Kiwi Strawberry Margarita Bai Mu Dan

wow thanks Azzrian! but wait, I was positive this is from Azzrian, it has your writing… and packaging style but it’s also in Amy’s cupboard and I just received a swap from both… and it was in your pile Azzrian. Oh jeeze, I am one confused lady haha. Somebody set me straight! I kept the packages in two different rooms so it’s impossible that they could have gotten mixed up. Right?! right???
Anyhow, on to the tea. Looooooove it!! Mmmmmm, this is really super tasty.
The flavour is rather unique, which is quite refreshing for a white. Reminds me of Ginger Sparkle from Tealish actually, with a kick of strawberry and something spicy. I can see how Kittena misinterpreted the lime as ginger.In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was ginger in here as well. Or perhaps that is the tequila? either way, it’s rather tasty. and complex! I LOVE complex teas and this one is highly so. White tea, lime, strawberry, tequila… all rolled into one! I think I can find the kiwi but there is so much going on that I can’t be sure.
Thanks Azzrian! or Amy! I am such a spaz…

Wow, I love this. Thanks Azzrian. I’ve been on a big white tea kick lately, it’s just so pure, refreshing and relaxing and this is the first flavored white that I’ve had and I think it’s fantastic. The kiwi and strawberry tastes very natural and combines well with the white tea and yes, I can taste a little tequila in there too! There is also a subtle natural sweetness, so no sugar needed! This is delicious, and it’s unfortunate that they don’t have it anymore because I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

Ugh I am not in the mood for hot tea at all lately. I just am not prepared right now for summer. So I’ve got two pitchers of iced tea going right now, one being Rainbow Sherbet, the other being this. I got this specifically for iced tea making, and it’s perfect.

I cold brewed it, and it’s very interesting. I don’t even know if I want to try making it hot then cooling it off because this is pretty great. I taste the tequila flavor first, then kiwi, then strawberry with a bit of tequila too. It leaves an interesting fruity aftertaste. The white tea is kind of there, but hardly…but I’d expect that since it’s so fruit flavored.

I love this. I can’t really drink alcohol because of medication AGAIN so this feels close enough to the real thing. And it’s helping me cool off. Now if it would only storm to help me out a bit more.

My first reaction to this when I opened the pouch was “WOW! This smells like starburst!” Yes, the candy. It has a very sweet, fruity candy kind of smell to it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since I happen to like starburst, but, I was not sure how well that would translate into a tea.

Normally when I steep a white tea, I steep it low and slow … 160 to 170 degrees F and for four to five minutes. I tried this tea the other night using those parameters and I didn’t taste as much flavor as I had expected to, especially after the strong dry leaf fragrance that made me think I was in for a very strawberry-ish, Kiwi-esque tea. So, tonight I steeped it at 170 for six full minutes, and am much happier with the result.

I can taste the strawberry and the kiwi … and yes, it does taste sweet kind of like a starburst…. but I am actually liking it. I don’t taste much tequila until the end of the sip and into the aftertaste. The Bai Mu Dan is not a strong flavor either, but then again, it usually is a delicate flavor.

Overall, I’m happy with this tea.

Thanks to LiberTeas for sending me a sample of this…

I decided to steep this for 3 minutes instead of the recommended five because I just don’t steep white teas for that length of time. I might need to give it a bit of a longer run next time.

I am finding this to be nice and fruity but I’m not sure I’m digging the tequila flavoring some how, it seems to be obfuscating my experience of this blend… This is pretty decent but I appreciated the mango papaya bai mu dan a bit more yesterday. Then again, it’s been ages since I had a margarita and tequila was never my favorite booze. I might need to cold steep the rest of this to see what happens!

I appreciate Frank’s creativity and can hardly wait to see what he comes up with every week!

Wow. Dry this smells.. like a fizzy candy. A sweet fizzy candy. Is there ginger? I can’t tell. It’s rather overwhelming, actually.

Steeped (in my sweet new double-walled glass mug) I’m not getting much flavour. That could be because I just burnt my nostrils sniffing the dry tea.

The flavour is definitely interesting. I would swear there’s a bit of ginger in here. Combined with fruity candy. So it’s a bit sweet, but there’s almost a fizziness to it (tell me there’s ginger, guys. I’m not kidding….)

I’m totally undecided as to how I feel about this one. The taste is really candy-like and fake, to be honest, and although I kind of like that, I do wish it was more authentically strawberry-kiwi. Oh – there’s some real strawberry and white tea, right at the end of sip 5.

Ok, I think I do like this one, but it’s not quite what I was expecting. Another one to try iced, based on the other reviews!

ETA: OHH!!!! Lime!!! Yes, definitely lime. Read the tea description right after I posted this, and yes, I am definitely tasting lime. I might have misinterpreted that for ginger. I like it though.

ETA again: Second infusion (3min/175F) was tasty but didn’t taste much like the first. Kind of fruity. Definitely good though.

Well, I’m sorry to say it, but 52teas has finally disappointed me. 1 ounce? Really? Sure, it’s a white tea, and white tea leaves tend to be big and long and take up a lot of room. But does that mean you use half as much to brew a cup? Nope. In fact, most people see how big the leaves are and put too few in their strainer, thus creating a weak cup and furthering the misconception that white tea is tasteless water.

I mean, I get 2 ounces of honeybush and even 1.5 ounces of the Very Important Tea that costs an extra $6. But for my regular $9/week tea I only get 1 ounce??! That’s not really acceptable to me, especially because these white tea leaves are diced into little tiny, unrecognizable pieces.

But maybe I’m being too critical. Hold on, what’s that funky smell in my kitchen? What did the boyfriend cook for dinner last night? I should take the trash out and clean the litter box. Oh wait, that aroma is coming from this tea!! Eeek! What could it be? The kiwi? The tequila flavor?

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be complaining that I only got 1 ounce of this. It’s not so great. The strawberry tastes like overly sweetened strawberry puree. The kiwi doesn’t really taste like real kiwi to me. The white tea is indistinguishable from the other flavors, unless it’s that funk. But I think the funk is probably coming from the “tequila flavoring,” whatever that is.

I thought I was going to love this. Bai Mu Dan is one of my top favorite teas in the world. I know its flavor very well. But I don’t detect that lovely flavor anywhere near my cup. :( I’m sad. I wish I didn’t have to write about such disappointment, especially since it’s the first review of this tea.

Don’t let my pessimism deter you! I gave it to my boyfriend to try and he said, “Mmm, it’s very good. First thing I noticed was how good it smells. Fruity. I really like it.” So clearly, this just isn’t my cup of tea. But it could be yours!

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: 1000ml at 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chemical
Steeped Tea Smell:strawberry, kiwi, hint of lime
Flavor: vegetal, kiwi, hint of sweet
Body: Light
Aftertaste: sweet, hint of lime
Liquor: Translucent yellow-brown

Needs tequila, and salt.
Lime is a hint, major players are the kiwi swelled by the strawberry.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.teatra.de/2013/01/18/52teas-loose-leaf-white-tea-kiwi-strawberry-margarita/

A nice white tea with a pure strawberry-kiwi flavor..and yes, I can almost detect tequila in the background. This must be good iced