 2022: 65) 2022 Sipdown 67/365! I laughed when I navigated to this tea’s page and saw my previous rating, because when I gave the leaves/tea a sniff as I was brewing it, I definitely...” Read full tasting note
    60
  • “I may have oversteeped this one a tad, but I like it a lot nonetheless. I think if I had steeped it a little less long I’d be tasting more light vegetal notes. I’m tasting edamame and hay, with a...” Read full tasting note
    78
  • “Vegetal. Yup! Crisp, yeah I see it. Peas? Hmmm. More like green beans, I think. Or maybe edamame? I dunno. Not quite peas. Either way, I quite like it. There was a time this was my fave tea. (err....” Read full tasting note
    78
  • “Brewed at 175 F for 1 minute. This tea was light and vegetal, and the brew smelt like peas. I steeped the second cup for 1 minute and 30 seconds and the taste notes mention mentioned before were...” Read full tasting note
    84

From DAVIDsTEA

During the Song Dynasty, white tea was so precious, it was reserved exclusively for the Emperor of China. Today it’s enjoyed by millions around the world. Traditionally known as “Bai Mudan,” our White Peony brings that little taste of luxury straight to your cup. From a small, family-owned organic tea garden in the Fujian province, this beautiful blend of leaves and buds is plucked and meticulously dried in a controlled environment. The result? A slightly greener leaf that brews up cool, creamy and delicate, with the aroma of garden-picked snow peas. It’s a cup of fresh air…

Organic: White tea from Fujian province.

About DAVIDsTEA View company

DavidsTea is a Canadian specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based in Montreal, Quebec. It is the largest Canadian-based specialty tea boutique in the country, with its first store having opened in 2008.

22 Tasting Notes

60
6105 tasting notes

(DavidsTea 2022: 65)
2022 Sipdown 67/365!

I laughed when I navigated to this tea’s page and saw my previous rating, because when I gave the leaves/tea a sniff as I was brewing it, I definitely regretted my decision to drink it tonight, as it just did not smell appealing. Taste-wise, I don’t know if it’s really a 40, but it really just is not the profile of white tea that I enjoy. I struggle to describe it, but there’s kind of a staleness to it that just doesn’t work for me, contrasted with an “aged” flavour that I find and thoroughly enjoy in other white teas. (Yes, I know, that’s a terrible description but I did say I struggle to describe it!) I really have no idea what might be at the heart of this difference, but I could probably figure it out if I cared enough to (but, I don’t).

Bumping rating up a bit, 40 is pretty harsh. It is not that bad.

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78
82 tasting notes

I may have oversteeped this one a tad, but I like it a lot nonetheless. I think if I had steeped it a little less long I’d be tasting more light vegetal notes. I’m tasting edamame and hay, with a very smooth finish. I do taste some more dusty (?) notes on the back of my tongue, maybe I left this tea in my cupboard too long (but I doubt it). I’m going to try rinsing the leaves before preparing this one next time.

Flavors: Grain, Hay, Lima Beans

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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78
1759 tasting notes

Vegetal. Yup! Crisp, yeah I see it. Peas? Hmmm. More like green beans, I think. Or maybe edamame? I dunno. Not quite peas. Either way, I quite like it. There was a time this was my fave tea. (err. well, next to Assam which is kinda my forever tea home)
Unfortunately… This is starting to lose flavour. I have a few cups left. I don’t crave straight while teas often, so it takes awhile to get through samples. Maybe I’ll try cold brewing like Ms. Strange mentioned.
Then again, I find that non black teas… They are good to have in my office as our water filter system has a hot water feature, so I can get 90c water anytime (and wait a minute or so for it to cool if I need). So many decisions to make :P
My desk is far enough away from the kitchen area that filling the kettle and waiting for it to boil is a pain, esp since it has no whistle to let me know its done haha. Mine at home beeps.

So all of that said, does anyone know of a black tea that takes milk well, and can be steeped around 90c? I’ve tried it with my regular blacks and they’re “ok” but not as great as I know they usually are, which makes me want to just save it for later. Making it at home and trekking it in is a pain as well since it means I have to lug it on my 15+ min walk from the go train to work. Doesn’t sound like much but that is in addition to my gym gear and lunch. It adds up! Plus I generally don’t have caffeine until after I get off the go train.Cuz naps yo. So it doesn’t make much sense to carry. Anyhow. Sorry for the ramble. Input is welcome!

Sil

black teas and…milk? EEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW :)

Dexter

I’m with you – water at work isn’t really HOT enough for black teas, but I seem to drink them anyway. I find that if I heat the mug first (to keep from loosing even more temp) and then use a little more leaf and steep a little longer I get OK results – not perfect but good enough for work. I don’t normally take my “special” blacks to work but pretty much all China blacks are ok this way. As for the milk thing – don’t listen to Sil – lots of blacks will take milk, but I find the blends are especially suited to it. I’m not sure what you have (or even prefer) but things like A&D Double Knit Blend…..good with milk. I hope that helps….

Nicole

CTCs generally do well at lower temps and generally also take milk well. Aside from my hoarded stash of Crimson Horizon, Single Origin Teas has an Australian CTC that is pretty good and most of the CTC Assams from Vahdam have been okay in suboptimal conditions. :) I can send some of the Australian your way if you want. I might have some Vahdam lurking around as well. And Paleozoic Peat is better at low temps than at boiling. Also Dawn of Time. Not trying to pimp my own stuff, just thinking of what I have on hand that I can send you some of if you want. :)

Sil

@dex don’t tell her not to listen to me! haha but yes, agreed on blends. I just haven’t put milk in my tea since i was uh like 6? so it always seems odd…maybe because my parents used to put a LOOOOT of milk in it, so i equate it with hiding the tea? heh.

Indigobloom

@Sil I grew up on it! malty black tea with milk is my comfort morning tea. I crave it enough that no other tea will do sometimes. Has to be malty tho, or else no go. And only Assams or chai. Sometimes Ceylon.

Indigobloom

@Dexter I find that some breakfast blends bore me. It seems really hit or miss. Of course some do work really well. Without the extra depth of a malty Assam in the blend, things just don’t add up somehow, but other than that I’m not sure how to choose heh. A&D is good stuff of course. How does Double Knit fare at 90c?
Also yes!! I do the same, heating up my mug first with the water. Thx for the ideas :)

Indigobloom

@Nicole wow that is a lot of options. I’ve not tried any of themn. Is there anything I can pick up for you at the tea festival? I have a bunch coming from YS soon (I hope) as well. Swap time! if you’re interested

ashmanra

I really only put milk in Assam teas/blends. They sometimes need it to CALM DOWN!

Dexter

@Sil – @Indigobloom – I am so sorry – my mistake. of course you should listen to Sil. Sil is amazing and we should all respect her opinion.

Indigobloom

@ashmanra, hah. Too true! though I do enjoy a cup of in your face tea now and then

Indigobloom

@Dexter Of course she is right. I don’t mind. More milk for me to put in my tea :P

Nicole

@Indigobloom – swap sounds awesome! And you are talking about the Vancouver tea festival? I’ll see what vendor will be there and I’ll check out your cupboard and PM you. :)

Nicole

Er… Toronto Tea Festival that is… :)

Sil

@dex..thats better cough don’t make me send your box to you….

Indigobloom

@Nicole awesome. Looking forward to it :)

Indigobloom

@Sil – hehe suddenly glad I haven’t got a box with my name on it at your place :P

Sil

IB……or doooo you? haha. I can’t actually remember anymore. I think i’ve got a box for nicole, terri and dexer…and then odds and ends for a few other folks

Indigobloom

Sil- probably not. My interest in tea waned for awhile

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84
2 tasting notes

Brewed at 175 F for 1 minute. This tea was light and vegetal, and the brew smelt like peas. I steeped the second cup for 1 minute and 30 seconds and the taste notes mention mentioned before were intensified. The leaf is very light and she filled the can right to the top which was nice. I liked this tea and would recommend it to anybody who likes the characteristics mentioned above.

Flavors: Peas, Vegetal

Preparation
1 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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52
6444 tasting notes

Sipdown (164)

Apparently I am the stereotype of an old person because in an attempt to google this tea for recommended brewing parameters, I ended up texting “Davids royal white peony” to a friend. She was confused to say the least. Eventually I did figure it out and ended up dumping the whole sample directly into the mug and steeping it at 170F. So now I am taking a break from watching Scream Queens to drink this grandpa style and while listening to the song suggested by Roswell Strange.

The music pairing for this tea is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff4KLQEbJ9Q

So this tea is very rich in pea flavor. Seriously. It’s as if I boiled peas and am now drinking the water left over in the pot. There is also a slight sweetness which compliments the upbeat nature of the song.

However, I must say that I don’t know if I would consider this the right tea for this song. I think something more summery and bright, although this does have a summery quality to it, would be better. I feel citrus notes or even more floral elements would better compliment the breezy romanticism of the song. That’s just me though. So despite enjoying the exercise, this pairing was lost on me. I love Mika though so I was more than happy to listen to the song on loop while I thought this out.

Thank you Roswell Strange!!

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79
15545 tasting notes

Cold Brew!

This one is fascinating as a cold brew because the flavour profile changes so completely. I almost don’t believe it’s the same time. The flavour is much more bold and full bodied, and there’s an overlying sweetness that certainly tops the subtle sweetness of the hot cup I enjoyed last week. In many ways, it reminds me of DT’s Elderflower Spritz blend which uses white tea in addition to sencha and other added ingredients. Mostly, that’s because this has a very sweet floral flavour with underlying fruit/berry notes. The floral notes are a little rosey but mostly generic. There’s also a touch of sweet lemon flavour. And of course you get hints of sweet hay as well.

It’s a very, very different experience but an equally enjoyable one.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyASdjZE0R0&list=LL1M1wDjmJD4SJr_CwzXAGuQ&index=85

I started listening to this while drinking the tea even before I realized the floral notes were reminding me of roses, but it seemed even more perfect after I made the connection. The reason I actually chose this was because the flavour of the tea reminded me of the beautiful shade of pink used in the cover art for this song…

Ubacat

I wonder if all white teas are good for cold brew.

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90
1403 tasting notes

Steeping this one up for the first time today. It came out five days ago, on August 2nd, as DTs introduced three or four new unflavoured teas. I assume the rationale is to win back a bit of interest from those of us who are not fans of the over-imitation flavoured and over-imitation sweetened teas they’ve started cranking out lately. I was certainly happy to see that this bai mu dan was one of the new offerings.

I am breaking in a new glass tea jar—well, not all that new as I bought it at the tea festival here at the end of January, but I’ve just begun using it in earnest. Why have I waited so long to engage with this tea jar? I like the shape and I like the style, but two things keep me from using it for daily steeping and carrying, aside from my experience that glass teas jars don’t tend to be good containers for throwing into my bag on a day out in the world. The tea capacity of this one is only about 10 or 12 ounces, as compared to my 16 ounce glass tea jars. The second thing is that this one is glass on the inside and glass on the outside, which makes it more fragile in my world. I can’t speak to either the leak factor as I use it upright at home, or the how long does the tea stay hot factor as that doesn’t concern me much.

This tea is quite lovely: mild, vegetal, and creamy. Very nice. I am not detecting the fresh snow pea flavour advertised.

The steeped leaf is beautiful: tiny, slender, and delicate. The clarity of the glass jar, compared to the slightest haze in the jars which have a plastic exterior, gives me a chance to appreciate the beauty of the leaf. Many of the leaves are in wee clumps of three or four still attached to their stem. The longer leaves are about the length of a dime, and about the width of a third of a dime.

Because white tea is so light in weight in comparison to other teas, the DT person who served me when I bought this one crammed the tea into the bag and tapped it down with the metal scoop resulting in crushed leaves. I see them at the bottom of my jar and it hurts my heart a little. Criminal. It’d be nice if DT’s gave their staff a bit of instruction on respect for the higher quality leaf. Maybe that is too much to ask.

I am going to give multiple steeping a whirl and see how it goes.

Edit—The second steep is still lovely and light. This may be the last good one.

Flavors: Creamy, Umami, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Mookit

I wonder, what difference does it make when the tea leaves are broken? Do they impact the flavour a lot?

Evol Ving Ness

There’s a whole thread about just this topic. Count me as among those who don’t want their leaves crushed. http://steepster.com/discuss/2501-is-this-bad-for-the-tea

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289 tasting notes

Taste 1: Vegetal
Taste 2: Fresh/Cool
Taste 3: Creamy
Intensity: Delicate
Mouth Feel: Crisp

Flavors: Creamy, Peas, Vegetal

Preparation
170 °F / 76 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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561 tasting notes

I tried this in the store iced as I went to buy my matcha shaker travel mug. I quite enjoyed it. It was light and refreshing. I might buy some in the near future and try steeping it less than they did since I found it a tad too strong. I usually only steep my white teas 30 seconds or so.

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73
1 tasting notes

A beautiful, fresh, and crisp straight white tea. Reminds me of fresh snow peas ☺️

Flavors: Peas

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 45 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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