A sample from Angel at Teavivre. After trying the plain Silver Needle this morning, I decided to move on to the two flavoured blends she sent me. The silver needle in this packet appears to be of the same quality — pale creamy green buds, very downy. In addition, there are rose buds and whole chamomile flowers scattered throughout. The scent upon opening the little pouch reminded me of peaches — sweet, slightly floral, with a lovely juicy fruitiness. Amazing! It’s the scent of summer.
I gave just over 1 tsp of leaves 2.5 minutes in water cooled to approx. 175. The resulting liquor is pale green, with a hint of yellow.
The initial flavour is rose, in a kind of sweet, sugar-dusted, turkish delight kind of fashion. I think the sweetness comes from the chamomile — it’s almost honey-like, with notes of hay and sunlight. The two flavours sit well on the silver needle base, which is itself mildly floral, a little sweet, but mild and unobtrusive on the whole. There is a slight savoury, fresh cucumber note that I picked up on in the plain Silver Needle, but it’s mostly overwhelmed by the sweeter flavours.
I like the combination of chamomile and rose here. It’s sweet, delicate, not overpowering, and tastes wonderfully of turkish delight! What’s not to love? I also found it very calming during a stressful morning at work, so that’s another point majorly in its favour! Thanks again to Angel and Teavivre for allowing me to sample this delicious, sophisticated blend!
