Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: PekoeTea
Tea Description:
Silver Needle White Tea with a white downy appearance comes from the province of Fujian. The Silvery Needle, highest quality white tea, is picked during the spring before the buds open to preserve its tenderness. Exquisite and delicate, Silvery Needle has a fresh, sweet fragrance and produces a pale yellow brew.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m very happy with this month’s selections in the Steepster Select box. The theme is “Best Buds” and features some of the finest teas that I’ve tasted. Like this amazing Silver Needle Tea from PekoeTea.
I steeped these needles in my gaiwan, and the flavor is so intense! I am surprised at just how much flavor I’m getting from this tea. The flavor is sweet and floral, with some intriguing savory qualities as well. I taste notes of cucumber and even the slightest hint of very young asparagus that’s been steamed and lightly buttered. I also detect some hay-like notes in the distance.
There are some delectable fruit notes to this tea too. I tasted what I thought might be an apple-y pear kind of taste which has since developed into more of a melon (honeydew) taste.
As I continue to sip, I notice a mineral-y note. This is one of the more complex Silver Needle teas I’ve encountered. It seems that with every sip, I discover something new.
If you’ve been meaning to try a Silver Needle Tea (or add one to your tea stash!), I suggest trying this one from PekoeTea. It’s quite lovely!
Organic Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen) from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
We at TeaVivre have carefully selected our organic Silver Needle White Tea to make sure it is absolute premium quality. When brewed, it has a pale golden color and subtle flowery fragrance. The taste of TeaVivre’s Silver Needle is delicate, without any bitterness or strong flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a lovely Silver Needle. The leaves are tender and vary in color ranging from a yellowish green to a pale green, with hints of tan and silver, and they are covered with soft silvery fuzz. The aroma of the dry leaf is a combination of hay, flowers and air. After brewing, the infusion maintains that fragrance, although it is a bit softer than that of the dry leaf.
The flavor is so wonderful! It is delicate and sweet, with hints of flower, grass, and fruit. It has a lovely complexity to it, but because the flavors are so soft, I find myself mesmerized by the tea … focusing on the beautiful layers of flavor … getting lost in the beauty of it.
There is some astringency to this tea, but absolutely no bitterness. The aftertaste is sweet and floral.
This tea is wonderfully calming and inspires a sense of relaxation and deep contemplation. It is an absolute joy to sip! This is why I love tea!
Ceylon Silver Tips from Empire Tea Services
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Empire Tea Services
Product Description:
Carefully hand picked tender buds from Glentilt Estate in Sri-Lanka (Ceylon).
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is one of the nicest white teas I’ve encountered. From start to finish, it is such a joy! The leaves are just like the picture above: long needles, and that same silvery-white color! They are covered in fuzz. They have a light scent that is slightly grassy, reminding me of a freshly cut grass smell in spring.
The color of the liquor is very pale – in fact, had I not measured the tea myself, I would have thought maybe someone to put tea in the teapot. In fact, everything about this tea is light: the color, the scent, and the flavor.
But, don’t mistake that for being flavorless, because it isn’t. Delicate, yes … but, it is also so delicious. It tastes fresh with hints of flower in the distance. It has a creamy taste and texture to it. It is crisp and soothing. It is delicious sipped hot, and it even tastes great as it cools.
What I like best about this tea is that it has a very relaxing quality to it, I sipped it later in the evening and found that it let me just enjoy my evening, but I also find my thoughts traveling back to the thoughts of this tea. It has that memorable kind of quality to it.
If you love white tea, you really should try this one. You’ll be glad you did.
Jasmine Silver Needle from thepuriTea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: thepuriTea
Product Description:
If you’re new to white teas, start with our Jasmine Silver Needle. Like our Silver Needle white tea, it is plucked from the buds of the tea plant in springtime and then naturally scented with fresh jasmine flowers in summertime. This labor-intensive process results in a robust, sweet, smooth jasmine flavor that’s completely unlike the bitter, artificially flavored jasmine teas out there. Drink Jasmine Silver Needle for its silky mouthfeel, full jasmine flavor and banana-like undertones. For an added treat, try it with Cuban beans and rice, Chinese chicken soup or Thai mango sticky rice.
Taster’s Review:
Perfection! That is what I said to myself after I took my first sip of this tea: Perfection!
My love for jasmine scented teas is well documented through my various tea writings, it is one of my top three tea “flavors” (the other two being chocolate and bergamot). And, there was a time when I thought that jasmine pearls offered the very best jasmine flavor available. I have since discovered, however, that I prefer the flavor of jasmine scented Silver Needle: the jasmine ends up tasting softer … almost velvety. And this Jasmine Silver Needle from thepuriTea is absolutely ethereal!
The Silver Needle is a delicate flavor. It is very lightly grassy, but more sweet than grassy or vegetative. It has a crisp, almost airy kind of quality to it. When met with the sweet, delicate flavor of jasmine, it is truly a match made in tea heaven.
The jasmine does not taste sharp or bitter or artificial. It tastes natural and sweet and delicate … just like the flower itself. The sip is silky soft, smooth, and sweet. The finish is smooth and sweet with very little astringency. I really had to focus to see if I could notice any astringency at all, and there is only a very slight astringency which I would say is unnoticeable unless you’re really trying to notice it. The aftertaste is lightly floral, and if I inhale just after a sip, a sweet crispness of air and flower floats over the palate.
An AMAZING jasmine experience awaits with this tea!
Silver Needle from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Product Description:
White tea from China. Silver Needle is among the most revered of Chinese teas, produced in the Fuding and Zhenhe districts of its Fujian province. Gathered only for a few days in early spring, a dedication to perfection is evident in the pale, ivory colored liquor. The lingering fragrance is delicately honeysuckle floral, with a warmed sugar sweetness. Refreshing texture that is soft and airy on the palate. This is a special grade (‘Bai Hao’) version of this exquisite tea.
Taster’s Review:
I enjoy Silver Needle, but not as often as I’d like to. My favorite time to drink Silver Needle tea is after a meal, because it is very relaxing, and has a sweet taste that helps me forget about that desire for dessert.
This Silver Needle from Adagio’s Artisan Comfort Gourmet Tea Collection makes it possible for me to take Silver Needle with me where ever I go … even when I go out to eat. The handy-dandy pyramid-style tea bags are very roomy and provide plenty of room for the leaves to expand, thereby allowing the tea to achieve full flavor. I love the convenience of these Gourmet Tea Collections from Adagio.
This Silver Needle is delicately grassy, with hints of honey-like sweetness and floral tones in the distance. The mouthfeel is light and silky. Even though I am drinking this as a hot tea, I can feel it cool my palate. This makes it the perfect choice after a spicy meal.
I’ve tried this Silver Needle a couple of times now, and this time, I discovered that this is an incredibly forgiving tea – I over-steeped this by several minutes (it steeped about twice as long as it should have!) and it was not bitter. I will say though, that the longer you steep it, the grassier it tastes. So, if you prefer your Silver Needle on the not-so-grassy side, don’t forget to set the timer the way I did! I didn’t mind the grassy undertones, so I didn’t find the over-steeped Silver Needle off-putting.
A very pleasant Silver Needle, and this is a great way to enjoy it where ever you might be!