Cherries Jubilee Bai Mu Dan

mmmmmm this tea might be a bit old but I can see why this would have been pretty popular. I’m holding off rating this because i think it’s been around a bit. However, this seems like it would be super tasty. Thank you kittenna for the sample!

Danish tax people are on to my activities. 196 kr in customs fees they demanded in ransom for my 52teas order. The contents of which cost 50 kr LESS than that, shipping included. Greedy greedy customs!

Anyway, this tea came out just after I had decided that I wanted to try some great cherry blacks. This is not a black, though, and it has other things than cherries going on, obviously, but still. Uncanny.

I was sceptical at first because of the brandy. I’ve mentioned before at length my dislike of alcohol in general, but having read some posts about it, it seems like the brandy shouldn’t be too strong. My curiosity returned and I plucked up the courage to buy some for myself and check it out. Somehow I don’t think I’d have managed to get peace of mind until I had tried it.

It smells quite cherry-y, but also of something else which I can only describe as borderline bubblegum. Synesthesia input says dark purple-y red.

Flavour is very much cherries as well, and also quite nutty, which I think is the white tea shining through. Also a touch of vanilla to all the fruit but not really enough to make much of a spectacle of itself. It’s a bit like onions in a spaghetti sauce. It doesn’t taste like onions at all, but if you leave them out, you’ll get a boring sauce. The vanilla is like that here. If it was left out, the flavour would be paler. Or maybe still very nice, but just different.

The brandy is excellent in its absence. I admit I don’t know what brandy really tastes like other than ‘alcoholic’ and since I dislike the alcoholic flavour and feeling of spirits, it’s impossible for me to get past it. So I’m not about to find out what it tastes like just to see if I can find it here. For me, the fact that I can’t find it, is a great big plus.

I’m glad I was brave and gave this a try, it was really well worth it. Whether it was also worth the extra customs expense… yeah, why not? Doesn’t mean I won’t whine about it though.

Sipdown!
I had a good time with this tea – I’m sad to see it go, it was so sweet and cherry and delicate! Delicate but with a very distinctive flavour – creamy icecream aftertaste! YUM!

I enjoyed my last cup – I even shared it. Too kind, I know ;)

I’m a cherry fanatic so this tea was a must-have when Frank came up with it. Most of the cherry flavoured teas I’ve tried from other companies have been disapointing, either too artifical-tasting or flavourless. But I keep trying in hopes I’ll stumble across a good one.

I had to restrain myself from eating those dried cherries that were mixed in – when I lived at home I would always steal and eat the dried cherries my mom used for baking (much to her ire). ;) And low-and-behold, this tea actually tastes like cherry and real cherries too! The vanilla is detectable too, thought subtly, but I can only pick up the brandy in the scent of the dry tea.

I do wish the cherry flavour was a bit stronger, but that might just be an indication that it needs a longer steep time, so I’ll do that before I give this blend an actual rating. At this point I’m liking – but not quite loving – this tea.

Thought I’d purchased this myself but apparently it was from a swap. So I didn’t ever have it fresh. I always wanted it to be good, but it sadly never was. At present it’s at the state of slightly-better-than-hot-water. So I suppose I’ll drink it, but there is no cherry here whatsoever.

I still don’t get the cherry flavor. Which I completely don’t get, because I had pieces of cherry in the dry mix I brewed. Anyway, today I got more of the vanilla flavor that people talk about, after it had cooled off. It seems like a lovely white, I don’t dislike the base. I just don’t get why I miss the flavor boat on this one. I even brewed it for five minutes just to try and get the flavor. Argh.

I love white tea. Really love it. It’s my favesies, but I’m not rich enough to really stock up on a lot. Getting this Bai Mu Dan in the mail was terribly exciting! I really like this tea, but I can’t really taste the vanilla but the subtle cherry is nice. I wish the flavor was stronger. Compared to other whites I could take it or leave it :/

Dry leaves overwhelmingly remind me of this http://tinyurl.com/3n6rsbh
Which I think smells super yummy. Very cherry almond. I just want to reach in and eat one of the whole dried cherries swimming in the mix.
Heated water to 175 in my Breville and steeped for 4 minutes in one of my new, pretty, double walled Bodum glass cups (http://tinyurl.com/3e3g7go) Which work AWESOME for steeping 8 ounces of tea at at a time, (since the Breville can’t do that.) They retain heat perfectly and they’re cool to the touch even if boiling water is placed in them. Highly recommend! My ForLife infusers (http://tinyurl.com/3m5sk23) fit perfectly in the 8.5 ounce cups. So great!
Steeps to a elegant pale golden liquor. The cherry almond scent of the dry leaves has transferred to the tea quite well. The aroma is beautiful.
Taste is just as lovely as the scent and appearance. I added a smidge of raw honey and that imparted a nice sweetness that really brought out the flavors. Wasn’t necessary, though; I just have a big sweet tooth. This seems like it would be really nice paired with some delicate shortbread cookies. Makes me want to have a tea party. The bf especially loves this one! Whites are really starting to grow on us. Well done, Frank.

Finally, finally, finally… After what seemed like forever to wait… I received my second 52 teas order in Ecuador! : ) This order took longer than the last order to arrive, so I started to loose hope that it would arrive, that maybe it got “lost” in customs… But it is here! Yay!!! Joy, joy, joy!

I was particularly excited about this tea because the day I decided to purchase it, it suddenly sold out! I was so mad at myself for taking so long to decide that the last one managed to be sold… But then, magically, it reappeared as “in-stock”! So I quickly ordered it and sat back semi-patiently to wait for it to arrive.

The leaves are broken a bit smaller than what I was originally expecting for a white tea, but this could have a lot to do with it having been shipped across an entire continent to me! They we nice and fuzzy! I had two large cherries sitting in the tea, looking quite comfortable among the leaves. It would be great to sit on a heap of Bai Mu Dan! Lucky cherries….

The smell of the dry leaves was distinctly Bai Mu Dan with a hint of cherry rather than the other way around. I was happy it worked this way, because the tea smelled delicious!

I brewed two teaspoons of the tea and picked out one cherry to brew with it as well! (Once again, lucky cherry! Bathing Bai Mu Dan!) The brew smelled a bit more of cherry, but the white tea scent still stood up well. I didn’t smell any almond or amaretto like smell… Or vanilla, which I was hoping for…

From the first sip, the cherry showed up first, followed by fruity Bai Mu Dan, a somewhat nutty taste, with a smooth vanilla finish. I was glad that the vanilla finally decided to show up!

The first cup I had I sweetened, and the second I had plain. The sugar really made the cherry and creamy flavors shine, but without sweetener it was just as good with the tea flavor taking center stage.

I really enjoyed this tea. Sadly there is only 1oz of it… Compared to the other blends from 52teas that I have tried, it isn’t my favorite, but it is worth trying and enjoying for sure!

I am very pleased with this. I was worried it would end up tasting like cough syrup, and even though the dry leaf does smell a bit like it, it doesn’t taste like cough syrup. It just tastes YUM!

The cherry flavor is sweet but there is enough tart in there to keep it refreshing. The brandy flavor is not overwhelming, and it doesn’t have that alchohol-y, solvent kind of taste. It is just a hint of brandy-like flavor. The vanilla is soft and sweet and creamy.

Yummy!