Silver Needle Jasmine

I’m feeling good right now because it’s a monday night and I have the day off from school tomorrow, so I can sit back and relax and know that I can drink as much tea as I want without having to worry about getting to sleep on time (it’s a daily struggle choosing between that last cup of tea and a good night’s sleep). It’s a nice, cool day here in eastern Pennsylvania. It’s been raining quite a bit and the air is nice and crisp as a result, I just love the smell and feel of the air after rain, and it’s setting the perfect tone for drinking this tea.

First of all, I just LOVE the way the downy buds of a silver needle look. I love the look of any bud-only tea. I also love the texture of silver needles when you drink them, that funny drying feeling on your tongue as the little hairs of the tea buds mingle with your taste buds.

Rishi’s silver needle is one of only two silver needles I’ve had previously to this one, and it’s definitely my favorite and is far sweeter compared to the other one that I had which was from Teavivre. As I imagined, that sweetness works really well with the flavor of jasmine. The sweetness of the buds blends perfectly with the intoxicating aroma and sweet taste of the jasmine, but the tea base still has enough oomph to it to balance it out (in the odd way that white teas can have oomph).

Right now, with this cup of tea in my hands, with the scent of sweet, floral jasmine wafting up at me through billows of hot steam, I am happy.

Since I am not usually into Jasmine…the more I have been trying to tinker with it…the more I have realized that I prefer WHITE Jasmine over GREEN Jasmine. I think it’s this tea that put me over the edge about my Jasmine thoughts. This is another gift from LiberTEAs and It’s highly scented and has an intense Jasmine Taste without leaving a funky aftertaste. It’s refreshing and relaxing all at the same time. Very nice!

This is a pretty darn good jasmine silver needle! I actually let it steep for nearly 8mins (3mins more than the recommended max). I was scared this wasn’t going to taste good since I did that, BUT it actually was…it had a “chewy” kind of taste to it which gave it more of a personality to me. I taste the vegetal taste of the white tea very clearly with the jasmine lingering lightly in the background letting itself known. This is a very nice tea that I was able to try thanks to LiberTEAS.

Also, now that it has cooled off quite a bit it has a subtle sweetness to it and the chewyness is subsiding. Still yummy, if not better than right out of the tea pot!

This is my favorite “non green” jasmine… and quite possibly my favorite white tea (I think I had responded on an earlier tasting note that there was another white tea I liked better than this – Frutto Bianco Pearls from Teavana… but I like this one better than Frutto Bianco).

The jasmine flavor is remarkable in this blend, delicate yet so delightful. Sweet and exhilarating. Beautiful…absolutely beautiful.

You can read more about my thoughts of this tea here:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=4134

Delightful!

When I first put this tea in my mouth, I had an experience that I have never had before with tea. It was enlightening that I could experience such delight from a tea. So delicate, like fragrant wind with the sweet smell of jasmine. Such a beautiful tea. I will never forget that first sip.

Some music pleasantly complements a particular activity like marching, dancing or running. Some music fades nicely into the background, setting the mood for a nice conversation.

But some music requires your whole attention. Sometimes it intrudes: the 5th movement of The Firebird nearly killed my while driving to Philadelphia. Sometimes it sulks: I was initially disappointed with Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill Live In Seattle because I didn’t hear the guitar at all. Then I stood right in front of the speakers and it made sense…

Um, about the tea, this tea is like Live In Seattle. If you’re not paying total attention it tastes like warm tap water. It will not complement any food. But if you pay very close attention, there are a whole variety of flavors just on the edge of perception. There are wisps of grass and wet leaves and there is the presence of flowers (it is jasmine tea after all).

Basically, this tea is like potpourri in foggy redwoods. So it complements the weather in Northern California at the moment. Maybe it will play nice with something after all.

My favorite white jasmine tea, hands down. Comparable to the Jasmine pearls but there’s something about this that feels like how jasmine-scented tea should be like.

Jasmine loveliness has once again captivated me with her precious floral complexities, this time with a sweet autumnal hue.

Go away, I’m drinking tea. White tea.

Ok, it’s Jasmine tea. Shut up.

This is one of my favourite tea. Super fragrant. The moment I open the cap, its fragrance permeates through the air. I like to steep it for a long time, so the flavour is really strong. I also don’t add anything to the tea as I like to enjoy it plain, which leaves a bitter dry mouthfeel with every sip. Only con is there is a lot of small broken tea particles at the bottom of the tin, so it might be better to use a new empty tea bag for the remaining tea leaves. If you like dry/bittery fragrant tea, you might like this!

Love the subtle flavor of this tea! Short Steep is better!

Great Jasmine flavor blended perfectly with the silver needle. A delicate, feminine brew.

I don’t usually like Jasmine, but whenever I’ve smelled this one I noticed how sweet the jasmine seems, not cloying. And that impression was correct! I blend this with everything for a little sweet lift. It’s especially good with peppermint. Plain it’s nice and soothing, not too harsh floral and not too earty white. It’s an excellent balance. There’s no pungency or soapiness that I’ve experienced with other jasmines. I may have just been converted to jasmine, if they all taste like this from now on!

Once again, used my Sorapot to slowly steep a nice Organic Silver Needle Jasmine by Rishi that I had actually purchased in my local grocery store. I was impressed by the quality of the loose tea and the wonderful jasmine fragrance as I typically only buy my teas via the internet/mail order to make sure they are as fresh as possible. But, I must have gotten a nice batch from the grocery store because it was tasty.

I have always loved Jasmine (pearls, greens, and whites) so it’s hard for me to say that I didn’t like this one of course! As far as comparing it with other jasmine teas I’ve tried over the years, I’d say it definitely meets expectations. The silver needles were not the best quality as I’ve seen though (many broken tips) but that might just be because of the bulk packaging process. Given that I paid $12.99 for just 1.9 oz of the tea though, I think I’ll go back to buying my organic jasmine silver needle in larger quantities from some of my favorite online stores.

A great tea if you are looking for jasmine. If you’re in it for the white tea, I’d recommend checking out Rishi’s Silver Needle (non jasmine version) and White Peony if you haven’t already.
This is a nice tea; it’s just that the jasmine aroma and flavor can easily overpower the buds’ delicate taste.

Brilliant tasting; Added a little bit of milk and some sweetener

Would like to try it with some honey next

Used my Zarafina tea maker. Thought it was pretty good.