Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
This high grade Fuding Silver Needle is entirely made up of soft, plump young ‘needles’ or immature leaf buds that are densely covered in tiny silvery hairs. Very high in antioxidants, the buds are hand- picked at dawn and scattered in the sun to dry. The liquor is the colour of champagne and has a light creamy, delicate taste with sweet notes of melon. Try nibbling on a bud of this top Silver Needle after infusion: it will be sweet and delicious, unlike lower quality Silver Needle which can be bitter and woody.
Taster’s Review:
There are a lot of Silver Needle teas out there. And quite a few are very good! I think that this Silver Needle from Canton Tea Company ranks right up there with the very best. It has such a beautiful, serene quality that seems to wash away the stress of the day. So relaxing and rejuvenating!
As the description above suggests, this tea does brew to the color of champagne – very pale and lovely! It has a sweetness to it that is as light as the color, the flavor is very delicate and smooth. I am tasting the melon-like notes, along with a whisper of floral tone in the background.
I do recommend using a little extra leaf when steeping this Silver Needle. This will give the cup an extra creaminess that is almost buttery – reminiscent of a green Oolong but without the heavy quality that an Oolong might possess.
While silver needle teas tend to be more delicate than other teas, I really enjoy them, especially later in the day. It is a very gentle taste and seems to not only calm the body but restore the spirit. A wonderful tea, indeed!
Organic Silver Needle from Teahouse Kuan Yin
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teahouse Kuan Yin
Product Description:
Silver Needle is the rarest and most prized of white teas. It is comprised of only the downy tea buds before they open, so that they resemble soft white needles. Its flavor is extremely fresh, because so little processing takes place in Silver Needle production. The leaves are very lightly oxidized, and undergo no frying or rolling process. Our Silver Needle is IMO-certified organic.
Taster’s Review:
I love the light, crisp taste of this Silver Needle!
Generally speaking, most white teas possess a delicate flavor, however, this seems to be even more delicate than most of the white teas I’ve tasted in the past.
The flavor is somewhat floral – like a mist-covered, flowery meadow lies somewhere in the horizon, but, not easily seen. It whispers of its presence to the palate. There is also a hint of a leafy flavor: not quite vegetable, and not quite grassy, but somewhere in between, and ever so faint.
This is such a pleasant, sweet tea. Very relaxing and meditative. These needles can be resteeped several times with no loss in flavor, so I encourage you to take full advantage of the unique and rewarding taste that awaits you! I brewed this tea in my gaiwan, using a little extra leaf and steeping for a very short time. By steeping this way, I find that I really get the most flavor and enjoyment out of the tea… even the steeping process becomes a restorative exercise!
A lovely tea, indeed.
Snow Jewel from Lahloo
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Lahloo
Product Description:
Snow Jewel white tea is the true queen of teas! Pure elegance! This rare wild Dai Bai silver needle tea grows high in the Fujian mountains.♥ Downy buds plucked in the spring just before they open
♥ Exquisitely refreshing and delicate
♥ Ripe fruits- peaches, lychees, pear
Taster’s Review:
I absolutely LOVE this tea. The aroma is amazing! It smells sweet and fruity, somewhat floral and leafy, and reminds me of the air here in the Pacific Northwest just after it rains (which it does a lot here).
The dry leaves are fuzzy and even though they resemble spears or “needles” – they are light and fluffy. Silvery! And the flavor they produce when steeped is so delightful.
The flavor is delicate and sweet. I can taste peaches! Fresh, delicious peaches! The taste is crisp and slightly vegetative. Clean and invigorating!
The mere act of sipping this tea is truly a meditative process. First, inhaling deeply to experience its sweet fragrance, and then taking a sip and allowing the flavors to develop onto the palate, all the while I can feel the stresses of the day disappear as my spirit rejuvenates.
I love this tea! This is a tea I could drink every day and never grow weary of it.
Bird of Paradise from Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Blooming/White
Where to Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Product Description:
This bloom unfolds into beautiful birds perched in a golden nest surround by green. Not only is it visually surprising, but the taste is surprisingly spicy and reminds one of autumn, like pumpkin pie!. One of the favorites at Alice’s Fine Teas, a delicious, warm, soothing tea. Ingredients: Marigold (believed to help circulation and ease stomach ache), Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect) and Silver Needle Tea.
Taster’s Review:
I enjoy blooming teas, but I don’t really brew them very often. I blame the gadgetry – I am a self-professed anti-gadgetite (I just made that up) – and when I brew a blooming tea, I have to watch it brew, right? I guess I am just going to have to promote my glass teacup to the status of essential tool rather than its current status of “gadget” so that I can enjoy the beautiful art of blooming teas!
I steeped this bulb for four minutes in 165° F water and after the four minutes, the bulb had not completely opened. Only a hint of the orange-y blossoms that would display was showing at the very top of the bulb. But this is a good thing! It means additional infusions… which means MORE tea! Yay!
This really DOES taste like pumpkin! There are very gentle spice notes in the background, which contributes to the “pumpkin pie” like taste that is mentioned in the above product description from Alice’s Fine Teas. I wouldn’t say it tastes just like pumpkin pie – but it does have similar characteristics. The squash flavor is distinct … and quite yummy.
The tea has a very pleasant sweetness to it (I don’t recommend adding sweetener to this tea, it would overwhelm the delicate flavors!) and a light yet smooth mouthfeel. Very little (almost no) astringency to this cup. A very pleasant, mild cup of tea that makes for an excellent topic of conversation as well as a refreshing beverage.
For the second infusion, I steeped for five minutes and achieved another delicious cup of tea. The bulb had not yet fully opened until I infused for the third time (for six minutes), and the tea was still quite lovely, although the pumpkin flavor had subdued a bit by this time. There were still faint notes of squash and spice, but mostly what I tasted by this time was the soft, fresh notes of silver needle with a delicious buttery finish.
When the bulb finally did completely open, I enjoyed the sight – it looked like two swans dancing (ever go to Disneyland and watch the swans in the pond outside of Sleeping Beauty’s castle? Every hour when the sounds of a singing Sleeping Beauty can be heard, the swans dance together).
This was an incredibly fun tea to steep and to drink. The flavor was delicious and surprising, and the colorful display from the bulb made tea time all the more entertaining.
Elixir of Love from Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Type: Blooming Tea/Flowering Tea
Where To Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Product Description:
Sweeping jasmine arch over a bright lily. This tea is mellow, even buttery, with a hint of sweetness from the jasmine. Absolutely delightful! Ingredients: Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect), Jasmine (sweet fragrance, said to moisten the skin) and Silver Needle Tea
Tasters Review:
I’ve said it before and I will say it again…I LOVE Blooming Teas/Flowering Teas. Elixir of Love from Alice’s Fine Teas is no exception.
It’s Relaxing, semi-sweet, mellow, floral, and extremely lovely!
This is a sweeter jasmine than I am used to! And I really like it! I mean REALLY like it…I think I would like all my jasmine’s to be sweet or semi-sugary-sweet from now on!
Yup! Alice’s Fine Teas has raised the bar on Jasmine for me! This is incredible…the key is the naturally sugary-sweet of this Jasmine that makes it special!
