LOOSE LEAF 白牡丹 茶叶 bái mǔ dān chá yè 'WHITE PEONY TEA'bái - whitemǔdān- peonychá yè -tea leaves(chá) is tea, and can mean the drink, plant, or leaves. But if you want to buy tea, or ask for a packet or something, you would use chá yè.This is the real deal. Whole tea leaves. Not the shreds in bags, or the chopped up you get for most loose leaf teas.BREWING:Water temp: 70-80C or 158-176F. If you don’t have a kettle that you can pick the temp, either pull it off before it boils, or let it sit a bit afterwards first. (The box says boiling water. You don't’ want that with white tea leaves.)Steep time: Depends on if you are brewing western style in western teapot or mug, or if you are using ‘gong fu’ style. The latter uses more leaves and less water, to make smaller amounts of tea, usually shared. (You re-steep the same leaves)For western, white teas are usually 2-5 mins, but I would start at 1 or 2 and see how you like it.For gong fu, it is less than a minute, usually measured in seconds, hence why the box says 5-10 secs (most likely).Either way, you can (and should) resteep the leaves. Traditionally, thge first steeping in gong fu is poured out, sometimes over a tea pet, a cute ceramic figure that sits on your tea tray.I have been doing a sorta mix of western/gong fu because I don’t have a set up, but have been using a smaller cup/bowl thing. It feels fancy and adds to the ambience, okay?FLAVOUR: Fruity in a way, with a lovely aroma. This is my first ‘real’ white tea. The flavour is light but enjoyable. It is stronger than Silver Needle, which I also got. Silver Needle is very subtle, and I think is probably best enjoyed by more experienced drinkers who have developed more of a palette. For newcomers, White Peony seems a good place to start. Shou mei )From wikipedia on tasting and brewing: “A very mild peony aroma and a floral aroma are noticed when brewing the tea. The tea is best brewed with good mineral water and at 70 to 80 °C (158 to 176 °F). The brew is a very pale green or golden color. The flavor is fruity; stronger than Silver Needle, yet not as strong as Shou Mei (寿眉). The finest quality should have a shimmering clear infusion with a delicate lingering fragrance and a fresh, mellow, sweet taste devoid of astringency, and grassy flavors. ”If you are looking for a tea that you can make quickly and drink on the road or while in a rush doing something else, this isn’t necessarily what you want. You can’t let it steep for a long time like tea bags, as it will over steep v quickly. This is a tea to set time aside for, even if it’s just a short break.VALUE: Very good value. You get a lot of tea for the price, and it is high-quality stuff. You also are supposed to steep the leaves more than once. (Which you can’t really go with a bag) I don’t think there is anywhere in my area that sells tea like this, and if they did, it would be more than ~10$ an oz.ONLY CON: Is that it didn't come with a resealable bag. But I can use one from my kitchen so it isn't a huge negative. I may put some of it in a mason jar and vacuum out the air, then store it in a dark place to help prolong it.

This white tea cake is exactly what I was looking for. I love white tea. I haven’t been able to find a brand I used years ago and this was new. It’s fresh and amazing. I am unsure if the value is worth it for the price but I’m personally comfortable with the price.

It's a good tea to drink. Aromatic. Note the cake is a little different so you can cut it a bit with a knife after doing the initial cut.

If you are like me, a novice to white tea styles then here is a tidbit: This style, "Shoumei" cake refers to a type of white tea, specifically from the Yunnan province of China, that has been stored and aged for a period of time, usually a few years, generally resulting in deeper, richer flavor compared to fresh white tea. Shoumei tea is produced from naturally withered upper leaf and tips, and some say since Shoumeis have the buds removed they can be lacking in fragrance. However packing and aging the Shoumei in a cake for a few years brings back much of the fragrance and depth from oxidation. "Bai Cha" simply means "white tea" in Chinese, so the full name is Sanran (brand) Yunnan (place) Shoumei (leaf type) Bai Cha (whit tea) cake.This is a very dense cake and almost need a tool to break of chunks of dried tea. That being said, it does seem aged a few years and there is a lot of tea packed in. So it should last 2-3 months of daily tea-drinking. I personally like my tea dark and complex, I don't like white tea that is so mellow it tastes like hot water with a yellow tinge. So I have enjoyed this aged white tea which seems to be much darker than anything I've ever received at a restaurant. Of course I may be using more tea leaves as well -- and steeping them longer, but the end result is a dark-apricot color with a stronger taste of earthy straw and honey. I think it also has more caffeine which comes though in the flavor. But this could be because I'm using more tea per glass. There is so much tea here that you might as well make a sacrilege deeply dark glass of tea for full effect, like a good old American-excess triple espresso! Ha. Recommended.

This “white” tea brews to a lightly golden color. It is 7-years old, and is a bit more strongly-flavored than i expected, with earthy and nutty notes. This is a fourth (lower) grade of white tea, fine for sipping, but not the most delicate. By the way, white tea has caffeine. This comes with a ziplock bag to keep it fresh. Keep it dry and cool, not refrigerated or frozen.

The giant puck of tea is delish. The way it is stored is interesting and useful. You scrape it from the middle and work your way out. It is a very subtle tea. Very little tannins and a delightful taste. It is a very good price for a lot of tea. It will last me quite a while.

This stuff is delicious at a good price. Go ahead and steep it several times.