Vicony Teas Company, Superfine White Peony Tea

White Peony Tea undergoes very little processing. Made from just the unopened silvery buds and the small, top one or two leaves it is picked in spring and gently withered to yield a refreshing, easy-drinking tea, full of soft fruit flavors and melon notes with a lingering sweet aftertaste.

This sample was provided by Vicony Teas Company. In exchange they asked for an honest review. Something I always attempt to do no matter how I acquire the leaf.

This is listed on Vicony’s website as Art.No: WPT01
White Peony tea is also known as Pai Mu Tan Tea
This one originates from Taimu mountain, Fuding, Fujian
The shelf life is listed as no limit if stored well. Like puerh it gets better with age.

As best as I understand it, Vicony is a wholesaler, supplying teas around the world to tea retailers. You can’t go buy an ounce of Vicony tea but you may well have sipped tea they were responsible for shipping to your local tea shop or online vendor.

The tea leaf of this white peony is truly gorgeous. This is the whitest looking dry leaf I have personally ever seen. It is long, and though it is delicate, it doesn’t feel that way. It feels solid. This is listed as superfine which is the best quality leaf. While not necessarily indicating better flavor, it is an indicator of the appearance of the leaf. This fits the description.

White tea is a bit difficult to measure without a scale. I used a very hefty scoop of leaf in my press. I used less than boiling water and a one minute steep.

The liquor is so pale in golden color as to be nearly clear. If you are used to tea bag teas this will really throw you because you won’t believe it has steeped long enough – but it has. The wet leaf still shows a lot of extremely white leaf. This is not your typical grocery store white tea. It smells like fresh hay with fruity overtones.

The sip is a thing of beauty. Immediately, I am tasting cucumber. If you drink loose leaf white teas and have caught this before you understand it to be a wonderful thing. If you have yet to experience cucumber it may sound odd or even off putting. Trust me, this is the good stuff. There are some nice fruity notes. Melon comes to mind when sipping this tea. This has a long lasting sweet aftertaste. I know the decription of the tea listed at the top of this review says the same thing. Trust me again, these flavors are truly what you experience when sipping this. I love white tea. Its delicate flavors softly ask you to slow down and pay attention. This is a very good example of this type tea.