The second of the Butiki teas I brought to work with me this week. White Rhino is a tea I picked up pretty much as soon as it was released, if I remember correctly. I’ve liked white tea for a long time, and black tea is my all-time, all-consuming favourite, so I was naturally curious to try a white tea reported to share the characteristics of a black tea. I followed the recommended parameters for this one, and gave 2 tsp of leaf approximately 3 minutes in boiling water. The resulting liquor is a light golden brown, reminiscent of either a seriously overbrewed white or a very light-bodied black. The leaf itself is a most intriguing and beautiful thing – it reminds me a little of a dian hong, with long, tippy, golden-brown leaves that are a little wiry. Some of them have patches of bright white which makes me think of rhino horns. It’s certainly a clearer white than pretty much any other white tea I’ve ever seen, but the only other indication that this is a white tea is that some of the leaves are very downy. It’s safe to say that the dry leaf is very pretty and I found it interesting to contemplate while waiting for the kettle to boil!
To taste, this does remind me more of a black tea than a white, at least on the whole. There are significant notes of sweet malt and a touch of honey in the initial sip, with a touch of sweet potato soon emerging. It’s very smooth, with an almost creamy mouthfeel, and this texture works really well with the intensely sweet, almost marshmallow, note that rounds off the sip. It’s possible to detect elements of white tea in the flavour, such as a mild, almost hay-like, slightly dusty floral in the mid-sip, but these are by no means as prominent as I thought they might be.
I’m really happy with this one, partly because it’s so unique and a little unusual, and partly because it displays the flavours I love most in black teas with the body and characteristics of a white. It’s light, refreshing, and pretty perfect for a warm, spring day like today. Teas like this make me mourn Butiki more than ever, for the quality and variety of teas they stocked, and for their lack of fear in introducing something new and unusual. I can’t say the same about many other companies. This will be another tea I miss when it’s finally gone for good.
i agree! this one is so good.