Silverback

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: White

Tea Description:

First planted with tea in 1903, the majority of Kenya’s tea gardens are clustered on the slopes of the Great Rift Valley which produces 22% of the worlds tea exports. Unlike most of the tea produced in the Nandi region, Kenya Silverback is one of the rarest teas in the world with only 600 kgs produced annually. The tea is only made from the choicest white tips harvested from select plants 5600 ft – 6500 ft above sea level. The fresh leaf is hand plucked, hand rolled and naturally dried resulting in a white tea with a lot of character. The cup opens with notes of honey, roasted nuts and Madagascar vanilla that lead the way to a long smooth finish. A lot of mouth feel for most white tea connoisseurs.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I drink a lot of tea. I’m sure that comes as no surprise to those who read this blog regularly. Every day, I drink at least one type of black tea and one type of green tea, and I try to find time for Oolong daily too. White teas, I don’t drink as often as I drink other tea types, because while I do adore white teas, I find myself tiring of them faster than I do other types of tea. I like them, but, I just prefer green, black and Oolongs.

But I don’t think I could ever grow tired of this Kenya Silverback White Tea from Imperial Tea Garden. The aroma is gentle and sweet, and the mouthfeel is velvet-y smooth.

And the flavor! It’s amazing! So many nuanced layers of flavor within each sip! The above description suggests notes of honey, nuts and vanilla, and I taste those. They sit right at the forefront of the sip, tantalizing the palate with sweet, creamy, toasty flavor.

But then, off in the distance, I notice the distinct flavor of freshly cut hay. If you’ve ever been out in a hayfield just after the hay has been cut, you know what I’m talking about here: I taste the air of the hayfield just after harvest. It is a light, airy kind of taste with distinct hay-like notes. Slightly vegetative and warm, sun-ripened notes. I taste crispness and even hints of flower.

This white tea is truly remarkable! Sweet, but not too sweet. Juicy and refreshing and absolutely delightful. I love it, and highly recommend it to all tea enthusiasts out there.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in White Tea