Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: In Nature
Tea Description:
Silver Needle Bai Hao white tea is possibly the most natural form of tea. It is only made from the buds, picked when they are at their most tender.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf doesn’t really look like any Silver Needle that I’ve ever seen before. I see Silver Needles in there, but, then I also see larger leaves in there, darker leaves that look a bit like Bai Mu Dan, and perhaps even some Shou Mei. Like a blend of at least the two, and possibly all three of these types of white tea. The aroma is soft and reminiscent of fresh air and hay. The brewed tea has a slight vegetative scent to it, and is a pale golden color – a bit darker than I’d expect from a typical Silver Needle.
The flavor is very nice – but again, it doesn’t taste to me like other Silver Needle teas that I’ve tasted. Silver Needle tea is usually quite delicate. And while this does have a certain delicate quality to it, it has a fuller, rounder taste. It really doesn’t taste like a Silver Needle, but then again, it doesn’t taste like the Bai Mu Dan or Shou Mei teas that I’ve tried in the past either. This has a unique and wonderful flavor all it’s own.
It is a very crisp flavor with a fair amount of astringency. The layers of flavor reveal vegetative notes, nutty tones and hints of flower and fruit – almost an apple-like taste with a hint of honeysuckle. There is even a hint of malt to this – almost like the flavor of infused hops.
I enjoyed this hot, but I think I liked it even better as it cooled. It was very refreshing, and the tang of astringency toward the tail was very uplifting. Not quite what I expected from a Silver Needle tea, but, I am enjoying it nonetheless.
Silver Needle Bai Hao (Wu Yi Qu Hao) from In Nature
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: In Nature
Product Description:
Silver Needle Bai Hao white tea is possibly the most natural form of tea. It is only made from the buds, picked when they are at their most tender.
These sweet and tender leaves used to be exclusively for the Emperors and royalty of China, as they were so rare and exquisite. A real treat that is now available for the enjoyment of all tea lovers.
The tea brews to a pale yellow-green colour with fresh aroma similar to green tea with a crisp and fresh taste.
Taster’s Review:
This is sooooooo GOOD! So very good!
These long, slender leaves are of very high quality, evidenced by the fact that they’re covered in silvery-white, soft fuzz. The aroma of the dry leaf offers hints of fruit and floral notes – but with an airy quality to the scent as well. Sort of like the way the air would smell while walking through a fruit orchard (perhaps an apple orchard?) in bloom. The fragrance of the brewed tea is a bit softer, but it still smells fresh and crisp.
The flavor is sublime. It is a remarkably smooth and sweet taste. Very pure and clean! It has a light vegetative quality that is not exactly grassy, but not exactly vegetable either. I would describe it as somewhere in-between the two tastes. It is a remarkably light vegetative note, but I like the way it contributes to the refreshing taste of this tea.
One of the best silver needle teas I’ve encountered in a very long time. If you’re a fan of silver needle teas – I suggest putting this one on your must try list!