Silver Yin Zhen Pearls

Beautiful white tea. Soft, smooth, a little vegetal, and absolutely delicious. Very delicate and wonderful when added to other teas.

Steeped for 4 minutes in water starting at approximately 180 degrees but cooling quickly during the steep. Leaves were large when fully hydrated. Steeped twice.

The first steep was quite good. The flavors were very subtle. Slight undertones of fruit/floral. The flavor seems a bit better as this cup approaches room temperature. The appearance of the tea was a light tan after steep.

The second steep produced basically identical results to the first with some exception. The flavors were a bit more pronounced but so were the tannins giving it a slightly bitter note. The color was slightly darker in comparison to the first steep.

Overall enjoyed the tea but the price is a bit high.

Got this brewed at the store. They brewed it really strong. Tastes very nutty and kind of harsh. Should have bought the leaves and made it at home.

I’m still relatively new to tea, but I just don’t get this one. It’s a nice tea-maybe a little to subtle for my tastes-but not bad, but for the price I paid from Teavana I was expecting something great. What I got was okay to good instead.

This is an older tea in my stash, one I keep forgetting I own. I bought it because I was curious about how it compared to Teavana’s Silver Needle, which I used to drink religiously. They’re made from the same type of white tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen, I think?), so I expected them to be similar. The pearls aren’t bad, but overall, I think I prefer their unrolled Silver Needle tea.

In the tin, the Silver Yin Zhen Pearls smell sweet and lightly earthy. They seem to have a stronger scent than Teavana’s Silver Needle—but like most unflavored whites I’ve tried, the aroma is pretty subtle. The liquor steeps to a soft yellow color. To me, it doesn’t taste as creamy or as light as the Silver Needle does. Instead, it has notes of hay, and seems a lot sweeter in flavor. The aftertaste also reminded me of green tea. Somewhat vegetal and earthy, with just a hint of dryness.

I’ll have to drink a cup of Teavana’s Silver Needle in the next few days, so I can compare them more closely. For now, though, I think I prefer the subtle creaminess of their unrolled Silver Needle to the pearls. The pearls have a stronger sweetness to them, and while the taste is pleasant, I prefer white tea that isn’t quite as sweet. The Silver Yin Zhen Pearls would be a good option for someone who wants more flavor— though they aren’t cheap, like a lot of Teavana’s teas.

(Note to self: I need to look into trying more Bai Hao Yin Zhen from other companies… I purchased Teavana’s Silver Needle early on in my loose leaf tea journey, but I don’t have much to compare it to. I should expand my knowledge of unflavored white teas!)

Another tea sample from my small swap with Suziqzer

I can’t believe that this tea is that expensive at Teavana. Really. It’s nice. I’m not disagreeing with that, but it’s not $11.49 an ounce good.

It steeps for forever for a white at 4-5 minutes. It’s got a nice color. A decent mouth feel, although not nearly as fuzzy feeling as I’d like. I also feel like what I expect from a white, that delicate and yet really complex flavors, isn’t present. It does have a very nice aroma.

Ah well. It was fun trying it.

My sister picked up some of this from the Teavana at our local mall. This was the first time I ever tried a white tea. I cold brewed it like I do most of my teas. It brews up a light yellow colour and all I can taste is bitter. Not very enjoyable at all.

I think white teas may be too subtle for me. I brewed this for 4 minutes, and I tried it more than once, but I just can’t get excited about it. It’s not a bad tea, but it’s not great.

I just don’t think it’s worth $23 for 2 ounces, sadly. Since 2 ounce is the minimum, that is what I paid. I’m hoping that someone who enjoys white teas will want to try this on a tea swap. It’s just not for me.

RogersCK sent this in my Secret Pumpkin/Turkey package. Thanks!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting something sweet, but instead I got a savory, rice- and hay-inflected treat. I got three solid steeps out of this. The last one cooled before I got around to drinking it, so I shoved it in the fridge to see if this tea is any good iced. Turns out, it very much is. The flavor doesn’t change much other than a touch of sweetness coming out that wasn’t there before. It’s very refreshing. I would not restock this, both because of the price and because it’s from Teavana, but I’m glad to have tried it.

sipdown

This is a pricier tea and was my first TEAVANA purchase. I bought it for the high antioxidant rating. Compared to my other teas, this one has a mild, yet slightly bitter taste. In the beginning, the bitterness was more noticeable, but I guess I’ve gotten used to it. Although it’s not one of my favorites and I plan to try a lot of other white teas, I could easily purchase more of this sometime in the future. I drink all my teas without adding anything, and I don’t like sweet, sugary drinks.