The Thames Tea Company: Pai Mu Tan (White Peony)

 

Strangely, I noticed recently that I've not featured much white tea on this blog in comparison to the amount of posts that feature either black or green tea. It's not that I dislike white tea, in fact it's quite the opposite, I really like it. However, the amount of time you need to invest in white tea to make a perfect cup of tea is substantial compared to other sorts of tea.

Firstly you need to let the water cool for at least two minutes after boiling otherwise you'll scorch the delicate leaves of the tea. Secondly, you need to brew it for a short time and be fairly exact on that time otherwise white tea can become bitterly undrinkable.

This morning, whilst I was in the middle of a hours workout, I suddenly had a desperate urge for a cup of white tea. And I'm a firm believer that you must indulge yourself if your body is craving a particular item. So, I decided to brew a cup of The Thames Tea Company's Pai Mu Tan.

The Thames Tea Company are a fantastic tea company that stock lovely loose tea's. They sell black, green, white and oolong. In addition they stock short season tea's and stock tea's from a varied amount of regions. Earlier this year they kindly sent me some tea's to sample and the lovely Pai Mu Tan  was included within the samples.

As you can see in the photo above this tea has a really different appearance. It's almost twig like in appearance and the tea leaves themselves are quite large. I put two teaspoons of white tea into the infuser. After the water boiled I let it cool for two minutes and timed it exactly to brew for four minutes.

The tea brews to a dark amber colour and the tea has a almost nutty aroma which is quite familiar from other white tea's that I've tried.

When I settled down to drink the tea I was quite pleasantly surprised that this white tea, unlike others that I've tried, is quite meaty. Normally, white tea is very delicate but this has body and packs a bit of a punch which was really different to what I was expecting.

The tea itself is very mellow and smooth. It has a lightness about it that makes it very refreshing and perfect for a warm summers day. There is a ease to drinking this, and the texture is silky which makes the drink quite moreish.

I love how it makes my mouth taste too, it leaves a aftertaste, but one which is pleasant and tasty.

I really loved this blend of white tea. I have tried flavoured white tea's which are pleasant but overall I prefer white tea to be pure as it has such a lovely, unique taste of it's own.

Recently, I heard from a friend who recently married that she gave out small pouches of white tea as wedding favours. I think that is a fantastic idea. White tea is a tea that I think will appeal to most tea drinkers. It's much lighter then black tea, but doesn't have the qualities that green tea has that can put some people off drinking it. In fact I would say that white tea is a bridge that gives you the best of both worlds - a decent cup of tea, but, without the grassy elements that make people dislike green tea, but, at the same time, has some of the health benefits you get from green tea.

I loved Pai Mu Tan because it was a bit more sturdy then your average white tea, but, is still nice and delicate at the same time. It's a wonderful tea that is tasty.

Congratulations to the Thames Tea Company for their lovely and very enjoyable white tea. It was a honour to be able to taste it!