Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: varied greens and browns, mostly broken
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 185 degrees
Preparation Method: glass infuser
Liquor: gold
I really enjoyed the Ruby from this company, so I was really looking forward to trying another one of their offerings. As you might guess from the name, Good and Proper White Peony is a white tea. It hails from Fuding county in Fujian, China, a region well-known for its white teas. White Peony is the English translation of Bai Mu Dan, the Chinese name for this grade of white tea. It typically consists of buds with some larger leaves. The proportion of each varies quite a bit between producers.
Leaf
The dry leaves of my sample were fairly broken with a large number of stems. They were varied shades of green and brown with an earthy and slightly floral aroma. It may be that some breakage occurred during shipping because the leaves on their website looked a lot more intact. I was a bit disappointed at first, but then I checked the price. This tea costs just under $10 for 60g, a very low price for white tea of any grade. You are just simply not going to find a completely unbroken Bai Mu Dan for that price.
I brewed Good and Proper White Peony in a glass infuser using Good and Proper’s recommendations. My water temperature was 185 degrees, and the infusion time was three minutes. I did not try this tea in a gongfu style since the leaf style was not amenable to that.
Liquor
Good and Proper White Peony brewed up a bright golden liquor. The taste was soft and sweet with a subtle floral note. It came across as very light and meadowy rather than heavy and perfumy. There was no bitterness or astringency. It was somewhat grassy but not offensively so. I could definitely see this tea becoming a comforting go-to for nighttime. Because the leaves are more broken and there aren’t many buds, the caffeine level is fairly low. It stood up well to multiple infusions. I wish I had seen the delicious recipe on Good and Proper’s website before finishing this tea. They made madeleines with this tea and paired them with rooibos creme fraiche. Yum!
Have you ever tried Good and Proper White Peony? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
White Peony sample provided for review by Good and Proper.
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