A Yunnan silver needle. Interesting. I have yet to meet a Yunnan I didn’t love.
The buds, as others mentioned, look like silver needle but not. They look like golden tips but not. What makes this different is the downy fur covered buds are straw color. They are so soft to the touch.
The dry scent immediately says Yunnan. It’s part leather, pepper, and hay.
After about a 30 second steep at 195 F this looks colorless until poured. In the cup it seems a grayish or possibly green tinted honey.
The taste is everything I love about Yunnan tea. Absolutely no bitterness. It has a warm earthy flavor that lingers between leather, cave mineral, slightly mushroom, and loam. It almost has a smoky presence but I am pretty sure white tea is not fired to halt oxidation.
After sipping this I realized I have sampled something similar in the form of white puerh.
