White Peony "Bai Mu Dan" White Tea from Dehong

Yunnan Sourcing included a generous sample of about 16.3 grams of this tea with my recent order. Dry leaves don’t seem nearly as green as what is pictured, and what I have here is more a mixture of green and brown. It is now roughly 10 months after harvest, so maybe the leaves have oxidized more in the packaging? I don’t know. There are quite a few white tips evident in the dry leaf. At first I thought a lot of twigs were included in the mix, but I think this is mostly due to the “large leaf” nature of the Yunnan tea – the stems are larger and more prominent as well, maybe? There are some rather large twigs.

Brews to a nice clear amber color, with the wet leaves giving me a smell reminiscent of Darjeeling black tea. The flavor is kind of similar to a second flush Darjeeling, too, with muscatel notes, but also with a pleasant oakiness. Much lighter in body than a typical black tea, of course. It is pretty nice, and a good value for the price.

I prefer the much greener bai mu dan I purchased a while back from English Tea Store – It had more delicate but delicious flavors including hints of mint, pine, apricot, green grape, etc – But was also a bit more expensive.

On the other hand, I would prefer this to the “pai mu tan” I purchased from Harney and Sons not too long ago – That one was kind of blah.

Seems to me to be down the road a ways and somewhere between a bai mu dan and a shou mei. That is pretty much alright with me, as I like a good shou mei. Never purchased a proper one, but maybe this is more akin to a gong mei?

This is a superb white tea that has a great balance of floral, citrusy and sweet flavours. It also has a smooth oily texture and withstands many infusions.

Dry leaves smell of straw, berries, fresh hay and apple leaves. On the other hand, the aroma while brewing reminds me of honeysuckle, thyme, white currants and spinach.

First infusion is sweet and grassy with a hint of strawberries. Later ones are more like I mentioned – blending floral, citrusy notes with a very pleasant sweetness and a mild butter flavour. The aromatic aftertaste displays protracted sugarcane sweetness as well as some spiciness and a touch of dill.