Organic Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)

Have not been feeling well all day – for the last couple of days actually. Spent the day sipping 52 Teas Pot O’ Gold and now ending my evening with a lovely white.
So many excellent tasting notes thus far. I get the floral, the hay, peppery, the summer lawn, and even the frost as others have mentioned. This is an awakening of tea, a chameleon. I don’t even want to bother writing more about it – this is a tea to be silent with and enjoy – and since we have a wonderful storm now I will sit back and relax and know that this tea is going to make me feel much better!

Who said white teas had to be bland?

The smell of the brew: I get lost in it, tea drunk at first sniff! Oh, I could just bathe in its holy water!

1rst steep:

It has a round texture, feels like a cloud of pudding in my mouth!

Of course, I can’t deny the freshly cut hay, it dominates this first infusion. It’s sweet and slightly flowery. Beautiful pale yellow nectar. I’m slurping it like there’s no tomorrow, thinking my 4oz Gaiwan is way too small, I’d rather have a gigantic pot of this! But as they say, with great patience comes great rewards!

2nd steep:

Brings more sweet, honey like flavor with hints of citrus and melon in the background. I can see this being an excellent iced tea.

The later steeps are still sweet, but they also kick in with a peppery aftertaste, nice addition to the already complex symphony of flavors, it gives it a second life. It’s definitely very potent.

L-O-V-E it!

In conclusion, this is white tea with an attitude , some kind of a white boy with a James Brown swag signing «I got soul!!»

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for this sample!

I do enjoy a good Silver Needle Tea! I also am a believer in the curative properties of White Tea in particular having had a cure on my palms of a skin condition that I suffered with for 20 years and that White Tea applications cleared away completely never to return now many years later. (I don’t buy it when other people tell me these things, I know…but this is true for me!) I prefer the BEST ORGANIC I can afford! When this arrived in my package of samples, I was anxious to try it.

Opening the pretty white individual packet, the silver needles were long and covered with white down. Lovely! With a steep time of 1-2 minutes there was no waiting time. I am so impatient! The wet needles were fragrant with a green-bean vegetal scent, not scented enough to fill the room. I expected a floral smell which was not there. Curious.

The flavor was quite mild, unlike any white tea or silver needle I’ve tasted before. So mild in fact that I would not be able to say this is silver needle in a blind tasting. It was a bit salty and juicy, more like linen than needle, not floral or vegital at all. It was a bit hazelnutty.

I broke down and sweetened it…maybe that would change the picture.

Oh Golly! (like that word) The sweetness with the salt grabs the guts of the tea and yanks the hidden not-to-sweet flavor of salted butterscotch! This was mega better good!
Now I had the roll going…sweet….slurping…salty butterscotch silver needle white tea! My taste buds are having a party because this is one of those flavors that all you need is some friends to stop by. You want to share a tea like this one. This just can’t be a Silver Needle!

This is a keeper!

Tea of the afternoon……

And my last sample to review from Teavivre from my Steepster tasting activity. I do have a few samples of their new teas in my most recent order, so there will be a few more reviews to come. Again, I am very appreciative of this chance, and it has really changed my views on green tea and pu’erh. I was pretty much only a fan of black teas and the occasional oolong prior to this.

I had to try this one a few times before I could really put it into words. The lighter teas are subtle, and they require just a little more time to test. I agree with others that the first scent of the dry leaves is of fresh hay. The leaves are long, very light sage green and covered with a downy fuzz. The brew is a pale yellow. The flavor gives light hints of hay, melon, and cucumber (I agree on this one KS!). I brewed it a second time, and it almost seemed a little bit more intense than the first steep. I did steep a little longer, and I guess the leaves were primed and ready to give up their true flavors. While I am not usually a drinker of white tea, I did like this one enough to order some! Even though it is on the pricey side, the resteepability makes this one within a range I am comfortable spending on a quality tea.

Mug method, 175 water, 2 perfect tsp tea (the entire sample bag), 2 minutes first steep, 3 minutes second steep. No additions.

I like white tea, but don’t always drink it because of the cost. However, I got a sample from Teavivre and decided to break it open. This tea is so pleasant. I’ve always thought of white tea as very light (almost watery), but maybe I just wasn’t using enough leaf. This tea is rich with so many different notes. I’m getting the melon and butter, as others have mentioned.

Very enjoyable today.

So I took time off to work at home and the internet has been down all morning. oh well, that just means I will have to do it later in the day. It’s still on and off so just posting a quick tea note.

The silver needles have light hairs all over them and are of silver and light green colours. The needles are long and thin with minimal to no breakage in the leaves. Quality overall is very nice. They have a light grassy and floral scent.

Once steeped the tea is very light yellow in colour and has a sweet and slightly floral.

First steep
Flavour is very clean and light, gently floral and sweet.

Second steep
Still light and floral with a sweet and smooth pureness but also with a toasted hint. A little grassy also.

Third steep
Similar to the first steep in that it’s very light and refreshing. Still there is a pure floral flavour.

Overall it’s one of the nicest qualities that I have tried and it’s so very delicious and delicate.

Hmm, have I never reviewed this? It seems unlikely, but there are no reviews to be found by me so I guess not. In that case I apologize to Teavivre for taking so long to get around to reviewing this sample. As always, you are so generous!

I’ve never been really drawn to white tea. Partly I think because it reminds me strongly of hay, and while that is a pleasant olfactory memory, it is not necessarily one I want to drink (I feel this way about many puerhs as well). I usually enjoy a white tea fairly well but I never crave one.

This tea is so pretty, all downy and soft. Dry, it smells like fresh cut hay. Steeped it retains those hay notes, but also gains a sweet creamy smell. A bit of honey on whole-grain bread, perhaps. That seems to be the predominant flavor for me, and this tea is unexpectedly “chewy;” the texture is thick and the whole thing really reminds me of really good bread. Which is totally not what most others are getting, but there you go! I don’t really taste florals or melon, but I could be convince of roasted summer squash. It’s darker tasting than I expect a white tea to be, and richer. I’d be interested in brewing my other package in a gaiwan (if I had one, not sure if my little gongfu pot would be appropriate) just to see how the flavors differ. Even so, this is quite a lovely, toothsome white tea and I very much enjoyed this cup.

I am loving this Silver Needle. It is so fresh and fragrant, and I love the delicate complexity. Layers of flavor: floral, hay, grass, fruit, and a hint of sweetness. So wonderful, I find myself just wanting to sit and contemplate the joy it brings me to sip it.

This is why I love tea.

I have forgotten how much I love Silver Needle. The subtle floral notes, the juicy sweet finish, the hints of melon and cucumber, the fuzzy little leaves that I want to stuff my pillow with, etc, etc. Yep. I love this kind of tea very much. It’s like embracing your newly cleaned, warm, fuzzy blanket that you’ve had forever right after it comes out from the dryer. Best thing in the world. Pure contemplative comfort.

The flavours are gentle but they are also rich and intoxicating for what they are; this tea actually has a tendency to make my head spin if I drink too much of it. Big overload on crisp, floral sweetness and I’ve only had a few sips. This is the good stuff and reminds me why I love tea so much.

Second steep has sweet citrus notes and it’s creamy, like lemon and butter with a touch of honey.

Third steep tastes like first steep except it’s peppery!

so I’m pretty new to white tea but I’m warming up to it quickly. As others have commented this is a beautiful long sage green leaf with lots of white fuzz.

I steeped this in approx 170 – 180 F water for about 2 minutes.

I’m just sitting here trying to figure out what to say about it. I was thinking vaguely spearmint but somehow that isn’t quite right. It seems lightly floral with a touch of lilac, with a lingering bit of fruit like lychee in the finish. I don’t think I’m enough of a white tea expert to know if this is better or worse than other white needles but I am enjoying it a lot. It has a very smooth feel in your mouth.

Very delicate, fresh, peachy pear, sweet, honey and floral notes! Organic Silver Needle also made a really nice cold steep!

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/organic-silver-needle-white-tea-from-teavivre-tea-review/
features Owly wearing his owl scouts sash.

This stuff was amazing. my first Silver needle definitely didn’t disappoint. I don’t really know how to describe the taste but it was delicious.

New Years Eve consisted of tea, friends, and good food. This is where my drinking for the night started. I have not been a huge fan of white tea. It’s been week. Done something to my stomach. Having this with kielbasa with kraut, pigs in a blanket, and homemade mashed potatoes…..with heavy whipping cream. Yum. A light yellow liquor. A little smell and taste of hay. As I’m continuing to enjoy this tea a little more like like almonds. Raw almonds. Un-roasted. I think this is the best white tea that I have tried so far. This one would make me add more white tea to the cupboard.

I have lots of ironing and house straightening to do today, spent yesterday morning with son getting his wisdom tooth out, and really wanted today to be extra relaxing and special even with so much holiday clean up to do. I knew I wanted a green or white tea so I could make the big tetsubin full and keep it over a warmer and keep refilling all day. I don’t have time sit and coddle a oolong, which I love to do. Maybe later…

As I pawed through my tea box, I discovered a sample I had not opened yet. Gads, how could this be?

This is a great fit for what I wanted today. It is a very subtle tea and I must say I think Tabby’s description was spot on. After the sip, there is a taste like fine frost. Anyone here remember freezers that got a layer of fine ice crystals? And everyone told the kids we were going to die of food poisoning or something if we kept eating it? It is also a taste I get from ice when I get severely anemic, but that is the only time I taste it, and crave ice. I bought an ice shaver years ago because I got so addicted to the taste of ice before we found out what the problem was. Take iron, and alas, ice is just ice.

Well, here is something that is warm and ever so slightly nutty on the way down, and afterwards fills your head with the freshness of frost melting off of the most pristine spring grass you could imagine.

Thank you, Teavivre and Angel Chen for the opportunity to try this!

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for the very generous samples

Ahhh…smooth luxury. This tea has absolutely no bitterness or artificial taste, it’s just simple, light, silky satisfaction. First, let me say that I love that this tea came individually packaged. I’m sure the intent is to ensure freshness, but I must admit, tearing into the pretty white packaging made me feel like I was opening a wee gift made especially for me. Perhaps that sounds delusional, but it’s the little things that can make a girl like me feel special : ) And what a gift this tea proved to be! My first brew had a faint natural aroma and flavor, somewhat akin to straw, which I surprisingly enjoyed. The second steeping was my favorite: absolutely flawless, smooth deliciousness, with no bitter aftertaste. The sheer number of infusions I get with this tea with more of maturation in flavor, rather than a loss of taste is astonishing. This is only the first of several teas sent to me from the generous Angel and Teavivre, but if the rest of the samples are even half as impressive, I will be placing my order with them by next week.

This tea has me mystified. The first steeping was very delicate. I followed the directions for a 1-2 minute steep and let it go for 2 minutes. I used the whole sample bag. The tea is visually stunning and very fresh as it seems all of Teavivre products are. I somehow expected this tea to weaken after 2 or 3 steeps. It did not. It got better. It got to the point where I was leaving it to steep in the Gaiwan for 5 or more minutes. Each different timing yielded a cup of wonder and enjoyment. My experience with white tea is limited. What I do know is what I love. I loved this. I love the delicate flavor and the way that this tea made me feel. This was tonights late night tea. I wonder how it would be in the afternoon? Also I noticed on the expiration it says “permanent preservation”. Interesting. This is another tea that I will be purchasing.

I finally got around to sampling this from Teavivre. Sorry it took me so ling. :( this tea is just lovely to look at. It’s cute and furry. I almost felt like I was drowning little fuzzy animals in hot water as I brewed my cup. :( fortunately its just dried leaves I’m drowning! Delicious dried leaves!

The tea is light yellow smells softly floral and tender green grass. Like a perfect spring day. It’s good to remind oneself such days exist on miserable rainy cold days like this one. I’m also getting some summer squash. Second steep went a bit too long but there’s no bitterness. This tea is truly lovely. If teas belonged to a season, this would go with spring. Drinking this tea now is like having a perfect summer tomato in the middle of winter. This tea is out of its rightful time. To get the proper feel of fall, I’ll have to drink some darker oolongs later. :)

Thank you Teavivre for this incredible sample!

Dry this tea smells beautiful. Like fresh cut hay on a summer day!

Brewed this tea tastes incredible. This is my second white tea I’ve ever had and I must say I’m extremely impressed. This tea gives me an immediate floral note with a deep and rich honey aftertaste. I can also taste a distinct note of hay which is very neat as I’ve NEVER had that note in a tea before. Can’t wait to see what other notes I taste in further steepings!

All in all, this is a great white tea, and I can recommend it if you like grassy, hay like notes in tea!

I am not the biggest white tea fan. But I do like this one. I think previous to this I have just never had actually good white tea.

The dry white tea smells slight vegetal, like and flowery. The tea peices are dark green, and almost look downy, they are uniform in shape and colour.

The tea liqour is very light golden yellow, as I would expect a white tea to brew up. It had a light vegetal and flowery smell. It taste clean and light. Very refreshing, almost like drinking fresh spring water.

I have been very impressed with the sample sets I got from Teavivre. Their tea has always appeared to be high quality.

Smell: sweet grass/hay
Liqour: very light yellow
Taste: grass/hay but not in a bad way. It tastes very fresh and excellent quality. There is a slightly sweet note so that it isn’t bitter.
2nd steep: 90degrees, 2 minutes, just as good as the first

I also paired this with Pomegranate Magnolia white from my local tea shop which was way too sweet and floral….now this makes an amazing tea!! In the middle of both worlds….sweet and grassy!