Usually, I’m like “WHITE TEA, WHAT IS THE POINT OF YOU?” but with this one, I think that I might have an inkling. I think that this tea bottles the spirit of that static electricity feeling that happens before a storm. It tastes like sweet flowers and quivering, excited air. It has a very distinct, kinetic-energy vibe.
My difficulty in untwisting this tea’s flavor is transparent. You, dear reader, are not sure whether you want to try this tea. My description is mangled and unhelpful, and I know it.
So I went over to the official description of the tea on Whispering Pines’ site for an assist. Surely THEY know what they made.
Um. They said, “Silver Needle has a dry leaf aroma of summer bluegrass and clover, where the wet leaf opens with wildflowers, jasmine rice, cinnamon, and a light touch of cannabis.”
This smells like… THE DEVIL’S LETTUCE? Really? I have a tragically limited knowledge of the Mary Jane, but I’m pretty sure this doesn’t. I sniffed it carefully and declare it Not Dank.
No, I’m afraid it smells like a summer storm on a bed of flowers.
But if you’re a more free-spirited type, please feel free to try some of this tea and get back to me about whether I’m right or wrong on this one.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines
Description
Our Silver Needle White Tea was harvested in early Spring 2017 and carefully processed to preserve the purity of the leaf. With pure nearly-opened buds covered in down white hairs, this tea is as beautiful to look at as it is to taste! Silver Needle has a dry leaf aroma of summer bluegrass and clover, where the wet leaf opens with wildflowers, jasmine rice, cinnamon, and a light touch of cannabis. The taste begins with a velvety sweet body with base notes of honeysuckle, horchata, and ripe pear. Mid sip presents a creamy feel similar to avocado and also hints at sweet clover and papaya. The aftertaste is reminiscent of osmanthus flower and a sweetness lingers on for minutes after the last sip. A fantastic silver needle!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Tea Break White Tea from Plum Deluxe. . .
Everything about Tea Break blend from Plum Deluxe feels like a spring or summertime brew. The white tea base has a gentle caffeine level and flavor strength, well-suited for a for a light afternoon break, and holds up when brewed both hot or cold. I always associate white teas with classy tea cups or brightly colored iced tea travel mugs. There is just something both classical and whimsical about white tea blends.
This Tea Break blend is very fragrant in the dry leaf, with lush tangerine and sweet melon in equal parts. The leaves smell like a fresh bowl of fruit salad, or a fruity sorbet. Brewed, the tea carries much of the same flavors. There are notes of bright citrus, but the predominant flavor is honeydew melon. The buttery, earthy white tea matches well with the creamy and juicy melon. The melon provides a smooth mouthfeel, and keeps the tangerine from being too sour or biting. The tangerine adds some much-needed liveliness to the laid-back melon, the two flavors working in harmony.
If brewing hot, keep your water temperatures a little lower to be gentle on the white tea leaves. Also try this as a cold brew, where the melon flavors make the blend extra refreshing on a warm day. Versatile and naturally sweet, Tea Break blend makes it easy to take a moment to yourself and relax with a cup of tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Plum Deluxe
Description:
Sometimes you just need a break. And whether it’s 5 minutes or 5 hours, our Tea Break white tea is the perfect companion. A fresh, flavorful Fujian white tea base is paired with tangerine and honeydew melon flavors that create not just a heavenly aroma, but a truly relaxing, calming, nourishing, thoughtful cup of tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Candied Chestnut from The Tea Spot. . . .
This tea tastes like a baby shower for a child of unknown gender. Try to imagine the scene: comfortable, lighthearted, full of pastel yellows, whites, and light green gifts. Everyone’s in a good mood. It’s sweet and exciting and soft.
Boom. That’s this tea. It’s a smooth, buttery light flavor that is sweet. It tastes like nuts. It tastes like sugar. It tastes like calories.
The Tea Spot likens this tea’s flavor to a wedding cake, which I hadn’t realized until after I started this review’s “baby shower motif.” But you can see that I was spot on with their intentions!
This synchronicity is because I’m very, very tapped into the collective unconscious, you guys. Basically at one with the Universe.
I say that sarcastically, but when I was a kid, my grandmother totally had me believing I was psychic. She thought SHE was, and it had “skipped a generation” down to me. AS THOSE SORTS OF THINGS DO. She told me it was possible to hug trees and pick up their vibes. I always sensed that the trees were calm. (In retrospect: what would a rage-tree FEEL like?)
If only she knew about this “I can tell the intent of the flavor-maker” thing.
She’d be like “you can feel the intent of the tea-makers THROUGH THE TEA. My god, you are SO GIFTED. You are a CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK.”
I wish you could all meet this woman. You guys would love her. She is very gauche about her tea, but oh god she’s a character. (She buys the cheapest grocery store bags and uses them over and over again. It makes me want to cry when she does it. My mother has to shake her head at me so I don’t say anything.) She’d probably tell you all about your inner workings.
And tell you to have children. She would nag you to give her a great-grandchild.
If you succeed, I promise to serve this at your baby shower.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Description
This full leaf white tea will indulge your senses and make you dream of sweet sugarplums. Adorned with beautiful white flowers, this tea has sweet, light chestnut notes and a smooth buttery finish that lasts through multiple infusions. The Bai Yun tea leaves impart a great body & flavor which lasts over multiple infusions. Sipping this dessert tea is like indulging in a slice of decadent wedding cake… without the calories!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
