Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Organic)

Tea type
White Tea
Ingredients
Organic Chinese White Tea
Flavors
Floral, Honey, Sweet, Tannin, Vegetal, Grass, Honeysuckle, Pine, Corn Husk, Drying, Hot Hay, Sweet, Warm Grass, Hay, Dark Bittersweet, Nectar
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Organic
Edit tea info Last updated by bree
Average preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 15 sec 8 g 11 oz / 337 ml

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61 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Sipdown! I had about 7 grams of this left between two sample packets I got from DT so I decided to combine them both in a cup. My first time trying it. DT said on the packet to steep this in 94C...” Read full tasting note
  • “Well, I gave this one another chance! and I think I’ve finally met a white tea I don’t like. I was afraid this day would come… Unless it’s simply that the leaves were scorched (quite possible),...” Read full tasting note
    67
  • “I really enjoyed this one. Took it for the drive through traffic to school this morning. I am really loving plain teas, especially white. It’s really too bad it’s so expensive. It was a nice,...” Read full tasting note
  • “So I’ve never really had just a straight, white tea before! I’ve had a few different flavoured varieties but never just the tea on its own. I probably never would have tried this tea if left to my...” Read full tasting note
    90

From DAVIDsTEA

A most beautiful tea

This is a true luxury, considered by many to be China’s most famous white tea. To create it, only the downy, silvery unopened buds of the tea plant are picked by hand during the April harvest. How does this influence the flavour and aroma? Connoisseurs rave about its sweet complexity, and about an underlying grassy taste that makes it uniquely perfect. (MK Kosher)

Ingredients: High-grown white tea from the mountains of Fujian Province, China.

Price: $14.50 per 50g

About DAVIDsTEA View company

DavidsTea is a Canadian specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based in Montreal, Quebec. It is the largest Canadian-based specialty tea boutique in the country, with its first store having opened in 2008.

61 Tasting Notes

50
29 tasting notes

This was a sample from DavidsTea.

The dry leaves looked like thick pine needles, with white fur (okay, I’m not sure what the heck that is, but it looked white and furry to me). It smelled really really weird, a bit musty and old? The smell is really off-putting, but I’ll go ahead with it ( oooo bravery!).
The leaves look a lot more normal after I poured water over them, but the smell is still a bit weird. The brew however, is nice, almost transparent looking. The taste…I’m not sure if this is just me or what, but I’m not getting anything here, just mildly scented water, with a tiny bit of grassiness that I’m not liking too much.

I did not oversteep or use water that was too hot, so the result was disappointing. I guess I was expecting more flavors and scents? Anyhow, not a fan, and definitely will not be something I’d buy.

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100
1 tasting notes

Best tea in the world, I wait 20 seconds after the water reaches the boiling point and steep my tea in for 14 minutes, around the temperature that is drinkable without being burnt and it is godly. Try it.

Preparation
Boiling 8 min or more

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97
19 tasting notes

This is my favourite by far. I have a cup of it every morning when I’m not trying to fight a cold. On the days I can’t have it, I think about how much I’d love to have it.

The dry leaves look like they were freshly picked. They’re soft to touch and have a fuzzy down that causes its silver appearance. The colour of the leaves is pale green that is sage-like in appearance, and the initial aroma is grassy. There is a faint scent that is reminiscent of seaweed. It’s not too prominent but there nonetheless. Luckily, it is soon forgotten by the soft floral notes dancing about. It’s almost like dandelions.

This tea is a little tricky to scoop because it doesn’t like to be separated. The downy texture causes the leaves to grab onto each other and unless you use your fingers or a pick to control what goes into your scoop, you can wind up with half a tin in your cup. There’s so much love here.

When the tea is first steeped, the little furs disappear and the scent becomes floral. I always feel like I’m in a meadow on a fresh day when I make this tea. There is so much Zen in this cup. The colour of the leaves becomes less silvery and takes on a darker green with some browning that resembles a little bruising.

The liquor is clear. It’s a pale greenish umber with soft yellow highlights, and the flavour is very light and delicate. There are subtle grass and floral notes that don’t overpower each other. The aftertaste is clean and its lingering effect is very subtle and refreshing.

I like the delicate flavour and aroma of this tea. It’s never bitter and it always tastes clean. I can brew it at high or low temperatures and for a short or long duration. It always tastes right. It might be too light for people who prefer their tea strong, but it’s just perfect for me.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 30 sec

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58
255 tasting notes

This is a nice white tea. The leaves are quite beautiful, of course, and the aroma is fresh and grassy.

The flavor, though, is not as complex as I would have imagined. It is a simple fresh tea.

It’s a pleasant drink to experience, but not something out of the ordinary.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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90
32 tasting notes

Okay. I got a sample of this a long time ago, and I was unimpressed with it hot but thought the cold brew, with my leftover hot leaves plus the unsteeped second half of the sample, was a-mazing. I don’t really like hot white tea to begin with.

So I may have bought two of the the gigantic packages of it from Davids web sale. Iced tea is the wind beneath my feet while at work, and this stuff is really good.

But here’s where it gets fun. I have a food dehydrator and am lucky enough to live around farmers markets and a grocery store with a good bulk bin. So I’ve been DIYing those expensive super white tea blends from places like teavana. I dried some cherries and strawberries and mixed it in with a bit of diced vanilla bean, I did a lemon-pineapple-coconut, and I even found some dried goji berries and mixed it with apples and fig bits.

But as much as I love it as a platform to tell other tea places where to stick their $12 Youthberry, I never would have paid full price for this tea. Sorry, Davids.

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100
2 tasting notes

Do not let this over steep! I repeat, DO NOT OVER STEEP! White teas are extremely delicate and will ruin the soft, subtle flavours in this tea. Over all love it for the green tea lover who wants to try something new but not too daring. Almost floral!

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 2 min, 45 sec

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83
183 tasting notes

I was a bit surprised at DT’s suggested steeping temp and time (4-5 min at 94C), as I was afraid it would turn bitter on me. I decided to follow the instructions for the first cup at least, and am happy to report no bitterness.

Unlike one of the other reviewers, I like the fact that there are no floral additions to this tea. It has a very light, grassy taste and smell to it. NO perfumey or floral notes here.

Overall, a very mild, pleasant cup of tea. It’s not one that I’ll think to drink often, as it’s not very distinctive (maybe I’m not used to luxuries enough to appreciate its subtle qualities, lol), but I’ll enjoy it when I do drink it.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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86
2 tasting notes

I let the water cool before adding my tea, so chances are that the water was a bit cooler than instructed- but when it comes to white I much rather under do than over! I was very satisfied with the flavor of both the first and second steeping. first time I was a bit surprised that it had more flavor than I expected! if seemed sweet and flowery on its own. first seeping also had another flavor that I’m not eloquent enough to describe in few words, so I’ll just say this- it tasted like the smell of butterflies. that’s not just some fluffy simile either! lovely like a slightly buggy pollen. it was very nice! but its pretty pricey, as expected from a straight white tea. I will certainly enjoy it on special occasion or when I need soft nudge on a bad day.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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97
14 tasting notes

I am a white tea lover so obviously I would love this tea. This is by far my favourite traditional tea from Davids Tea.
The dry leaves are full and furry. Its smells great. The steeped liquor is very light and it has a light scent. I would definitely call this a refreshing yet relaxing tea. It had a sweet flavour to it, which was nice.
Only downside, it’s a bit on the expensive side :( I will still be purchasing a lot of this tea. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Preparation
4 min, 0 sec

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94
4 tasting notes

It’s light and subtle, a little bit grassy. I think, it’s meant to drink occasionally, definitely not every day or on the go

Preparation
140 °F / 60 °C

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