Tea: Peony White Needle
A Silver Needle from Imperial Tea Garden
| Brand: | Imperial Tea Garden |
| Style: | Silver Needle |
| Region: | China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Loose? | Loose |
| # Ratings: | 1 View All |
| Product page: | Peony White Needle |
Reviewer: Alex Zorach
✓ 1453 teas reviewed
✓ 14 of Silver Needle
✓ 60 of White Tea
✓ 16 of Imperial Tea Garden
✓ 382 from China
Review of Peony White Needle
September 27th, 2011
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 5 of 10 | 3 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 53 of 100 |
| Fair | Fair | Overpriced |
I'm not a big fan of the silver needle style of tea, but I am beginning to distinguish between different ones to a degree.
From looking at the leaf, this is unambiguously a silver needle tea, but interestingly, the aroma of the brewed tea is much more like white peony tea. The appearance of the leaf, both dry and brewed, is very similar to the 2 doves silver needle sample from Imperial Tea Garden, but this tea is actually quite different.
Like most silver needle tea, I found this one very slow to infuse, and I liked making a single, very long infusion.
Aroma is mostly of melon, with some light herbaceous tones, a little bit of a summery aroma, clean and somewhat earthy. Aroma is subtle, and somewhat reminiscent of white peony (bai mu dan) white tea. I initially enjoyed this less than the 2 Doves Silver Needle from Imperial Tea Garden, but I think this one grew on me and now I think I prefer it slightly, although it's hard to say, it's a bit thin. Interestingly, this one is also higher-priced. Although it is lighter in color, I found it to be slightly more full-bodied.
