Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teasenz
Tea Description:
PURE, CLEAN and REFRESHING : enjoyed exclusively by the imperial family in China for centuries, the Silky Silver Needle is a top grade white tea that has a soft, smooth and silky-sweet taste experience – an ethereal cup with lingering fragrance and a refreshing aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Silky Silver Needle Tea from Teasenz will be my first experience with a tea from this company, and I’m excited about it! I love trying teas from new-to-me tea companies … especially when the teas are of such remarkable quality as what I’m finding from Teasenz!
The color of the dry leaf is beautiful – light green with silvery tips, each needle-like leaf is covered in fluffy fuzz. The leaves are soft to the touch … not dry or brittle. The brewed leaves are also quite lovely … I don’t see the “fuzz” anymore, but, the color is this gorgeous, spring-green color, evoking thoughts of the earliest days of spring when all the new leaves and buds of grass start to come alive. The fragrance of both the dry leaf and the brewed tea is subtle and hay-like, with an enhanced “vegetative” note in the brewed liquid.
The flavor is sweet and clean. There is a vibrant crispness to the flavor. There are notes of vegetation … and I’m noticing less of that “hay-like” quality that I often notice in white teas … this has more of a distinct fresh vegetable note … like somewhere between hay and freshly steamed, mild vegetables.
The texture is silky, thin and delicate, as is the taste. This is not what I’d call a ‘brothy’ kind of tea, because it doesn’t have that soup-like quality to the consistency of the liquid. It is thinner than that. It has a light quality to it … from the fragrance to the flavor to the mouthfeel … but I find this to be very refreshing and invigorating in its own way. I don’t feel weighed down in any way when I sip this.
I feel the cup calm me as I drink it … while at the same time, I feel a sense of rejuvenation … like it’s gently recharging me from the inside out. I really enjoyed this cup of tea … my first sampling of the teas from Teasenz … and I really am happy with this!
Huangshan Furry Peak from Peony Tea S.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Peony Tea S.
Tea Description:
Hanyu Pinyin: huang shan mao feng
Production area: Huangshan, Anhui
Harvest time: Spring 2012Overview:
Perpetually shrouded in cloud and mist, the beautiful Huangshan which is translated literally as ‘Yellow Mountain’ is the origin of one of the most beloved and well-known green tea in China- the Huangshan Furry Peak. Just like its place of origin, this delightful green tea is truly a work of art, simultaneously soothing and exciting the drinker. Green teas are considered in Traditional Chinese Medicine terminology as ‘cooling’ so instead of reaching for your soda, try this sugarless all natural alternative instead. The recurring sweetness will fill your throat long after your last drop.
Taste:
Thirst quenching and cooling, feel the recurring sweetness well up and linger in your throat.
Liquor:
Yellowish green liquor.
Personality:
Like a classic beauty, there is an elegance about Huangshan Furry Peak that is almost ethereal. She carries about her an air that exudes class at every turn, beguiling all that crosses her path.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Huangshan Furry Peak from Peony Tea S. was given to me by one of my SororiTea Sisters LiberTeas to try. You can see her review of this tea here.
I have decided I need to really get caught up on the samples that I have had around awhile, while they are still fresh. So Huangshan Furry Peak, its your turn!
As I lifted the cup I picked up a lovely buttery aroma, almost like butterscotch candy due to the sweet aroma being also quite strong. Such an inviting sensation!
This is not an overly vegetal green, which is a nice departure into a more dessert like flavor.
There is a wonderful silkiness to the mouthfeel which is brothy and thick.
The color of the steeped leaf is the palest hue of gold.
This tea reminds me of being young, in the summer time. Out in the yard on a weekend playing or just being lazy, sticky fingers from that lollipop from the local candy shop. Sweetness on the breath and smiling because you know you had something really good and not one bit worried about the calories or what it does to your health! The upside of course is this tea is actually good for you but evokes that same feeling, as if you have done something naughty or have something everyone else would want.
You should want this tea too. That is if you love sweet butteriness in a green that feels like silk in your mouth and leaves you refreshed and satisfied!
Golden Fleece from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
“This wild-picked Golden Fleece is an exquisite lesson in texture, and one of the truest flavor embodiments of Yunnan itself. . . .This is the finest, most nuanced and intriguing Dian Hong we have ever encountered. Wang Yanxin, our sourcing agent who has devoted her life to Yunnan, has been searching for a Dian Hong like this for years. Every time she sends us pu’er, she includes 30-40 Dian Hong teas, and Jin Jun Mei teas. This time, she only sent us one, and wrote on the bag “this is the one. Best Dian Hong. Taste slowly.” She was so very right.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have had Golden Fleece from Verdant Tea since it was released on Verdant Tea website. I actually ordered it twice because the first order was gone in a flash. I had thought I would save the second bag I bought and hoard it, but the fact is tea is best when fresh, and I would not want to deprive myself of enjoying this tea while still fresh, let alone deprive the tea of giving off the best cup possible. So I have opened my second bag and I am enjoying it daily until it is gone. When it is gone I will most likely purchase another bag if it is still available on the Verdant web site. As of right now it is still available so if you are tempted by this tea – get some while you still can!
This is everything that could be desired in a black tea, especially in a morning cup. It is toasty, creamy, and the aroma is one that will wet your appetite for breakfast or sustain you and give you all the flavors that a calorie ridden decedent breakfast would. Everything you will find in the aroma, you will also find in the flavor. There is a malty, maple flavor, along with a fresh hay laying in the morning sunrise dew flavor, a spun sugar flavor, a subtle vanilla flavor, and a cocoa flavor. That is just on the top levels of this tea!
Once you relish in those beautiful top note flavors you will find yourself emerged into a world of sweet spices, such as cinnamon, clove, and even a taste of paprika.
The mouthfeel is like that of silk or satin, creamy and luxurious. It offers a very full mouthfeel indeed!
This tea can be steeped many times offering new layers and flavors in each cup which is always quite enjoyable and my preferred method of brewing (gong fu style). However, if you want your first cup to be richer, fuller, creamier, or just don’t feel like fussing with a gong fu sitting, by all means enjoy it western brewed as you can’t go wrong with this tea. You will still get two to three steeps out of it western style. Its just such a fine tea however you may find yourself feeling that gong fu brewing is a must. I prefer drinking this tea on weekends when I can take a bit more time in the mornings and go at a slower pace, enjoying up to eight or more steeps.
There are other wonderful flavor notes to find in this tea – some of the base notes I find are mushroom, oak moss, rock mineral, and wood. There is a dry finish to this tea which is due to the base notes.
According to Verdant’s Website: “ Instead, this is a subtle experience that will appeal to lovers of fine oolong and pu’er.”
I could not agree more! I myself am a lover of oolong and pu’er so they are absolutely correct as I fully appreciate this fine black tea.
I always say that good tea, which is defined by each of us alone, should evoke a thought, a feeling, or a memory, and for me this tea evokes the thoughts and feelings of friends, family, good times, warmth, and love. This is why I have chosen this tea for my Christmas Time Tea and why my review of it is posted today, Christmas Day. I will be enjoying this tea all day today as I spend cherished moments, and make forever memories, with my family and friends.
Merry Christmas to all.
Silky Green Tea from Bird Pick Tea & Herb
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Bird Pick Tea & Herb
Product Description:
Entice your senses with Premium Silky Green Tea. Offering a pleasantly sweet and creamy aroma and flavor, its refreshing brew provides surprisingly light and delicate notes that easily pleases the taste buds. Try adding sugar and ice for a refreshing beverage that will surely not disappoint any palate.
Taster’s Review:
A quick glance at these tea leaves and one might think that they’re looking at an Oolong tea – I know I did! The leaves are tightly wound into little pellets and look a lot like a green Oolong. So, I decided to treat this one like an Oolong, and I brewed it in my gaiwan.
The flavor is also quite similar to an Oolong – there is a silky mouthfeel and it has a sweet, buttery taste that I’ve often experienced with green Oolong. The first two infusions (following a quick rinse) tasted so very much like a milk Oolong. It was sweet, creamy and rich.
Following those two infusions, I noticed that the leaves were barely opened, and were begging for more infusions. I just had to oblige. The next two infusions were similar in taste, but lighter on the creamy/buttery taste. These two infusions did not have as thick a mouthfeel to it, and floral notes began to emerge. These two infusions may have tasted different, but they were every bit as lovely to experience as the first two.
If you’re an Oolong enthusiast, you really must try this tea. You’ll be surprised at just how much this green tea tastes like an Oolong!
Silky Spice from Simpson & Vail
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal/Spice Melangé
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Company Description:
This fabulously heady blend of hibiscus flowers, cinnamon, cloves, sarsaparilla, coconut, allspice, and orange blossoms with vanilla and cinnamon flavors brews to a deep red cup. Definitely a palate pleaser! The taste is slightly spicy, with a creamy finish and a lingering spiciness that is uniquely refreshing.
Taster’s Review:
While I had high hopes for this tea, I was also a bit hesitant to try it. All of the ingredients sound GREAT… except the hibiscus! So, here, with a little apprehension, I am about to taste this new herbal/spice melangé offering from Simpson & Vail.
First reaction: Interesting. The hibiscus does offer its trademark tartness to the cup, as well as a bit of body to what might otherwise be a somewhat thin tisane. That being said, I’m still of the opinion that this would be better without the hibiscus.
But, lets consider the tea as it is. I really like the spicy notes of this tea. It isn’t a “hot” spicy, but more of a gently warm spice combination with a lot of character to it. The cinnamon, cloves, and allspice give a nice, well-rounded spice taste that is neither too hot nor abundantly sweet.
What I really find interesting about this blend is the sarsaparilla. It adds a really intriguing note to the cup. The vanilla is soft and adds a sweet creaminess to the tisane, as does the coconut. There is a also faint citrus note from the orange blossoms.
I think I prefer this hot, because some of the most interesting flavors become a bit more elusive as the tisane cools. Try it with a drizzle of honey – I love how it brings out the sarsaparilla! 
Here is a recipe for Silky Spice Hot Grog, found on the Simpson & Vail website:
Simmer 1 cup of apple cider and 2 Tbsp Silky Spice Hibiscus Herbal Tea for 10 minutes.
Strain out the herbs.
Sprinkle cinnamon and garnish with orange slices and a cinnamon stick.
Makes 1 serving.