Organic Silver Needle White Tea

I had a horrible case of the dizzies yesterday due to an inner ear thing. Went to the clinic, got drugs. Feeling better so its time for tea!

The one ounce sample was provided by Nature’s Leaf Tea. The pouch is stuffed with beautiful white and grayish-green leaf. Not only does it smell so fresh and amazing but it also is the softest silver needle leaf I have encountered. I love silver needle. I am looking forward to this cup and trying not to get my expectations too high.

I used my wooden scoop to gather a generous portion of lovely leaf and placed it in my press with 12oz of water heated to a cool 175F. I steeped for about 2 1/2 minutes. The instructions say 4-5. This brewed up to the lightest of tinted liquors. The wet leaf still has a lot of white down in it. The smell of the leaf makes me think of a field of grain, maybe alfalfa.

The sip is a light refreshing white tea with a lingering fresh aftertaste. This is a nice complex cup, much more so than a white peony. I find it most refreshing when it reaches room temperature. It is kind earthy, a little fruity with some oats thrown in for good measure.

Next I added a little leaf and a little time to see how that would affect the taste.

While the second cup is steeping, I want to comment again on the aroma of the leaf in the drained press. The whole time I was sipping, this wonderful scent was rolling out of the press and keeping me distracted. Wow, this is fresh.

Ok, adding more leaf and time makes for a darker and bolder cup. It does not bring out any new flavors. I like my white tea to be delicate, so for me the shorter steep is the correct one. Either way this is a very nice silver needle. I had three mugs and was still going strong.

Thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this tea.

I don’t drink white tea all that often because it’s so expensive. However, when I got this tea as a sample I was excited to try it because as common as silver needle is – I barely ever have it.

I made sure to use plenty of leaf when infusing. The first time that I steeped this, it was supposed to be for 4-5 minutes but I got distracted and it was probably closer to 7. I was worried the tea would be bitter, but thankfully it wasn’t. It was smooth as ever. I guess white tea is more forgiving than green tea.

This tea is soft and creamy, but definitely not too light, like some other white teas might be. I’m getting a nice buttery taste as well. There’s lots of flavor in this, as long as your are sure to use enough leaf.

I need to clear my head of too much work, too much sugar, too many hormones, too many looming holidays…etc. Thought something light might start the clearing process, so I broke into my sample pack.

The leaves are so lush and phloofy, you want to lay your weary head in a pillow of them. Love the 5 minute steep time, and the fact that there’s some flavor at the end of the wait. Sweet hay and wheat straw. (You know me, I don’t care for teas that make you fish for the taste.)

I don’t think I’ll ever be a white tea addict, but this one makes me a white tea appreciator.

Hubby and I are having this free sample from Nature’s Tea Leaf as our meditative evening tea. I made two steeps and will probably go for more tomorrow with these leaves, but I don’t want too much caffeine tonight!

The steeped liquid is pale. The aroma is soft but not weak. The taste is of soft grain, oats, with a smooth creaminess. I have had white tea that just got lost in the cup and was more or less like drinking a cup of hot water. You won’t have that issue with this tea. Soft, smooth, but with creaminess and body. This did just what I wanted it to do this evening.

Thank you, Nature’s Tea Leaf, for the samples!

Thank you out to NaturesTeaLeaf for a sample of this for review! Very generous amount too, so I made a pot’s worth for this tasting!

Silver Needle white tea, hmmm. I don’t drink too many unflavored white teas, but I have a couple in my tea stash. Ones I do have I find kinda flat with not much flavor. Let’s see how this tea does.

DRY LEAF: Fresh earthy smell. Very light weight tea. The leaves were kinda fuzzy /petpet

STEEPED: Smells slightly sweet and fruity with a hint of earthyness. Nice pale yellow gold tea.

TASTE: Sweet and rich! The sweetness flavoring reminds me of golden raisins almost as it has a warm, fruity, gold sweetness to it. This tea is full of flavor but light. Very refreshing and pure tasting.

COMMENTS: Very good, I enjoyed how much flavor is in this tea – I didn’t know white tea packed this much taste on its own! I should really explore into the unflavored white teas some more.

Thanks Nature’s Tea Leaf for such a generous sample!

I steeped this a bit hotter than the recommended time (since that’s what my zojirushi was set to for today). I used to not be such a fan of silver needle — I remember the first time I tried it I felt kind of guilty that I didn’t see what the fuss was all about, but lately I’ve done a 180 on that. I love how it can be vegetal and sweet, full-bodied and light, and stand up to my mildly abusive work-steeping habits.

Fresh and flavorful :)

Eek! I got this free from Nature’s Tea Leaf for reviewing like a month ago, and just realized that I hadn’t posted a tasting note. Sorry!

The dry leaves are slim and tender with a cool green-gray color and are covered in a downy white fur. This is the second silver needle I’ve tried, and it seems to be much fresher than the first.

The tea brews a nice daisy yellow-gray, and the wet leaves gain a soft, grey, leathery appearance that reminds me of baby lizards.

The taste is sweet and smooth with notes of fresh linen, green peppercorn, and melon. The tea is very slightly floral and reminds me of freshly trimmed gardenia bushes.

This tea was wonderfully soothing and brought me back to center after a long, stressful day.

Loose
Appearance: green white large leaf, fuzzy,
Aroma when Dry: fruity, creamy, notes of citrus
After water is first poured: creamy pear notes
At end of first steep: slightly sweet (eastern) honey, creaminess
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: faint meadowy yellow
Staple? No, would buy again
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first: light, velvety, citrus notes, slight creamy closing notes, melon notes show
As it cools ? citrus notes fade, tea gets creamier in texture, lingers longer.
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, velvety floral notes with citrus

Second steep (5min): still has velvety texture, not much flavor left

After a crazy morning getting my reviewer sample information to our packaging folks I thought I’d make myself a nice big cup of Organic Silver Needle. I don’t have this one often but when I do I am never disappointed. The smooth mellow flavor that has just a hint of fruity sweetness makes me go back for sip after sip. As an NTL employee I will refrain from rating.