Südindien White Oothu (Organic) - 349

I don’t think I’ve ever had a Indian white tea before so I was interested to see if it tasted anything like the Chinese version. The resulting brew was light and very fresh-tasting with the hint of sweetness. Some white teas are so light that they’re almost like water, but this is very distinctly ‘tea’. Its flavour notes are of fruit rather than the walnut notes I get from a good-quality Bai Mu Dan; this makes me think of unripe melon and maybe a bit of diluted lemon. Very unique.

Had another cup this morning. Steeped an extra minute which worked out well.

This is great tea! Wonderful aroma! Mild and delicious flavor! Excellent!

The most amazing looking tea I’ve seen so far. It has huge brown leaves with bright yellow, green and red mixed in. It reminds me of autumn.

The smell is very unique as well. It’s strong, aromatic, smoky and fresh at the same time. Very hard to describe actually because it’s the first time I encounter tea like that. Again, autumn forest comes to mind. I mentioned it being smoky and yes, it’s a very prominent note but it isn’t Chinese green or Gunpowder smoky, more like Keemun smoky without any sweetness.

The brew is amber in color and has exactly the same aroma as the dry leaf. The flavor is strong, somewhat dry but very refreshing. I can even catch light lemony notes in the background.

I really am impressed with this tea, it doesn’t even get close to any of the whites I tried before and I tried a lot. It’s totally unique and absolutely delicious. I can easily get 4 infusions out of it and they all are very consistent if flavor and color.

The recommended steeping temperature by TeaGschwendner is 160F but I experimented with it for quite a bit and found it to be too low.

A very down-to-earth looking and tasting tea. This tea tastes like it came from a more tropical estate with a surprising beefiness and heavy mouthfeel not found in many white teas. It also tastes like it wants to be processed into a red tea. Thankfully, we are treated to the unique visual in the dry leaf.

When brewing this tea one has a lot of control over the strength and flavor profile. Obviously, it gets stronger the longer it steeps but I’ve found that shorter steep times provide subtle nuances that are overpowered by the distinct, yet still pleasant, taste of prototypical “tea” in stronger brews. There is, however, a hidden richness in even light brews. One can almost taste the humidity of the air and richness of the soil in which it was grown. Not delicate but nuanced. Very versatile and interesting.

Also, I almost NEVER add anything to my tea but, for some reason, this one seems to beckon for a little honey. It’s great for people who are brandy new to the loose leaf business because it’s very pretty to look at and won’t taste outlandish to them. It is complex enough to pique interest and can be brewed to taste.

Mmmm, it’s so tasty. So light and elegant. It’s affordable for a white tea. 50g has lasted me for awhile. It’s my nighttime brew. It’s so pretty to look at, the photo shown is exactly what you get. Those colors are inspiring, almost seaweed like colors. The tea does transport me to the beach for some reason, would be tasty with some toro tuna or yellowtail. I’ll be sad when I hit the bottom of my bag.

Big, fluffy leaf, so used 2 heaping tsp in 8oz water. Nutty, herbaceous, medium body, smooth, sweet aftertaste. 2nd steep, 2 min, not as sweet, more lemony, lighter body, slight asparagus vegetal aroma and flavor, dried grasses. Earthier, rounder flavors than white tea made entirely from buds. I enjoyed this a lot.

This is the only straight white tea that I have ever enjoyed. I attribute that to not having the floral flavor that White Peony and such have. This is heavier than other white teas, but still light. The slight smoky aroma and flavor is what makes this tea from me. Consumed straight as usual.

I’ve had this tea for a while. I bought it at a tasting at Tea Gschwendner based on the tea sommelier’s suggestion. He said it was somewhat between a green and a white in flavor. I think it tends to come off more as a white tea, but more robust and “leaf-like,” if that makes any sense, than, say, a Pai Mu Dan type of white tea. It’s kind of nutty and toasty, has a great aroma, is not floral, and tastes best with a bit of sweetener added (I used liquid Stevia). The leaves are very large and impressive looking. This tea is pretty forgiving with regard to steep times — I once accidentally let it sit for 10 minutes (terrible, I know!) and it still tasted good, if a bit strong. If you like white teas, you really can’t go wrong with this one.

On first scent and taste it is evident that this tea sees a slight more time in the sun and in turn is slightly more oxidized than your typical white tea. A peculiar production with no rolling of the leaves, this tea literally looks like nothing more than dry leaves. I would imagine it had to go through some sort of lightly extended fixation process after wilting but other than that it seems to be about as untouched a white tea as one could hope for. This tea is from the far south Indian State of Tamil Nadu, about as close to Sri Lanka as you can get.
Fruity aromatics pierce through the sweet nutty bouquet and hidden notes of squash and soil.
Sweet honeysuckle and a glorious mild earthiness fill the palate with a curious touch of malt tricking you into thinking you are having a very mild Oolong and also causing the cup to disappear quickly while hunting for answers. A delightful lingering finish with very soft but noticeable astringency. Wonderfully balanced and clean, a unique everyday white that seems to almost have its own classification.