Bai Mu Dan

Bai Mu Dan, Pai Mu Tan, White Peony

Bai Mu Dan is a Chinese white tea that's supposedly a lower grade of the Silver Needles. What makes me wonder if this is true or not, is that I've seen different grades of Bai Mu Dan.

Taste

The taste is fairly similar to Silver Needle tea, but it's darker and actually more vibrant. You do get a little bit of the floweriness at the start, but that's soon replaced with fruity, jam-like notes. The finish is clean and doesn't leave a lingering taste. There is an overall "airy" quality to the taste but it's not as prominent or delicate as Silver Needle.

Scent

The scent is a little flowery, but it's not perfume-like or sweet, and it has a slight green tea scent to it.

Steeping

For this tea, I used a slightly smaller amount than I normally do. Half a tablespoon, instead of a full one, and I steeped it at about 180-190 Fahrenheit for 3 1/2 minutes.

I really enjoy this white tea. It's robust enough that you can read your favorite book without stopping to concentrate "Am I tasting jasmine or hibiscus? Wait, no, it's lemongrass. Wait, no Sevilla oranges. Wait" etc, and it's delicate enough so that when you sit for lunch you can actually taste your meal and not tea.