Organic White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) Tea

I went out to lunch and for tea with a friend today (blog post coming soon).

The tea I choose was a raw pu-erh and it was fairly bitter for me. When I got home, I just felt like having something sweet and mellow. I steeped this with some dried pink rosebuds and it’s light and elegant, really what I wanted and needed for the afternoon. Of course this tea is also quite nice by itself.

Thank you Teavivre for the sample!

This tea was very relaxing today. I even found it evoked some vivid memories in my mind. I didn’t find it as flavourful as other Bai Mu Dan’s I’ve tried, but I did find it to be slightly sweet, floral and meditative. The texture was silky smooth and delicate, yet almost syrupy.

I got 3 steeps out of the leaves, and although the caffeine content is low, I do feel energized in a very relaxing way. Like I could do a craft. I’m going to do a craft!

I have a full review on the way, I’ll post the link in the comments below when it’s finished :)

Sipdown (217)!

So, a while ago I made a really nice baked brie with blueberry compote topping with a side of Blueberry Jam tea infused brown sugar syrup topped fresh fruit. However, what’s a meal without a tea to accompany it?

Since the meal itself was so thoughtfully planned out I knew I wanted a tea that would be enjoyable but wouldn’t detract from the tastes I had so thoughtfully paired together. This was that tea! I had a few infusions of it Gong Fu while I was eating the meal that were nice but appropriately delicate so as to not add anything to the overall flavour that would muddle it up.

Though, after the meal I did continue the session with another five infusions so I could enjoy the nuances of the tea itself too and appreciate what it has to offer too! Some jot notes I took after the meal:

- First 3 infusions were with the food; mostly a delicate straw w. peach taste
- Definitely a delicate white peony w. notes of straw, hay, fresh flowers, & peach
- Soft flavour decline, though! Definitely lasted longer than I anticipated it to

Here’s a link to my Blueberry Jam review where I talk about that a bit more and how it tied into the meal: https://steepster.com/roswellstrange/posts/356575#likes

And some more pictures of everything:

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https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/18010333_10210179647821603_545105885371116898_n.jpg?oh=faf4e5699daa1a5b49beaea9b0649923&oe=59910B0A

Ah, white tea, my old nemesis. Hah, not really, but still, I haven’t had a ton of luck with white teas in the past. Not that I have brewed white teas that I’ve actively disliked or couldn’t finish the cup, but I have always been a bit disappointed. But this is a tea that a lot of people who say they have had problems with white teas have liked, so I am interested to try it.

To me the dry leaf smells a bit like alfalfa hay. The leaves are fluffy and I used about 2.5 perfect teaspoons in my 12oz cup, though of course the fluffy leaves mean probably less leaf ended up in there, but hopefully it was a decent amount. Steeped, the scent of the tea reminds me of fresh-cut grass, and a bit of cooked vegetables. This is definitely a smooth, relaxing, and pleasant tea. The flavors are light but distinct; a little grassy/hay-like, a tiny bit floral, and a very smooth mouthfeel. Am I a white tea convert? Maybe not quite, but at least now I “get” more of what it’s all about. Thanks again to Angel Chen & Teavivre for the sample! (Finally, one of my boxes of samples that I got over the last couple of months is all tasted! I am running far behind on trying my new teas…)

Finished up my sample from my first round of Teavivre samples. I was craving something light and iced but still wholesome, and this is perfect. I’m really starting to get a taste for iced white and oolong teas. Working with Teavivre’s instructions has really refined my preparation, and taught me that I was overdoing it with the heat and time before.

I’ve spent a good part of today organizing my tea, even though I have a ton of other work that I should be doing (I am a master procrastinator!) According my cupboard I have 336 teas, but realistically it’s probably closer to 350; I’ve been really bad about updating it when I get review samples. As soon as I’m done traveling for the summer, which should be next week, I’m going to start working on getting the number down to a more reasonable number (maybe 200?) While I was organizing I came across a stray sample of Organic White Peony that Angel sent me. I originally reviewed it a year ago and it was just as enjoyable today as it was when I first reviewed it.

I’m going to give this one another go at a later date, as I got thoroughly distracted during the tasting of this one, generously supplied to me by Teavivre.

That said, I did enjoy my little pot of this. I broke in the Alice in Wonderland pot I’ve had for a few months now , it’s perfect for a nice relaxing day of sipping tea.

I wanted to try it straight at first, but because I am so used to drinking sweetened teas (I can count on one hand the number of teas I don’t add sugar to), the flavor profile was overwhelmed by, well, tea. It tasted like tea, but I couldn’t identify more than that.

Then I added a touch of sugar and wow! The flavors exploded. I tasted the fruity/floral beauty that is this tea. it was sweet and delicate, but there is definitely a lot going on with this gorgeous little tea.

I’m on the fence about this tea. I enjoy it, but I don’t know if I enjoy it enough to restock when we place our Teavivre order. Maybe I’ll know after my next cup.

I used one package of leaves (2-3 tsp) for one pot (18 oz)

I don’t tend to be too fond of flowery teas, but this organic Bai Mu Dan is only very slightly floral. In fact, the liquor is so smooth and delicate that I find myself working overtime trying to identify the flavor elements. BUT then I remember to relax and surrender to the tea. Yeeessss… there’s a sweet, fruity essence that lingers on my pallet. What a lovely, delicate, floral, fruity, and smooth cuppa.

LOL! I accidentally put this review under the Organic Silver Needle White Tea instead, which just underlines the fact that I’m so not ready for this. Hahaha. Oy. Here it is:
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I drank this.

I don’t think I was ready for it though. I will keep my last two samples for later in the future when I might (hopefully) be able to appreciate all the subtle nuances of a fine tea such as this. I really didn’t get much flavour out of it.

I’m not going to rate it because I don’t think it would be a fair rating.

Big thanks again to Teavivre for the awesome samples!

(90 degrees for a min or two, I forget)