Sipdown no. 53 of 2016 (no. 264 total). A sample.
Wow.
Having just sipped down a different jasmine silver needle that didn’t do much for me, I have to say this is pretty amazing.
I wonder whether it is the steeping instructions that make a difference. I steeped this in 8 oz of water. I intended to steep it for 4:30. I got to that by subtracting the minimum of 2 minutes from the maximum of 7, dividing by 2, and adding that number to the 2 minute minimum.
But I started doing something else and didn’t hear the timer go off. So I really can’t say how much time passed. Which is sad because that means I might not be able to recreate this. But why get exercised over that, since Samovar is no longer selling this. Sigh.
In any case, this is far more flavorful than any white tea I recall having, and it isn’t just because of the jasmine. Though that is a big part of it. There’s a piquant edge to the tea that makes me think of black tea but without the heft and depth. I taste hay, for sure, and something flowery and sweet. It’s almost like pollen, but since pollen isn’t a choice I’ve called it nectar. It’s sort of that pre-honey flavor/aroma that you get from some flowers.
The leaves were quite pretty. Silvery green. Made me think of snow on conifers. The liquor is a deep golden yellow, and some of the hairiness of the leaves sent little floaters into the tea.
I would SO drink this again. If only it was still around. Double sigh.
Flavors: Flowers, Hay, Jasmine, Nectar
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
I just had that kind of mishap with the Jaberwocky lol. And that sucks because good jasmine whites-which are already good-are awesome. Hopefully you’ll figure out how you made it ideal for next time. I personally brew tea based on aroma and sips. If it’s strong, I gong fu it. If it’s light, I let the smells change. I sip it if I like the smell, then decide whether or not it’s ready to drink. Sometimes I use grandpa style to taste the different dimensions provided if I have enough to experiment on.
But that’s just filler.
I just had that kind of mishap with the Jaberwocky lol. And that sucks because good jasmine whites-which are already good-are awesome. Hopefully you’ll figure out how you made it ideal for next time. I personally brew tea based on aroma and sips. If it’s strong, I gong fu it. If it’s light, I let the smells change. I sip it if I like the smell, then decide whether or not it’s ready to drink. Sometimes I use grandpa style to taste the different dimensions provided if I have enough to experiment on.
But that’s just filler.