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“Lots of stress today, but there is good news: I finally found a white tea I truly love. The smell is natural, a bit like hay, vibrant and it smells delicious. Infused hot, three minutes, no...” Read full tasting note
“I am sure this has caffeine, but for some reason Silver Needle is always comforting and relaxing. This tea tastes especially good tonight – very honeyed and smooth.” Read full tasting note
“The smell that came wafting out of the canister when I opened it up reminded me of nothing so much as fresh-cut, sweet hay on a warm, sunny day. It’s a smell I’m used to associating with summer...” Read full tasting note
“This is my first white tea but I do like it. The leaves are green and soft with little white hairs on them. I don’t know what to compare the smell to other than to say that they smell fresh and...” Read full tasting note
Silver Needle is a white tea which is chiefly produced in Fujian Province in China with only limited or negligible production outside. Amongst white teas, this is the most expensive variety and the most prized as only top buds of each plant are used to produce the tea. After brewing, this tea produces a slightly viscous glittering pale yellow color with evidence of floating white hairs that reflect light. The flavor and fragrance is delicate, light, fresh, and slightly sweet.
LeafSpa Organic Tea is an importer, blender and retailer of premium quality organic and Fair Trade Certified teas. LeafSpa is also proud to offer their new line of organic spa products and bath accessories all made with the purest tea leaves on earth.
Sipdown no. 5 of 2016 (no. 226 total).
We drank this one in quantity during the BF’s evil grippe as well. He found it sufficiently gentle and sufficiently hot that it had medicinal value for him. Because it was being drunk in quantity, I mostly prepared it Western style, and I have to say that although I could discern a flavor some of the time, it was pretty much too subtle for me most of the time.
In the gaiwan, which I just tried again with the last little bit, I get more flavor. There’s a sweetness and a grassy/hay-like flavor. With a little bit of wood and something slightly (and oddly) marine-like as well.
I like the idea of white teas, and I think they look pretty, but I am not sure they are for me. I’ve had some really good flavored ones, but the plain ones often either have an eau de dead plant thing going on, or are just so subtle I’m not sure I’m tasting the tea to its full potential.
Perhaps I should have someone who knows how to make a good cup of white tea make one for me. My kids always say the bread and butter tastes better when I spread it than when they do.
3g 3mins 175-180f?
maybe even more, 185f/80c would be fine
I used 5g for 1 min at 175 and then for 1.5 min at 180 this time per *yyz*’s advice on steeping silver needle.
I always wonder if theres a scientific approach to less leaf & more time vs Less time & more leaf.
I might have to experiment with an excel graph handy one day
There probably is. If I’m not getting a lot of flavor out of something, I usually bump the leaf up instead of increasing the time first. If that doesn’t solve it, I keep the greater amount of leaf and bump up the time (except with greens, where I’m always worried I’m going to end up with bitterness if I go for more than a minute and a half).
I just did your way, and it is very similar to my way. Its still very much in the nose and subtle in the mouth. Reminds me of a white wine that has been really chilled where the flavour is less prominent the colder it gets.
I dont get the ‘eau de dead plant’ thing, I get dry wine, flowers, soft headfeel, maybe even citrus & bananas. But very much needing to sniff it while drinking
oh and sweetness, a bit of sugar or maybe caramel
I would try doubling the time to see if that helps. You can steep white tea at this temp for a while
The dead plant is more with white peony than with silver needle. Haven’t had it with silver needle.
Ah ok, i get you now :)
Not that you’ve had bad white teas by any means, but for me, pretty much the only ones that don’t taste like water to me are from Shang. I could send you some samples if you wanted.
Nicole, that’s a lovely offer but I have many more to try and I’ll be disowned if I allow more tea in the house. :-)
I’m not a huge white tea (or green or green oolong for that matter) fan. Then I discovered moonlight which led me to aged whites….. moonlight and aged whites are “light” but really flavorful – yeah I like them. If you are wanting to like white tea, I would take a look into them. Shang has a really good aged white brick…. just saying…(Nicole has recommended a good one).
Once you’re allowed more tea in the house of course….
Mariage Freres says… 5 g / 200 ml – 85°C – 15 min. It actually does work for some silver needle. Might be worth a try?
Thanks! Will try the steeping tips with the next silver needle and will keep the recommendations on file for 2018 when I come out of lockdown. lol
Is the shang silver needle really that good? I am down to my last 10g, and wanted to by a decent amount of fresh spring flush when it comes around in a few months
