Though flavorful for white tea in a teabag, this is still a delicate tea. The dry teabags have a nice scent that smells dry and vegetal, like straw with a hint of dry grass or hay. The description on the box implies (but doesn't explicitly say) that this is white peony, being made up of both leaves and unopened buds. The flavor bears this out.

This tea is sensitive to water that is too hot and will become bitter and "cooked." My favorite way of preparing this is to give it a good, long soak in 180°F water. The flavor is mild and is hard to taste at all while the tea is still hot, but comes out after the tea cools a bit more. There's a clean bitterness on the sides of the tongue and a bit of astringency. The initial green bitterness is raw green beans and the finish is a melon fruitiness combined with bitter salad greens, like romaine lettuce or young rocket. Once again, the flavor is mild to the point that one almost has to concentrate on it, but if you're in the mood to savor a mug of lukewarm tea, it really is good.

This might be the best white tea I've had in a teabag. Though it's definitely inferior to good, loose leaf white tea, it's also much better than the blends of shou mei and cheap green tea that grocery store brands pass off as white tea. Touch Organic teas are about the same price as regular grocery store teas (or significantly cheaper, if you're willing to buy a 100-count box), but are higher quality.

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