Organic White Peony (Bai Mu Dan) Tea

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 :)

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…)

I have to say that I very much appreciate these samples from Teavivre. And yet when I open the envelopes from this white tea and other ones I am a bit taken aback. It’s packaging inside of packaging inside of a box. The sample sizes are very small and cute but they are individually wrapped and come inside of huge envelopes. I will not complain about the packaging anymore after this review but I felt it was a bit wasteful and this made me kind of sad. Not to say anything bad about Teavivre this is probably a standard industry practice I have not encountered here in the US.

Onto other notes, I do not drink white tea very often but I have been thinking about changing that, especially since I have read many nice things about their lower caffeine content and higher antioxidant quality. This was a great afternoon tea for me. It was very soft and subtle. Naturally and delicately sweet with a lingering of flowers. I felt very relaxed later and enjoyed the tasting very much. This may convince to me to get more interested in white tea in the future, it was certainly enjoyable.

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’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)

I decided it was tea time and I was getting my tea ready when I noticed that my little sampler bag of tea was harder to open. It was the long skinny type and usually there is one serving in there. When I dumped it into my press it really started to look like two servings in there. Maybe it just looked like that because the leaves are so fluffy. I brewed it anyway for one minute and then poured it into my TARDIS mug to take downstairs with me.

The liquor was really yellow. I was expecting it to be pale since my other white tea was water-like in color. It smells like a flower. I’m not sure what a peony smells like but I imagine this is spot on. I could wear the scent as a perfume.

It tastes exactly like it smells. It is not chemically or perfume-like, but it tastes like a flower. I ate a dandelion one time and the way this tastes reminds me of that texture.

I’m not sure if I actually like this or not. I get the mouth feel of chewing a flower and it smells like a flower but it is tea. I can see why people like using it as a base for flavored teas. I bet this would add a lovely texture to other flavors. I can imagine making a really good vanilla cake tea out of this.

Such beautifully fluffy leaves! After what seems like quite the trying journey, being prodded and slit open by Canadian Border Services, some generous samples from Teavivre reached me today.

I wasn’t going to log this one yet, having grabbed it running out the door to work to brew what I’ve seen termed “grandpa-style” in my infuser flask. But, I was really happy with how well it held up! I boiled the water before leaving and it cooled (in a double-walled glass flask with a neoprene sleeve) for almost two hours, so it was kind of just tepid by the time I used it. The leaves floated happily in the flask for probably half an hour while I drank. It was very flavourful but never got bitter or burnt-tasting. It was delicately-green tasting, juicy, and invigorating but soothing as I find Bai Mu Dans to be. This is a lovely example. Really sweetly earthy in a way that makes me think of spring.

I’ve been drinking this tea every few days for almost half a year now. It tastes great with sugar or without it and accompanies many different meals in a magnificent way. I usually steep it a little bit stronger than it’s recommended by TeaVivre, but that’s just my personal way of drinking it :) A delicate taste, very rich, but also humble and very “quiet”, so to say. I can recommend this to everyone who is looking for an everyday tea.

No work today, I have the whole day just to myself, and I chose to spend time on Steepster. Oh! how I wish I could spend more time to read reviews, and write more often myself! But life has other plans for me right now …

So I seize every opportunity that presents itself to take a break from my crazy schedule and sip a good cup of tea. I tell you, tea protects me from insanity! People around me know, tea is my religion, a sacred temple, an escape, a source of inspiration and meditation. For an over achiever like me, it means a lot.

I look out the window, I enjoy watching birds, trying to find seeds that fell from the feeder in the snow. I live in the countryside, not too far from the big city. Nature, just like tea, brings a much needed balance to my life.

Today, the sky is gray. February can be depressing around here, winter taking its toll I guess… But I like this kind of atmosphere, it leaves lots of room for melancholy to set in and take its rightful place. I put on the music of ELLIOTT SMITH, Miss Misery is playing and I realize how much I have missed him since his death. I really need his music today.

I want to honor this moment with something special. I recently received my order from Teavivre, it’s the perfect time to try this white Peony. I am a bit skeptical but positive feedback from some of you gives me confidence. I don’t know much about whites, and the ones I have tried so far never fully seduced me…until now!

First of all, as many others, I am impressed with the quality packaging that Teavivre offers, it’s the best I’ve seen. From the get go, you know that what’s in there was treated with all the respect it deserves. I open the bag and I discover long leaves of a pretty green color, the pouch is full as the weight of this tea is very light.

My first steep is one minute. The infused leaves have a strong smell of hay and spinach. The liquid is a light golden color. The taste is sweet and slightly grassy, with hints of freshly cut hay and a flowers. Everything is very subtle, but far from being boring!

The 2nd infusion (2 min) is completely different! Not as sweet and grassy, but with distinct notes of apricot (is this possible?) It’s fading, but the hay is still present. Not much flower notes this time around. I really love the experience so far. I now realize that I had never drank a white tea worthy of the name before.

Teavivre, thank you for introducing me to this new standard of quality.

I will from now on refer to this tea as my ELLIOTT SMITH tea, the one I drank in honor of his beautiful music legacy …

Note: the 3rd infusion is lighter, the apricot is gone, but the floral is back. Still tasty, but I’m not sure it can stand a fourth time…

I’ve tried a few blends that called themselves white peony, but this has to honestly be the first real Bai Mu Dan I’ve encountered, and I like it. I’m truly not a fan of white tea simply because the ones I’ve tried in past were too delicate to be noticed or would otherwise have to be oversteeped to the point of being bitter to get any flavor to suit me.

Teavivre’s version is truly just a blend of different leaves and buds, the number of white downy leaves had me impressed. It came in a single-serve pack, one pack made a nice aromatic 2-cup pot that was smooth, delicate, but it also had flavor. A bit floral, and a bit of hay.

I enjoyed two pots of it on Thanksgiving day and am reserving the other two packs to sip closer to the other holidays. I now “get” what people who like Bai Mu Dan are talking about.

Slightly sweet and slightly floral. A bit juicy and velvety as well! Thumbs up! This is a nice relaxing white tea :)

Today I had one of those meals that seem like a good idea at the time but put you into that i-could-doze-off-at-any-moment haze afterwards. Unfortunately I was at work, so couch sprawling was not an option. I was craving something “clean” and refreshing to perk me up, and decided to go with this sample from Teavivre, mostly because the name sounded pure and cleansing. The smell was very grassy, which made me unsure, but the taste wasn’t at all. It was light and delicate and floral, but still flavorful and full bodied in its own way. Mid-sip a sweetness emerges, but a soft, natural sweetness that satisfies the craving without venturing into dessert tea territory. I don’t think I’d have this one first thing in the morning as it’s very light, but it’s perfect for relaxing. Or successfully emerging from a food coma.

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for all the wonderful samples! I was so excited when these came in and I ended up being sent a lot more than I expected to receive!

I decided to start my taste testing out with something I have never had before, White Peony. When I opened the package I took a whiff and got didn’t really get anything worth mentioning. It was light and fresh.

Actually after reading the instructions, I just realized that I have been using only 1tsp per 8oz instead of 2-3tsp. OOPS! Regardless, I cannot stop drinking this. I drank 3 12oz cups, and made 2 8oz cups with the same leaves yesterday, and have had 3 12oz cups again today. Though the taste is really light it’s really great. It’s definitely something I could drink at any time of the day. It’s floral, and calming. The leaves are really cute too. Next time I’ll make it with 3tsp instead of just the one, but I’m really loving this as is.

Open this package and you will immediately see the wisdom in double packaging these teas, as the aroma of this one was quite strong! If it had not been in the outer pouch it would have scented the other teas, quite surprising to me since I thought of white tea as being rather weak.

The dry leaves have a strong buttery scent, sweet like Dixie Queen corn but with a fruity note as well. The leaves are large and fluffy. The steeped tea has a lot of color for a white tea.

We enjoyed this with no additions. It is a warm and peaceful cup, very contemplative. We will be drinking it again tomorrow to further compare notes. A very flavorful white tea!

Mmmm, This is such a great tea. Its my first straight white tea that I have purchased. I thought from what Id read that white tea was all very delicate and subtle, which made me worry that this tea would lack much flavor or be just too delicate for me. Was I ever wrong. It smells like Hay/spinach/forrest ie)very earthy. It steeps to a nice pale yellow color. It tastes so silky smooth and almost syrupy(i read this in another post about this tea). This is my before bed, late night, calm down tea. It is just sooo calming to sit and have a cup, or two, before bed. Another A+++ tea from TEAVIVRE

I brewed this for 5 minutes as was recommended (@160F). It seems really flowery and buttery. Not sure if that’s normal for Bai Mu Dan but it’s quite pleasant.

I made a whole pot for our roleplaying group. Hope they enjoy it, and that it resteeps well.

Woke up to this lovely cup today. I love my Breville. :) I haven’t had a good white tea for a while so I thought I’d make this today. This tea has a natural sweetness about it. It’s very delicate tasting and I can catch little fruity, floral notes. Maybe it’s time to place a Teavivre order!

Looking for something different today decided to switch it up with a white tea. Been sitting on this sample from Teavivre for some time. Brewed in my Finum and holding back a little on brewing times from what is suggested, this yielded a lovely golden color with an aroma similar to what I’ve come to expect from whites along with notes of hay, caramelized sugar & pine. Mildly sweet, ever so astringent with a dry mouth feel and a light tingling after-sensation, I’m not the most massive fan of whites, but I can appreciate them. Yielding nicely consistent multiple infusions, I’m pleased but not rushing to stock up.

Compelled to pick a word for this tea I’ll take “pure.” There is a purity to this that is remarkable. Fans of whites, in my opinion it’s worth taking note.