White Spring Tea

Picked up 100g of this at the TWG salon in Manila while on a trip and restocking my 1837. O..M..G… Absolutely, wholeheartedly, definitely my top #1 white tea of any kind, one of my top 5 teas of all kind, period. I had been a fan of whites and good/fresh silver needles before, but this just completely blew me away. The problem now is that I’m spoiled when it comes to silver needle white tea, and while I keep searching for that more affordable replacement I also don’t have to travel halfway around the world for, and some have revealed “hints” of this tea in the background, the closest I have gotten is maybe 60%.

The first time I brewed this I was a bit scared.. at over a dollar a gram, I wanted to brew it a bit more conservatively, but I followed the shop’s recommendations and went right to 190F / 4tsp-300ml / 8 minutes. Was not let down at all. The brewed leaves smell like a cross between a creamy custard and hazelnut coffee creamer. The liquor smells like sweetened and toasted almonds and egg shells, tastes wonderfully complex, sweet and smooth for a perfect evening drink-a-thon. There is not even a hint of grass unlike some other not-so-fresh silver needles, and I have put this through 5 infusions (8, 10, 15, 15, 20 mins) without much muddling of flavors or appearance of straw/hay notes or astringency. I have experimented with some other brewing methods including cooler temps and longer/shorter infusions but I keep coming back to what the twg folks recommended.

What really sets this apart has been only what I could describe as this very unique eggy-custardy-flan-caramel-vanilla-ish profile I solely associate with whites and silver needles now, and am very excited when trying a new white when I think I sense a faint note of that…. just because I hate the fact I have to travel really far and/or spend huge bucks to get this.

Really unique and prized in my collection.