Green tea from the slopes of the Taimu Mountains in Fujian, China. The delicate, unopened buds appear perfectly white against the young, opened green leaves. Warm colored liquor with a fresh, almost wildflower sweet scent and slightly dry finish.
Customers use these reviews to describe their experience with White Monkey, including flavor, aroma, preparation preferences, strength, and how the tea fits into daily routines. Browse the full review history page by page to compare tasting notes, steeping tips, and favorite ways to enjoy this tea.
Always enjoy a straight tea in my Communitea packet. For some reason, it feels more special. Wish I had started brewing this one earlier in the day as I only got 2 steeps from it before it was time for bed. Delightful green tea, light and grassy. This one seems like it will get bitter easily so I brewed for only 1.5 minutes each steep. Yumnami.
Loved this tea. Beautiful flavor, even on the 2nd brew. Added to wish list since I'm ordering too many teas and need to make my way through a few before ordering more. This one is at the top of the list!
I really did not enjoy this tea. Personal preferences 😆. Although I love green tea..this one was biting and astringent to me.
As soon as I realized this tea tasted and smelled like the hay I used to line my Guinea pig’s cage with, I couldn’t get past the association. Unfortunately I had to dump this one. I am not a fan of many of the grassier greens. So if that’s your jam - and you don’t regularly handle hay for small animals, this might be meant for you. Not for me!
A simple and pleasant green tea, with a mild sweetness that can be achieved without the need of sugar or other sweeteners.
A smooth light green tea. I steeped this at 165°F for 2 minutes and it wasn't bitter.
Loving this delicate green. I suspect it's sensitive to oversteeping, though.
This is just an absolutely fantastic cup of green tea
Very grassy green tea. It isn't my favorite green. It is fussy when brewing to avoid bitterness. I brewed 175 for 2 minutes. Should have done less time.
Light. Crispy. Refreshing. Smooth. Not that grassy and delicious
Absolutely love this one. Such a good quality green tea.
This tea`s smell is stronger than its flavor. It is still a vegetal, minerally green, but softened. Very enjoyable!
Truthfully not one of my favorite teas that I have tried but it was subtle and gave me just the boost of energy I needed to begin my day.
Tasted this with the CommuniTEA. I didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either. It was a little more on the vegetal side than I usually prefer for my green teas. I wouldn’t purchase this for myself, but if it was offered, I wouldn’t turn it down.
This was the best tea! (I do usually love green teas.) This one is on the top of my green tea list now. The sweet potato aroma given when steeping was enough for me to fall in love right away.The taste was very pleasant with every sip down to the last drop. I followed the steeping instructions. I just had time for steeping twice at 180 for a little less than 3 minutes each steep. I had enough leaves in my CT packet for 12 oz of water in each steep. This would be excellent to brew using the Gong Fu method and would hold up for many more steeps with layers of flavor, but I was walking out the door for work today and didn't have time to steep more than twice. I really enjoyed this smooth, naturally sweet green very much and quickly added a bag to my next CT order. I layed out the leaves on a paper plate this morning to dry out and will hopefully get a chance to steep them this weekend Gongfu style. Wonderful tea to keep in my stash!
Good green don't like ot as much as other due to the smell, the taste is good but im having trouble with the smell. It definitely tastes better the cooler it gets, and after a dot of honey was added.
Buttery smooth with a sweet grassy flavor, and a bit of a seaweed note. A little sugar helped curb the umami flavor. Be careful of the temp/time otherwise it'll lean more seaweed and less grassy instead.
good sweet grassy green tea. I sampled this tea as part of the CommuniTEA November 2021 box.
YUM! How have I never had this tea before...thank you CommuniTEA!! Wonderful...mild...buttery...smooth...
nothing needs to be added. Lovely cup of green tea!
A strong vegetal tasting tea which improved in taste as it cooled. I drank it straight; however, a dollop of honey would most likely have improved this when hot.
Delicious ! Beautiful leaves and gold liquid infusion. Smooth and savory.
I really loved this tea. It brews up into a very smooth, silky cup with a slight mineral, sea-like flavor. It's surprisingly full-bodied. My first steep was almost sweet, but the second had a lovely wisp of smoky flavor to it, although the richness was dimmed a bit. Looking forward to experimenting with more of this one.
Great green with a natural sweetness. I wish I would have steeped it less than the 3 minutes I did.
Mmmmmm! The umami vegetal goodness of this tea is out of this world! I adore a straightforward green and this one does not disappoint! The sniff has a sesame aroma and the sip is pure seaweed and toasted rice on the tongue. I find these notes delicious. This is a tea I would sip again and again. It steeps up multiple times, so make sure you have the space in your day to do it justice. Delicious! Happy Sipping!
The smell was harsh and almost savory, but the taste was good.
Definitely getting the seaweed taste, good thing I like seaweed! Green teas are hit or miss with me, this one tastes like a nice vegetable broth, and not like a swamp, so its got that going for it.
My 1st tea's were green teas so I'm very partial towards them. This tea is new to me and did not disappoint. It is smooth easy tea. I did not find it to grassy or leave an aftertaste. Thank you for including in this month's teas.
Not my favorite green tea, but it's very unique from most other green teas, so that's good. The first impression is a light, sweet fragrance on the tongue which gives me an overall impression of apple or a sweet white wine. Definitely a dry finish. I don't dislike this tea, but I think it would have to grow on me to want more of it.
If you like vegetably smelling, delicately tasting green teas, then you should stock up on this one. Making a lovely light green liquor, its a bit dry but warmly refreshing with each sip.
Per usual, Jim's review is spot-on for steeping instructions. The first sip, while hot, is quite bitter, but as the tea cools, it mellows out, leaving room for an incredible depth of flavor. If you don't like 'grassy' greens, best to skip this one, but if you're open to them, this is a cup with a lot of personality!
Very smooth and lightly sweet. I'm a fan of the easy flavor and well balanced vegetable taste with some sweetness. I steeped mine 3 times.
This is a good green tea. I definitely prefer golden monkey, but that’s simply a preference for black vs green tea.
The scent of fresh greens emanated out of today's packet. A white tea steep at 180°F for 3 minutes produced a light translucent yellow-green tea.
Very light green tea flavors were present, with a light vegetal and grassy character. Fresh greens are predominant yet light & airy. There is a slight earthy dry quality on the finish, with a flavor reminiscent of grape or the 'muscatel' type flavor in Darjeeling tea. Light levels of astringency were found on the finish.
Nice and light yet full-bodied green tea with some earthy and nutty flavors! Be careful to rinse out your teapot because this one's so light it could take on stronger flavors from other teas you have steeped before.
What a lovely green tea this brewed up to be. Light, slightly grassy
A very enjoyable green. I found it to be mild and sweet.
I was a little worried when other people mentioned a seaweed taste, but this tea blew past my expectations. There is a distinctly seaweed, vegetal smell from the brewed leaves, but the drink is savory and filling, like a good dashi. Mild bitterness in the cup, but eased with a buttery mouthfeel. White Monkey is far different from your expectations of a 'standard' green tea, but it's absolutely delicious.
Good green tea for those who like their green tea plain with no additives. I am more of a fruity green tea drinker and found this to be good but not one I would reach for if a fruity green was available. Crisp and clean and wholesome to the core.
Pretty good! I really liked it, it was stronger than I usually expect a green tea to be.
I'm not usually a fan of the grassy teas, but this one is lovely and smooth.
Enjoying along with the CommuniTEA: Toasted seaweed, sweet nori noticed on the dry ingredients and packet. Once steeped for about 3 mins at 185°F, I notice yummy buttery vegetable notes from my cup. When I take a sip, subtle nori notes with balancing malolactic (buttery-dairy) notes are noticed. This is lovely subtle, yummy green tea.
Surprisingly moderate astringency, hay, vegetal flavor for such a pale brew. Rebrews strong but I liked the first steep which has more sweetness.
If you love the earthy, seaweedy flavors of a good green tea, this one is for you! Vegetal, smooth, unadulterated, and delicious.
I can appreciate green tea, but it is sometimes touch and go for me. I had high hopes for this one, but I was concerned both by the word 'seaweedy' in the description and the grassy aroma of the dry leaves. That said, the liquor has a lightly vegetal flavor that's savory, smooth, and even a little toasty (roasted kale chips came to mind ever so briefly). There's enough natural sweetness to the brew, despite it being a largely savory tea, that no sweetener is necessary. I liked the tea best hot; as it cooled, the vegetal notes became more pronounced. Similarly, I also preferred the second steep because, even though I didn't time it as carefully, the grassy hints had mellowed. Though this isn't a tea I would drink regularly, it makes a pleasant sip even for those of us who are hesitant about green tea. (2 minutes @ 175F)
I was confused by this tea as I was expecting a white tea and it definitely tastes like a green tea. It’s good as far as green teas go, but it’s not my favorite tea flavor profile as it is a bit grassy tasting. Sweetener helped tone down the grassiness, which made it a decent cup in the end.
My first step in preparing this tea was to spill the leaves all over the kitchen table. I would recommend skipping this step. Thankfully, I was able to recover most of the tea leaves.
I steeped this tea at 175°F for 3 minutes. I used a 10 oz mug and 1tsp of tea sugar, which was added to the mug before steeping.
I could not detect any aroma prior to drinking the tea, but this is not unusual for me. The flavour was initially very mild and hard for me to taste. After I allowed the tea to cool, however, I could detect an almost grassy taste with some mild sweetness. I tend to like green teas and this was no exception, although I liked it best after it cooled.
I don’t generally prefer iced tea, but I wonder if this tea might be good iced.
I found this to be an overall enjoyable tea.
Beautiful delicate color, best appreciated in a clear cup. Taste matched the color. I love the green teas, and this did not disappoint. Very enjoyable cup...or two.
I was able to try this as a portion sample of the CommuniTea. Unfortunately I over brewed it, but even that withstanding this is a very nice green tea. Even with the longer brewing time I'd describe it as fresh rather than grassy. Pleasantly astringent and maybe even a bit floral. If (when) I buy more of this I look forward to brewing it gongfu style with multiple quick steeps over a larger quantity of leaf. For pure aesthetics the leaves are beautiful both dry and wet.
A delicious green tea. Steeped for 2 mins@165° . Beautiful green curled leaves with white fuzzy tips. Nice to watch them unfurl as they steep into a very light yellow infusion. The aroma had a slight hint of floral notes. A full green sweet savory rich flavor with a buttery mouthfeel and no bitterness. A wonderful cup of tea that holds up for a few steeps. Love this tea.
Green grass aromas were noted from my communiTEA packet.
I had 2.75 grams of tea, enough for an 11 ounce steep. I steeped at 175°F ‘cause I don’t have a 180 button on my kettle. I pulled the steep at two and a half minutes, when the green color depth was not too dark. No sugar was used, as I wanted only to taste the tea.
When hot, the first sip was extremely bitter, but quickly tamed to a mild bitterness. A mild floralness was noted. Mild clean cut grass flavors were pleasant and acceptable for this type of green tea. Mild clean hay tastes were noted.
When warm, pleasant grass flavors were moderate and still very drinkable. A buttery smoothness was noted. No bitterness was present.
This was a very savory green tasting tea from start to finish, all that I would want and expect from a fine tasting green tea! This tea was very similar to a pi lo chun, but less floral. A second steep for two minutes was just as smooth and tasty as the first. Kudos to the grower! (2.5 mins for 1st & 2 mins for 2nd steep @ 175°F, no sugar)
A light, very sippable, smooth and savory tea that is a multi steeper. I’m a casual green tea drinker and found this tea a nice surprise today. It’s gentle vegetal and very subtle seaweedy flavor was tasty and pleasant. The pale golden liquor was easy to sip plain although a touch of sweetener was perfect for the first steep. The second steep was my favorite. The flavor was more mellow, sweet and needed nothing extra to be enjoyed.
My CT packet had 2 g/ 3 tsp of slightly curvy green tea leaves, some were long and some had white tips. I used my 18 oz. teapot to brew at 175*F for 3 min. No bitterness was detected and the smooth tea had very little astringency. I enjoyed 2 more steeps of 9 and 5 oz. and chilled a mini cup for 6 hours in the ‘frig. It was delicious cold with a silky mouthfeel and a whisper of fruity vegetal flavor. It’s a light and tasty green tea to be savored.