I received some samples of the Malawi White teas that Nigel has mention here. I don't have a lot of experience with white teas, a couple Bai Mudan's and Yinzhen's. While I liked them, none really grabbed me as a "must have on hand" tea. I usually drink Japanese greens and Chinese red teas, with a few Chinese greens thrown in. I'll occasionally order a sample of white or oolong just to change things up and see if my tastes have changed.
I've been battling this sinus infection for the last month or so, so I haven't wanted to waste my samples on my crippled sense of taste and smell. However, I did get to try the Antlers d'Amour and one of the Yinzhen types prior. Both are very delightful teas, and have sparked my interest in white tea. I brewed both teas in a gaiwan and got many steeps from them. Two traits that they both had in common were an increasing sweetness with each brew, and a wonderful aroma upon opening the lid of the gaiwan. While they are delicate, they seemed more flavorful than the other white's I've had. Maybe the brewing suggestions that came with them were better. It did seem like I brewed them for much longer than I remember doing in the past, 180F,
4-5 minutes, if I remember correctly.I'm horrible at describing tea taste, but.. The Antlers d'Amour had a hint of what I would call spiciness. It reminded my wife of Lapsang Souchong. At first I just thought she was crazy. There was no smokiness at all. But then I realized that there is a certain element of the pine taste in Lapsang, that was similar to what I was tasting as spicy in the Antlers d'Amour. Maybe woody would be a better term. This one really got sweeter with each brew. A very delicious and unique tea.
Ok, maybe rather than try and awkwardly describe these teas, I'll just say they are lovely and well worth trying for yourself, even if you are not a fan of white tea. You can find the teas and their descriptions here
Blues