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“Wanted something better than my last tea so I thought this one had good promise. The dry leaves smell a little musty/woody and they feel so freakin’ velvety. I actually held on to one just to pet...” Read full tasting note
“Y’all… As some of you are aware, I was just out in San Francisco [or as I like to call it, my future home]. I am now back in Virginia, and yesterday, to mellow out my sorrow, I decided some Downy...” Read full tasting note
“I am so, so, so happy to be home after a month away. If someone had asked me several months ago whether or not I was likely to come to love any appliance almost as much as the super-fancy-awesome...” Read full tasting note
“Not a bad silver needle. I tend to judge all silver needles against the first one I ever tried – which was a oddly magical experience. I was in Nashville, TN for a training course, and I went to...” Read full tasting note
Origin: Yunnan, China
Flavor Profile: A thick, creamy mouth-feel, with subtle tiers of transparent almost-nutty flavor punctuated by glistening notes of peach and honeysuckle.
Tea Story: Sometimes there comes a tea that really stands apart. This is one of them. The leaves are downier and fluffier and full of more bai hao (white hairs) than any tea we ever laid eyes on. These leaves are just plain plump and stunningly beautiful. The abundance of these tiny leaf hairs create a brew that is so smooth and creamy in the mouth. Let the delicateness and beauty take you away. This organic and fair trade tea will bring you peace… and a smile.
Samovarian Poetry: Velutinous, thick downy sprouts. Honeysuckle hints linger amidst a mellow nuttiness. A clean palate, and a quiet mind.
Food Pairing: Pair this delicately flavored tea with delicately flavored deserts: apricot tarts, blueberry and peach financiers, plum and fig-filled danishes.
Samovar's is dedicated to preserving the simplicity and integrity of the tea traditions and inspiring people to practice peace through drinking tea.
So I used to make all my white teas with cooler water and long infusions, but lately I’ve been doing the hot water/short infusions method. So that’s what I used for my first brew of this tea. Very enjoyable and smooth! As an added bonus, the little metal tin that it comes in is just marvelous :-D
Sipdown no. 60 of the year 2016 (no. 271 total). A sample. Only two Samovar samples left after this one. Both white teas.
I don’t know whether its the preparation or that it’s Samovar, but I am getting more flavor from this than I usually do from white teas. I definitely get the honeysuckle note, which is predominant in the taste and the smell. There’s also a rather intense high, sweet, nectary note that is most noticeable in the aroma. It reminds me of spun sugar.
The tea has a clear, amber liquor, and the flavor is actually pretty complex. The word tiers used in the description is a good one. It has a depth to it that I can’t say I’ve found in other white teas. While I mostly get a sweet nectar flavor, there’s also a fruitiness and a tawny undercurrent as though someone took an eyedropper and dropped a few drops of yunnan into this.
If I were to get a straight white tea again, this would be a major contender for that spot. I’ll likely not be in the market for quite a while, but fortunately this seems to still be on Samovar’s site at least for now.
Flavors: Honeysuckle, Nectar, Sugar
I had the pleasure today of going out to tea with some close coworkers, one of which is in high level management and has amazing advice. We decided to go to Samovar. The server was so surprised we were actually going to sit in for tea, because a few of us are known to drop in for a quick chai to go. Their chai is awesome! It was so relaxing to sit down today and enjoy the ambiance. We each ordered something different…a chai, an oolong, lapsang, and I ordered this tea. The manager with us ordered the lapsang with a little milk…interesting choice and I would say appropriate because she is quite bold, just like the tea. :)
On to this tea. They served it gaiwan-style, which is always nice, but I think they put in too much leaf because no matter how short I steeped the tea, it was always bitter. Ugh. I’ve had that problem before with an oolong of theirs served this way. If it hadn’t been bitter, I would have greatly enjoyed it. It has a very silky and thick mouthfeel and reminds me of buttery veggies. Honestly, it seemed closer to a green tea than a white tea. It was still pleasant to drink with friends but again, too much leaf.
Thank you so much for sending some of this Ricky. Kinda been in a tea slump couldn’t find anything that sounded good for awhile there. The leaves looks like the curves out this smells like white tea. I steeped this up. And taste I’s light and slightly savory. This tea I’s pretty good. I am abit bias though considering I like most white teas.
I’m still exploring the white teas and generally don’t care for peach flavor but could not resist a pot of this one with the honeysuckle. It is a very nice, light tea but with a full flavor. I highly recommend this one. I’m adding it to my shopping list!
