Arbor Teas Loose Leaf White Tea 'Organic Bai Mu Dan'

Tea Information:
Tea: Organic Bai Mu Dan White Tea
Type: White Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Arbor Teas
Purchase: Here
Description: Our organic, Fair Trade Certified Bai Mu Dan White Tea (also known as Pai Mu Tan or White Peony) hails from China's southeastern Fujian province. This superb white tea is made from the uppermost two leaves and a bud, plucked in early spring and withered and dried in the sun before the buds are able to open. These leaves are green with plenty of buds that show a very light green almost grey white color, covered with a delicate velvety down. The pale green infusion has a delicate lingering fragrance, and a mellow sweetly vegetal taste.
Ingredients: organic Chinese white tea

Steep Information:
Amount: ~5 tsp
Water: 1,200ml 185°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: sweet, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet, fruity, slightly vegetal
Flavor: slightly bitter, slightly astringent, vegetal, silky, sweet
Body: Light
Aftertaste: slightly astringent
Liquor: translucent orange-brown

This is the second Arbor Teas sample I have tried, both so far have had a sweetness to them without needing additives. I very much am enjoying these teas!

Arbor Teas sent me this sample for free in order for me to review it and get the word out about their teas in October as it is Fair Trade Month. It arrived USPS Priority mail, but had to wait a few days at the post office for me to pick it up. The compostable packages are opaque and have listed suggested steeping parameters and a stapled on paper tag with the specific tea information. They include a note about re-packaging your tea into opaque air-tight containers for longer shelf lives.

From http://www.arborteas.com/the-environment.html
"Our dedication to protecting the environment pre-dates our love of tea, which is why we’ve taken every step we can think of to reduce the environmental footprint of Arbor Teas.

Never ones to rest on our laurels, we’re always looking for further opportunities to "green-up" our company, giving back to the planet whenever we can. Here’s just a quick summary of the measures we take at Arbor Teas to reduce the environmental impact of our business:
• Our entire catalog of teas is certified organic under the USDA National Organic Program.
• We are the first and only tea company to deliver its full line of organic loose teas in 100% backyard compostable packaging. In doing so, we've significantly reduced both the carbon emissions and waste stream associated with our products."

And from their letter to me "every tea in out catalog is certified organic, and nearly two-thirds are Fair Trade certified."

Find Steepster reviews of the tea here.

Resteep: 185°F for 3 minutes, 1,200ml - the smae other than the tea became medium bodied not light

Rating: 3/4 leaves


Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing