Forest Berry Silver Needle

Tea type
Fruit White Blend
Ingredients
Blackberry, Organic Natural Flavoring, Organic Strawberry, Raspberries, White Tea
Flavors
Berries, Cranberry, Floral, Fruity, Hay, Honey, Pollen, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Medium
Certification
Vegan
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 4 min, 0 sec 6 g 32 oz / 946 ml

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28 Tasting Notes View all

  • “I’m clearly being very indulgent tonight. I think I just drank three of the most expensive teas in my stash (this, Cantaloupe & Cream, Quangzhou Milk Oolong). Who cares though, I’m sure it’s...” Read full tasting note
    87
  • “I steeped at 180 for 4 minutes and that worked for me! This is lust! This is satin sheets and champagne! Frank better put this in his perm stock PLEASE Frank I beg of thee or you will ruin...” Read full tasting note
    96
  • “WOW this was SO sweet today, no sugar added. Ahhhmazing! like berry cotton candy. Actually, it reminds me of the Cotton Candy tea by 52Teas, only with a white base and a bit creamier Rating: 92!” Read full tasting note
    86
  • “Only one more brewing of this left after this one and ill be sad to see it go. Received this as a sample from either kittena or indigbloom and love it. I’m not allowed to hold on to teas anymore...” Read full tasting note
    88

From 52teas

Featured Reblend for July 2020!

This tea was originally blended – during Frank’s era – as a VIT (a Very Important Tea) due to it’s special Silver Needle White Tea base. It’s also a tea that been requested as a reblend since we took over 52Teas five years ago & for good reason – this tea is exquisite.

This blend starts with beautiful, tender, sweet Silver Needle White Tea blended with strawberries, raspberries & blackberries. The white tea is sweet & delicate. The berry flavor is sublime. If this doesn’t make your taste buds happy – then I don’t know if anything can.

This blend was first crafted by Frank back in 2012. Here is what he said about it back then:

Here’s another Very Important Tea. Ultra-premium Silver Needle white tea blended with freeze dried strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. I don’t think any other blender would dare to tamper with as exquisite a white tea as this, but we’re not any other blender.

It’s been quite a while since I last tried this blend – so my memory of it has faded somewhat, but interestingly enough, when I started sipping on my taste test cuppa – my memory kind of came back which suggested to me that maybe I got it right.

I really like how it turned out. It’s sweet & delicate – with a pleasant mixed berry note. As the tea cools, it takes on a creamy note that really takes the overall cup to a whole other level.

Really nice. Yep, it’s VEGAN, gluten free & allergen free too!

ingredients: white tea, organic strawberries, organic raspberries, organic blackberries & organic natural flavors

About 52teas View company

At 52teas.com, you will find unique, hand-blended artisan loose leaf teas: a new limited edition creation every week of the year. We pride ourselves on offering truly unique, one-of-a-kind tea blends that you won’t find anywhere else.

28 Tasting Notes

87
6105 tasting notes

I’m clearly being very indulgent tonight. I think I just drank three of the most expensive teas in my stash (this, Cantaloupe & Cream, Quangzhou Milk Oolong). Who cares though, I’m sure it’s far cheaper than indulging in alcohol! And all of them re-steep very well. And there’s no hangover. And almost zero calories. Yep, I’m convinced.

Anyhow, this tea really is quite lovely, although I am still getting a huge cotton candy association. This infusion had a big fat raspberry in it, so I’m also tasting that, which is delicious. Looking forward to the next infusions, where I expect the raspberry to be more prominent.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec
Indigobloom

nuthin wrong with a little tea binge!! :P
This sounds SO yummy

Kittenna

It is pretty good :) I personally don’t believe it to be worth the price though; I prefer Cantaloupe & Cream which is about 2/3 the price. I’d offer you some but I only have a scant cup’s worth left (really I only had two to begin with, but I skimped on this cup so I’d have one more later).

Indigobloom

no worries, I’ll make an order eventually! :)

Will Work For Tea

Indigobloom – I just bought a few pouches of it last week and have some to share if you’re interested. :)

Indigobloom

Ohh wow that would be so generous of you! I’d totally be up for a swap :)

Will Work For Tea

Cool – I’m following you so just PM me.

(I did post in the [SWAPS] discussion board a bunch of swaps up for grabs if you’d also like me to add anything.)

Indigobloom

ok I’m followin you now!! will pm you :)

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96
807 tasting notes

I steeped at 180 for 4 minutes and that worked for me! This is lust! This is satin sheets and champagne! Frank better put this in his perm stock PLEASE Frank I beg of thee or you will ruin something magical, beautiful! I want more of this!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Kittenna

Haha, I looked at that tea with interest, saw the price, and immediately navigated off the product page. Can’t justify spending that sort of money on a single tea right now. I’m glad you’re loving it though, Azzrian :) I’m expecting a more detailed review later so I can live vicariously through you!

Southern Boy Teas

This one might be a bit expensive for us to keep on hand as a permanent blend. Our COST is about eight times the cost of any of our other base teas. (I really thought I was giving you guys a GREAT deal on this one). It is a VERY high grade silver needle tea.

Azzrian

Yeah the price was scary for me too but I had to pull the trigger!

Azzrian

Yeah I can vouch for it being a high quality silver needle but Frank I PROMISE if you keep it around it WILL sell! Once word gets out! I wrote an excellent review for teareviewblog.com – it will be posted whenever she posts it of course.
Its really THAT good!

Kittenna

Speaking of the teareviewblog – I was trying to figure that out earlier tonight. I assume you get something for writing long, detailed reviews there? I’m not interested in signing up myself; Steepster is time-consuming enough, I’m just curious since you’re mentioning it a lot now!

Azzrian

Well the lady who runs it sends you a sample pack of teas for every 20 reviews you do. Although I have not received one yet so I can’t say how amazing it is but I assume its pretty good since she probably gets a lot of teas from a lot of companies. They really needed some reviewers and I belong to their tea swap on facebook which you should check out by the way! https://www.facebook.com/groups/teaswap/
So I offered. : )

Kittenna

Ahhh, gotcha :) If I had more time it would probably be fun to do!

Azzrian

This is why I own no clocks – besides they are on everything anyway – cell phones, microwaves, televisions, damn clocks! I am totally against the concept of time! LOL

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86
1759 tasting notes

WOW this was SO sweet today, no sugar added. Ahhhmazing! like berry cotton candy.
Actually, it reminds me of the Cotton Candy tea by 52Teas, only with a white base and a bit creamier
Rating: 92!

Sil

Interesting…wouldn’t be one that I’d pick off the top of my head on my own but this makes me want to try it haha

Indigobloom

I got this as a sample from Will Work For Tea (thanks again!!)
so there isn’t much left… but I’d certainly share!! :)

Will Work For Tea

Looks like Frank (finally) sold this one out. :(

Indigobloom

oh noooooo! Maybe he’ll bring it back

Sil

yeah it’s funny…see the reviews here which makes me go OOH i want that one! and by the time that happens they’re all out lol

Daniel Scott

Wow, this review would have convinced me to get it, too, LOL.

Indigobloom

curse those limited editions!! gah! lol
I’m so glad to have tried it… really good tea here!

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88
15006 tasting notes

Only one more brewing of this left after this one and ill be sad to see it go. Received this as a sample from either kittena or indigbloom and love it. I’m not allowed to hold on to teas anymore though so drink on! N more saving everything for a spatial occasion lol

Kittenna

Courtesy of Indigobloom :)

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133 tasting notes

2nd cold brew of the day…

I’m seeing a pattern with the 52teas (fruity teas) cold brews. The fruits are softer compared to a normal hot brew. I taste mostly the berries and a little less of the tea.

For this one I think I prefer the traditional-hot-bath-with-an-icy-shower brew as an iced tea.

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more
Daisy Chubb

“hot-bath-with-an-icy-shower”
… I love that!

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93
4843 tasting notes

I cannot believe that there are still 12 pouches of this tea left. It is SO GOOD. What are people waiting for?

Anyway, the berry flavor is delicate, in keeping with the delicate notes of the white tea. I like that the flavors are very well-balanced here, I taste the Silver Needle – sweet, fresh, light, airy, notes of hay – and I taste the fresh, ripe flavor of berries. I taste the strawberry as the strongest note, but other berry notes come through as well. Sweet with a tart tingle at the tail.

This is so yummy. If my subscription wasn’t going to have to be renewed next month, I’d probably buy another pouch right now.

Will Work For Tea

Yay! Someone else has found the awesomeness of this tea – it’s crazy amazing! I just bought a few more pouches of this Monday – can’t wait until they arrive! :)

TeaBrat

Uh, it’s also $24, that’s what

Will Work For Tea

True, but he has 1 ounce for sale for $14.99. 2 ounces for $24.99. Yes it a little expensive, but I’ve found it can be resteeped, which I can justify a little.

Will Work For Tea

I’d be more than happy to share the love with a swap! :)

ScottTeaMan

There is NO WAY I’d ever pay that much for 2 oz for a flavored white tea! I’ll leave this tea-AND the other 51 teas for the rest of you.

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85
639 tasting notes

I totally caved to peer pressure. After all the rave reviews, I just had to buy a pouch of this tea!

The dry leaf aroma is pure berry! Blackberry, raspberry, and yes, even strawberry is detectible in the aroma. The brewed tea aroma is nearly identical, which is very cool! So far, so good.

First taste…hmmm, the white tea actually isn’t overpowered by berry. And the berry is still very present too. The white base adds a slight nuttiness, while the berries are both sweet and tart. Blackberry is the most prominent of the berries in my opinion. This is an interesting blend of flavors and perfectly balanced. I’ve definitely never had another tea like it.

Second infusion was steeped at 180 degrees for 4 minutes. I know it’s a drastic change. Normally, I would only increase the steep time by 30 seconds with a white tea. But I really wanted to see if I could intensify the flavor. I was probably a little light on the leaf, but 1 ounce doesn’t go very far.

Mmmm, I like this better. It’s not a huge difference in intensity, but I can pick up on the difference. This second steep is definitely my favorite. It’s going to be interesting to see how many steeps it can hold up to before the berry disappears. Of course, I usually get full on tea before the flavor runs out. So, maybe I won’t find out the answer.

This is good, but when it comes to 52teas white tea blends, I have to say that I enjoy the Ginger Ale Bai Mu Dan better. Don’t get me wrong; I am enjoying this too! But at the steep price of 52teas’ Very Important Teas, I just can’t afford to restock it. That’s probably better for the Steepster tea community anyway. Gotta’ spread the love around, not horde it like a dragon! Oooh, now I’m totally picturing Smaug sitting on a pile of tea leaves and furious with Mr. Baggins for stealing his prized Darjeeling!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 1 min, 30 sec
Mercuryhime

Not sure if tea infused with the odor of dragon is worth all the trouble Mr. Baggins had to go through. haha

CHAroma

ROFL!!! Probably not, but then again an awful lot of people showed up to fight over it! ;)

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92
390 tasting notes

this one surprised me… thus far my experiences with 52teas have been very western: not subtle, not layered (my interpretation). if the name is ‘pancake breakfast’, then that’s what it strives to be. so imagine my surprise when i found myself filing this one under ‘other’.

the white tea, predictably, is very gentle… but the forest berry essence caught me offguard. it’s virtually undetectable when you think about it… but when you don’t think about it it’s absolutely clear. the word i will choose is nuanced which is not a word i have applied towards 52teas before.

it is a non denominational forest berry… it is logan berry, blackberry, strawberry and even a hint of salal. again, when i was paying attention to my tongue i got hardly a hint…. and then i realized something. it wasn’t a taste, it was a smell.

now this is a guess on my part… the timing of the tea hitting the upper back of the tongue diffuses the scent that i perceive as taste. however, when i alter my swallowing to try and capture the taste more clearly i shift the blend to the front of my tongue where i can’t detect the aroma at all. that is my layman’s guess. how frank managed to pull this off (if i’m correct) is far beyond my understanding.

very cool. i enjoyed my sample from CHAroma hugely of this one… thank you so much!

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 4 min, 0 sec
TheTeaFairy

Silver needle being so delicate, from your nice description I’m guessing 52teas did a good job not to overpower it…

JustJames

they did indeed! i think frank was flexing his i-can-do-anything muscles. it’s the estimated timing of the teas arrival on certain spots on the tongue that boggles my brain!

CHAroma

You’re welcome! :)

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84
525 tasting notes

Thanks to Azzrian for sending me a sample of this! I can see from her review how precious this tea is to her. :)

I think I used too little leaf in this brew, but despite that I’m finding it pretty tasty. The white tea is the most prominent flavor. It’s hay and sun dried grass. Smooth and slightly toasty. The berry flavor is just an enhancement. A very tasty enhancement.

It’s like sitting on the summer meadow with a bowl of mixed berries. What a romantic flavor.

I think I’ll try cold brewing this next. :)

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78
1216 tasting notes

I enjoy coldbrew Silver Needle, so that’s how I prepared this. It’s really enjoyable; I get a sweet red berries flavor during the sip, but at the end of the sip and in the aftertaste it turns to a tangy cranberry (probably the most notable I’ve tasted cranberry in a tea). The Silver Needle itself tastes of hay, honey, and pollen; the floral notes go nicely with the soft berry tones. It’s very thirst-quenching and refreshing!

Flavors: Berries, Cranberry, Floral, Fruity, Hay, Honey, Pollen, Strawberry, Sweet, Tangy

Preparation
Iced 8 min or more 6 g 32 OZ / 946 ML

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