Nov 07
Lynn’s Teaview Snapshot
 | ". . . a very good example of what a Silver Needle white should be!"
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9/10
From the California Tea House website: “Silver Needle is the ‘High Society’ white tea from the Fuding and Zhenhe districts of the Fujian province of China, also known as Bai Hao Yinzhen. This premier tea is picked between March 15 and April 10 when it is not raining, only using undamaged and unopened buds and governed by strict requirements to ensure you are receiving only the finest tea available.”The dry tea has the classic look of a silver needle: long thin leaves covered in silvery white down. Dry, it has a pleasant, sweet fragrance.
I steeped two teaspoons of the tea in 175F water for one minute to start, and was rewarded with a silvery clear liquor with a faintly sweet vegetal aroma and the distinctive subtle sweetness of a true white. At first it’s almost like drinking spring water, but then the soft, sweet smoothness rolls back along the tongue, making itself known, with a slight woody undertone. One thing I’ve had to learn is the disconnect between fragrance and flavor when dealing with a white; this is not a floral oolong, or rich smelling black. White is not a tea for the nose.
Since the purveyor recommends steepings of up to five minutes, I pushed the second steep to three minutes. The liquor was light and sweet again. It’s important, with white teas, not to gulp, but to let each sip slide slowly over the tongue, letting the subtle flavors contact and arouse the various taste buds. The second steeping had all the qualities of the first, but was now deepened by a mild bitterness that is a hallmark of whites. It’s a smooth bitterness, not a stewed flavor, somewhat akin, albeit on a far milder scale, to that encountered in a black tea. Whites are supposed to be somewhat mouth drying, and I began to detect this quality.
I did a third infusion of five minutes, which produced a sweet, sharper, more astringent flavor, a definite presence in the mouth. Overall, I’d say that this is a very good example of what a Silver Needle white should be! Highly recommended.
— To purchase California Tea House Silver Needle, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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