Organic Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen) - Organic
66
Percentile
4 ratings |
|
Commercial Description
...When brewed, it has a pale golden color and subtle flowery fragrance. The taste of TeaVivre's Silver Needle is delicate, without any bitterness or strong flavour.
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 4 reviews
83 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5Amanda (338 reviews) on Aug. 9th, 2014
The aroma of these adorable silver fuzzy leaves is like a field of wildflowers, there are notes of fresh vegetation, hay, flower nectar, and wildflowers. There are also notes of honey, sweet corn, and lettuce. Silver Needle is a complex yet delicate smelling pile of leaves, I have always enjoyed that about it.
There are notes of honey, fresh hay, lettuce, and a touch of wildflowers. The mouthfeel is smooth and slightly tickly from the fuzzy trichomes, I always find myself becoming really happy when I can feel the fuzzies in my mouth, I know some people prefer to strain them out (giving their strainers a nice velveteen coating) because it makes their mouth itch or makes them cough (my mom is in that boat) but not I.
57 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5Alex Zorach (1453 reviews) on Mar. 5th, 2013
I found this to be a finicky tea which required care in brewing and which I was not always in the mood to enjoy. To be fair, I tend not to be a huge fan of silver needle, but even then this was not my favorite example of such a tea. Contrast this with TeaVivre's white peony, which I thought was one of the best examples of this style.
Dry leaf is particularly un-aromatic, the first example like this from TeaVivre, which usually impresses me with their intensely-aromatic teas.
Upon brewing, I was surprised at how rich and flavorful this tea was, even when I only used a 2 minute steeping and not a lot of leaf. Steeping this way, I was able to produce 3 cups that were mild but flavorful. I tried brewing with one long infusion (which I usually prefer with silver needle), and I found this brought out vanilla-like tones in the aroma, but I didn't like the results because it also produced an unpleasant sourness, a strange metallic taste, and a surprisingly strong bitter undertones leaving a bitter taste on the palate.
Overall character, especially the aroma, reminds me more of pai mu tan (white peony) than other bai hao yinzhen (silver needle). In the second and third infusions, cinnamon tones come out, especially in the finish. Not the most complex aroma.
Mild flavor...slightly sweet, almost no discernable bitterness, but a fair amount of astringency, especially in the finish in the longer, later two steepings.
I can't see buying this one, when TeaVivre's white peony is so much better-suited to my tastes. I've also had a couple examples of African white teas in the style of silver needle (from Kenya and Tanzania) that were slightly lower than this in price, and which I preferred flavor-wise, and found easier to brew to my satisfaction.
87 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5Emily (10 reviews) on Feb. 25th, 2013
This tea is mild and almost a little sweet, with some cucumber notes. Someone who is new to tea or expanding their tastes might find this tea easy to drink with no added sugar. I brewed it as directed, for about 2 minutes, and was satisfied with the results. I am not very familiar with white teas, but I enjoyed this one!
80 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5homais (21 reviews) on Feb. 1st, 2013
This tea was wonderful as a complete, sensual experience. The leaves are light and elegantly pointed, covered in fuzzy silver-white hairs. They didn't smell like much when it was dry, straight out of the package. It was a bit nutty and a bit floral, maybe. But once I had brewed them the leaves gave off a completely unexpected and intoxicating aroma. A little bit like pungent herbs, marjoram or hyssop, maybe also camphor or a bit of lavendar. Whatever it was, it was lush and complex, and it lasted for just a moment. As soon as the leaves began drying out, the smell faded.
The tea itself was completely different from what the aroma of the leaves would have suggested. The brewed cup itself didn't smell like much, but the taste was sweet, mild, and exceedingly smooth. I brewed it at 175F, and experimented with steep times, ranging from one minute to four minutes, and it never turned bitter or acrid on me.
It's not a complex flavor, so much as one long sweet (and very slightly vegetal, like cucumber-infused water) note that stays consistent and pleasant all the way to the finish. I felt refreshed and calm after drinking it.
I don't have a huge amount of experience with white tea, but I liked this one a lot. It seems neither cheap nor expensive as organic teas go, and I would call it a fair price relative to the very good quality.
Page 1 of 1 page with 4 reviews
More White Tea from Fujian, China from TeaVivre
Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)
| Style: | Silver Needle |
| Region: | Fuding, Fujian, China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Loose |
Organic White Peony (Bai MuDan) Tea
| Style: | White Peony Tea |
| Region: | Fuding, Fujian, China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Loose |
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Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013
| Style: | Shou Mei |
| Region: | Fuding, Fujian, China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Compressed |
79
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White Peony Tea (Bai MuDan)
| Style: | White Peony Tea |
| Region: | Fuding, Fujian, China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Loose |
1 Rating
