Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Purple)
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A delicate tea with sweet hints and a gentle taste of peony flower.
A completely new tea which has just been released to the world; Kenyan purple varietal silver needle white tea represents the latest development in purple varietal tea from Kenya. It is a very subtle and delicate tea which requires the greatest of care and experimentation to unlock its full potential.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
These leaves are beautiful. They are so long that they almost look like pine needles (they don’t smell like pine needles though!) They are darker in color than the typical “Silver Needle” – they have more of a purple-ish hue than a pale green or silvery color. If I look closely, I can see very fine, short hairs on the leaves. The aroma is soft with notes of flower and a hint of vegetation.
To brew this tea, I grabbed my glass tea cup. I added 2 pinches of tea to the cup (these leaves are much too long to be measuring with a scoop!) and then added the water, heated to 175°F. I steeped the first cup for 3 minutes and added 30 seconds onto each subsequent infusion.
I don’t often use this cup except for the times that I brew a “blooming” tea or other tea that I want to watch steep, and this was one that I thought would be interesting to watch because the “silver” (they look more purple than silver!) needles are so long and elegant looking, I thought that their dance would be something cool to watch. Unfortunately, they didn’t really dance much. But they still produced a delicious drink!
The liquid is very pale. It almost looks “white” – not an opaque white but a very clear, transparent, slightly off-white, almost yellowish colored liquid. It almost looks like water, it’s so pale! I’m happy to say that it doesn’t taste like water!
The flavor is quite delicate though, especially in this first cup. It is sweet and floral. The floral notes hint at sharpness, but don’t quite get there because the overall tone of the beverage is so delicate. It’s quite lovely and soft. It’s one of those types of teas that you want to take some time to drink so that you can allow it to take you on a journey. So many layers of flavor. A soft, pleasant mouthfeel. No astringency noted in this first cup.
My second cup was much stronger in flavor than the first. Still a rather delicate tea, I am picking up on more flavor this time around. The floral notes are less sharp and have melded with the other flavors. I’m noticing a sweet, creamy flavor this time. Still sweet and floral, but the creaminess softens any of the floral sharp notes. At the tail, I pick up on a light fruity note that tastes of peach and orange.
A third cup? Sure! These leaves just keep on going. This cup seemed less creamy than the previous one. I could pick up on some nutty tones this time. The sweet floral tones are still there. I’m picking up more fruity flavor this time but it’s less distinct. In the second cup, I tasted distinct notes of peach and orange but this time it’s more like an indistinguishable fruit.
As I sipped on this tea, I tried to compare it to other Silver Needle teas I’ve had. This has less of a “hay like” quality to it, and the fruit notes are different. Usually, I get like a delicate melon-like flavor from a Silver Needle – but here this is more like peaches and citrus. I don’t get so much of that “fresh, airy” refreshing quality from this tea, instead, I taste more of a creamy, sweet, nutty flavor.
Sure, it’s different. But that’s what makes it so good! I love it when I discover a new tea like this!
Assam 2nd Flush 2014 Green Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A brilliant green tea with a wonderful mango aroma, fruity taste and citrus finish. Perfect as an ‘everyday’ green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this tea has the most amazing aroma! So fruity, I almost thought it was a blended/flavored tea! It really does have a mango-y scent and it is a very strong fragrance. Once brewed, the scent does soften but there are still distinct fruit notes.
To brew this tea, I went with a slightly lower temperature – 175°F instead of 180°F – because when I see “Assam” my mind automatically thinks to adjust the temperature slightly. Assam is a little more temperamental than other teas, it seems, and I find that I experience less bitterness from Assam when I use a slightly lower temperature. I steeped it for 2 minutes. The liquid produced is quite pale, looking almost like a white tea rather than a green.
But there is still plenty of flavor!
The sip starts out quite light. Delicate. But by mid-sip, the palate starts picking up on some strong flavors. I taste the fruity notes that are promised in the above description and I’m also experiencing the citrus finish. This citrus finish lingers long in the aftertaste. A minute later and I’m still tasting bright citrus flavors.
I like how the flavors build with this tea. It starts out very soft. Again, I must compare it to a white tea. It’s delicate like that at first. But just before mid-sip, the flavors are developing. I first pick up on a slight vegetal note and soon these vegetative flavors are washed over by the sweet fruity notes. The finish is tangy with citrus. It’s a very light and rewarding taste. Soothing. Calming.
The leaves looked to me like they wanted to treat me to another cup of tea, so I resteeped them. The second infusion was not as delicate as the first. Much more flavor right up front. Notes of vegetation peek through right at the start and then the fruit notes come on strong. The citrus notes at the finish are not quite as sharp, they are softer but the tangy flavor is still present.
It would be difficult for me to decide which infusion I preferred. I liked the delicate approach of the first cup, but the second cup was so flavorful. Both were wonderful so I highly recommend infusing these leaves at least twice!
I haven’t tried as many green Assam teas as I would like to so trying this Assam Second Flush from What-Cha is a real treat for me! And it’s not just a treat because it’s something a little out of the norm for me, but it’s also a treat because it’s yet another amazing tea from this company. I’m really impressed by them!
Darjeeling 1st Flush 2014 Jogmaya White Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A brilliant white tea composed of whole leaves with a silky texture, combined with a gentle grass taste and wonderfully light finish with hints of spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have enjoyed many different types of white teas in my years as a tea reviewer. And while I do enjoy the many different types of white teas that I’ve tasted, I think I’m finally comfortable saying that my favorite white teas are Darjeeling white teas.
And this Darjeeling Jogmaya White Tea from What-Cha Tea is absolutely stunning! It’s so good! The dry leaves have a distinct grassy aroma with a soft floral note. I can smell a light, fruity sweetness in the background.
To brew this tea, I decided to reach for my Kati Brewing System. I measured 1 1/2 bamboo scoops into the basket of the Kati tumbler (I usually use a little more leaf when it comes to white teas because the leaves are considerably “bulkier”. I heat freshly filtered water to 170°F and poured the water into the tumbler and let the leaves steep for 3 minutes. 
Sweet and delicious! As with other white teas, the overall cup is delicate, but I generally find that Darjeeling white teas are a little less subtle in the flavor department than most other teas and that is the case with this Jogmaya White tea. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy them so much!
Or it could be the amazing spice notes of a Darjeeling white. This tea has a warm, zesty spice note. Think white pepper. Maybe not exactly white pepper, but think of the first time you tasted white pepper and how you noticed the gentler pepper note. It still tasted of pepper but it was definitely more subdued. That’s what I taste now, a soft, subtle spice note that is a little warm and zesty. Perhaps not as abundantly “spiced” as I might experience in say a Yunnan black tea, but there is absolutely some zippy spices that are capturing my taste buds’ attention.
This has a nice body to it, it’s silky and smooth. Notes of sweet grass and whispers of flower. I can taste notes of fruit as well. Melon and a crisp apple note. As I continue to sip, I start to pick up on a slight grape-y flavor.
This is a very refreshing white Darjeeling. The sip starts with grassy notes and almost immediately after I experience those notes, I start to pick up on the aforementioned gentle spice notes. As the sip progresses toward mid-sip, I taste the medley of fruit notes: melon, apple, and a touch of grape. As I reach the end of the sip, I taste a slight floral note that melds with the fruit. The sip ends with a slight dryness and the aftertaste is clean and slightly sweet.
A really enjoyable cup. What-Cha Tea delivers … again!
2014 Darjeeling 2nd Flush Goomtee Oolong Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A delightful oolong tea which evolves and develops with each subsequent brew. A great fruity nose with a complex taste of orange and spice.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really happy to try this Darjeeling Oolong from What-Cha Tea. Darjeeling Oolong teas tend to be a bit more difficult to find and they’re so lovely that whenever I have the opportunity to try them, I’m excited!
And my excitement was justified because this second Flush Goomtee Oolong is really quite delightful!
I brewed this Darjeeling Oolong the same way I’d brew other Oolong teas, using my gaiwan. I heated the water to 180°F and measured out 1 bamboo scoop of leaves and placed them in the bottom of the gaiwan bowl. Then I gave the tea a quick rinse (15 seconds) and discarded the liquid, and then proceeded to infuse the tea for 45 seconds for the first infusion and then for each subsequent infusion, I added 15 seconds onto the steep time. My first cup was composed of a combination of the first two infusions; the second cup was a combination of infusions 3 and 4, and so on.
My first impression of this tea? Deliciously sweet and fruity! I taste the promised notes of orange and spice. I also taste a sweet, grape-y note. It’s quite smooth and very pleasant to sip. A little earthy and woodsy, with delicate spice notes that are peppery and warm.
Later infusions offered even more fruit notes. I started to pick up on an apple-y note in the second cup (infusions 3 and 4). The sweetness of the cup reminded me almost of a brown sugar sweetness. The cup is smooth yet crisp and vibrant. The light spice notes perk up the flavor.
What I love about Darjeeling Oolong teas like this is that they offer the best of Darjeeling and of Oolong in one cup. It’s smooth and creamy like I’d experience from an Oolong, but I am still tasting notes that are familiar with a second flush Darjeeling teas. I can taste notes of muscatel and the wonderfully warm spice notes and gentle woodsy tones.
With the third cup (infusions 5 and 6), the flavors became a little more unified and soft. The spice tones were not quite as defined as they were in the first two cups, but I found the sweetness from the fruit notes as well as that sweet brown sugar-y note more than made up for the waning spice notes.
This is a really lovely tea. I enjoyed its many infusions (I infused this tea a total of eight times!) finding that the 2nd cup was my favorite because the spice notes were still quite zesty and I liked the way these spice tones married with the fruit notes.
I highly recommend this tea to both lovers of Darjeeling and of Oolong! You’ll really enjoy this tea!
Darjeeling 1st Flush 2014 Gopaldhara Silver Needle White Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
Another beautiful Silver Needle with a fruitier taste and delicate spicy finish. The ‘Cristal’ of the tea world; the most expensive type of tea from Darjeeling, known as the ‘Champagne’ region of the tea world.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf reminds me of the smell that fills the air in the early spring on Saturday afternoons – when everyone is mowing their lawns. The smell of freshly cut grass fills the air and that’s what I smell with these tea leaves. Fresh air and grass that has just been cut. There’s a slight herbaceous smell to it too, in fact, the first time that I smelled the dry leaf, the first thought that popped into my head was ‘mint’ so I took another sniff to see if I was imagining things, and I didn’t smell mint that time but there is a definite “herb-y” smell to these leaves.
To brew these leaves, I scooped out some of the leaves (a full scoop using my bamboo scoop) and put them into the chamber of my gaiwan. I heated freshly filtered water to 165°F and then I did a 15 second rinse, discarded the liquid from the rinse and proceeded to steep the first infusion for 90 seconds, adding 30 seconds onto each subsequent infusion. (I usually brew white teas a little longer than other tea types.) 
The tea is lightly fragrant and is a medium golden amber color. A little darker than the color in the picture to the right. Perhaps to obtain this color they either steeped it less time or used less leaf.
Nevertheless, the flavor is delightful so I’m not worried at all about the color of the cup! It is sweet and tastes of fruit! I taste notes of grape with subtle hints of apple and apricot at the start of the sip. As the sip progresses, I pick up on some warm spice notes, a gentle yet peppery spice, like white pepper. This peppery tone lingers into the aftertaste which is also peppery with an intriguing sweet contrast. One of the most interesting aftertastes I’ve experienced in a tea.
There is some astringency toward the finish – it is dry and I feel the insides of my cheeks puckering a bit from the dryness. It reminds me a bit of a dry wine.
I found my second cup (infusions 3 and 4) to be very much like the first. The sip began with notes of grape. Instead of tasting apple and apricot, though, I am picking up on melon notes now. The taste is sweet, crisp and vibrant. At mid-sip I start to pick up on the zesty tingle of pepper. The finish is dry. It’s a very refreshing and clean taste.
I started to notice the spice notes change a bit in the third cup (infusions 5 and 6). The peppery notes began to morph into a more nutmeg-like flavor with a warm, nutty, somewhat earthy taste. The melon notes were emerging more, while the notes of grape began to taper and become more unified with the melon flavor. This cup is definitely sweeter and smoother, it’s not quite as crisp tasting. It’s mellowed somewhat.
I was so happy to have the opportunity to try this tea. I have a soft spot for Darjeeling white tea, and this is one I’d recommend to anyone else who finds Darjeeling white teas to be as compelling as I do.