Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Eteaket
Product Description:
Silver Needle tea is the most famous of all white teas, and for good reason. The delicate downy buds (packed with antioxidants and very low in caffeine) give a delicate but complex flavour with a hint of melon, fresh citrus notes and a lingering finish. Forget silver, this tea deserves a gold medal.
Taster’s Review:
The fragrance of the dry leaf is different from many white teas I’ve encountered – it has a light, leafy scent that is fresh and is intermingled with a delicate melon note! It smells very nice. It looks nice too: the thin spear-shaped leaves are soft and fuzzy. The look as fresh as they smell.
The flavor is very pleasing. It is not at all delicate like one might imagine a white tea would be. It has a strong fruity presence, as the description suggests I can taste hints of citrus and melon. There is also a vegetative note lingering in the background. There are even soft notes of spice that are somewhat uncommon for silver needles!
I really like this deliciously different silver needle. It tastes smooth and rich. There is no bitterness and no astringency. It is sweet, delicious and incredibly relaxing to sip. Ahhh!
Bird of Paradise Tea from Alice’s Fine Tea
Tea Type: Flowering Tea/Blooming Tea
Where To Buy: Alice’s Fine Tea
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
Tasters Review:
Surprisingly this DOES taste a lot like pumpkin or maybe more of a butternut squash with yummy spice notes underneath! As it cools at room temperature it does taste more like pumpkin…not really pumpkin pie, but pumpkin. It’s almost like a flavored silver needle! It’s very nice – very surprising! It’s also slightly peppery in the middle of the sip but finishing somewhat soothing and flatter.
The 2nd infusion…is completely different. It’s floral from start to finish and a little bitter…but floral bitter, not bad bitter. I would say more marigold, specifically.
I will say this is one of the more perfectly bloomed Flowering Teas I have had…it had no problem blooming whatsoever! It was very beautiful and it was very aromatic even before infusing. This is certainly a tea for special occasions and certainly a piece of art! I enjoyed this quite a bit.
Jasmine Silver Needles from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Company Description:
An exquisite offering for the Jasmine tea enthusiast. The white tea base is an extra-fine plucking composed of select leaf buds, some as a set with the small first leaf. A judicious scenting with jasmine blossoms yields a mellow, complex cup with sublime jasmine flavor and aroma.
Taster’s Review:
I have tried a few Jasmine Silver Needle teas, and of those that I’ve tried thus far, this one is my least favorite.
The jasmine flavor is much too sharp here, while the delicate white tea base tends to be overpowered by the jasmine notes. The flavor should be (and could be, based upon my previous experience!) much more balanced, with delicate notes from each component rather than what is in my cup now.
I have tried brewing this several different ways, all with disappointing results. I have tried a few different teas from Upton Tea Imports, but this is the first one from this company that has really disappointed me.
If you’ve tried this tea and have found it to your liking, I’d love to hear from you, especially if you’ve some tips to help make this more palatable!
Jasmine Silver Tip Tea from Rare Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Rare Tea Co.
Company Description:
Jasmine Silver Tip Tea is the most delicate and delicious jasmine tea available anywhere.
Among it’s many admirers are acclaimed chef Tom Aiken and the sommelier Katie Exton.
Rare Tea’s jasmine silver tips comprises only the most tender spring leaf-buds which have been carefully mixed by hand with fresh jasmine flowers.
After the silver tips have been plucked from a tea garden high in the Fujian mountains they are taken to a jasmine farm.
They are crafted by night when the flowers give off their heady perfume. At an exact temperature and humidity the tender silver tips absorb the jasmine’s scent. The tea is then dried and the jasmine flowers removed. This process is repeated six times, over six consecutive nights to add a unique depth of flavour.
Although the scenting is deep the silver tips retain their delicate sweetness. The jasmine aroma is all in the ‘nose’ leaving the flavour both subtle and soft.
No flavourings or oils are used. This is completely pure tea that has been mingled with flowers to take on their scent and then the flowers are removed.
Taster’s Review:
I love jasmine teas. And until a year or so ago, I thought that jasmine pearls were the pinnacle of jasmine teas, and then I was introduced to silver needle jasmine teas. And now, It would be a difficult decision to choose between the two. I just hope there is room enough at the top for both!
This is one of the finest silver needle jasmine teas I’ve encountered. It brews to a beautiful pale golden color which emits the softest, loveliest jasmine fragrance imaginable. It’s so enchanting and soothing.
The flavor is amazing. The white tea flavor is very delicate but in perfect balance with the jasmine essence. The flavor is light and sweet. There is no real “vegetative” taste to this tea, just fresh, floral and lively. There is also a very light mouthfeel that is soft and silky. For such a light tea, there is an abundance of pleasing flavor.
One of the best things about silver needle jasmine teas is that they produce many very flavorful infusions and this one is no exception. I managed five very tasty infusions from one measurement of leaves.
If you like jasmine teas, you really MUST try this one. You can thank me later!