Oy, I found my new silver needle. Don’t worry, Feng Qing, I can accommodate you, too.
I had success yesterday with brewing the Kenya Steamed Purple Green Tea in a gaiwan. I chose today to brew these silver needles with the same method.
Gone gaiwan. 3g, 60mL, 195F, no rinse, 10s/12/15/20/25/30/35/45/1m/1m15/1m30. 11 infusions. I’m impressed. September 2017 harvest.
The dry leaf smells like some kind of fruit I haven’t yet tried. I know once I taste that fruit, I will go AHA! that’s the smell of the Kenya Silver Needle White Tea. The closest I can get with my current palate is a vibrant mix of white grape, pineapple, honeydew and fresh green hay. The needles are elegant – long and skinny – and attest to the taste of the tea. Unlike the steamed purple green, this tea had a pronounced evolution. I noticed my tasting notes are very similar to eastkyteaguy’s despite me using a higher temperature. That indicates to me this tea’s versatility and production of a consistent experience when brewing gong fu.
In the first steep, I picked up sugarcane, dry hay and phyllo dough. In the following steeps, the liquor became full and smooth. There was an addition of honeydew, cucumber, butter, white sweet corn, vanilla, cream, a muted ceylon cinnamon and faint malt wIth a persistent aftertaste of butter, white peach and sugarcane. Later steeps lightened in mouthfeel and the tastes moved into sweet lemon, mineral and phyllo dough. Toward the end, butter reappeared and eucalyptus, along with a slightness of its cooling properties, made a presence which I love in this style of tea. The bottom of the cup retained a strong scent of sugarcane throughout the session. There was a slight astringency brewed at this temperature but it did not take away from the experience. Afterwards, I noticed the feeling of a light layer of wax lining my mouth. I checked the scent of the wet leaf in between steeps and was surprised that it smelled very similar to YS Feng Qing silver needles with a note of cantaloupe that I did not pick up on in taste.
This is a tea elegant and somewhat delicate in flavor. It has an appreciable complexity and longevity. I look forward to trying this tea in my thermos at a lower temperature and also western style. These silver needles will have a permanent home in my drawer.
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Sounds lovely!
This is a great silver needle white for brewing Western. So far, I have been truly impressed by the white teas coming out of the African countries.
This is a great silver needle white for brewing Western. So far, I have been truly impressed by the white teas coming out of the African countries.
Wow, I wish I could appreciate white tea this way.
Morgana: you say whites are tricky. They are for me, too, along with greens. You mentioned in your review today of a White Peony about your noob phase and searching for flavors. This one… idk, I didn’t have to search for flavors. They were pronounced and distinctive while retaining a sense of delicacy. It just worked for me. I think it’s worth a try.
Sure sounds like it!
eastkyteaguy: I’ve been eyeing the other Kenyan and Malawi white teas since my first order from What-Cha but since I’m not a big white tea drinker, I put them on the backburner. I have a lot of teas to work through over the fall and winter but I’ll reconsider those African whites next spring!
I was iffy about the Malawi teas I’ve had, but you might have a different experience. The White Rhino is super good, but very close to a Dianhong while retaining its unique flavor that is parallel to the same one here. The Ruby White from Taiwan is incredible in its menthol notes.
Sounds lovely!
This is a great silver needle white for brewing Western. So far, I have been truly impressed by the white teas coming out of the African countries.
This is a great silver needle white for brewing Western. So far, I have been truly impressed by the white teas coming out of the African countries.
Wow, I wish I could appreciate white tea this way.
Morgana: you say whites are tricky. They are for me, too, along with greens. You mentioned in your review today of a White Peony about your noob phase and searching for flavors. This one… idk, I didn’t have to search for flavors. They were pronounced and distinctive while retaining a sense of delicacy. It just worked for me. I think it’s worth a try.
Sure sounds like it!
eastkyteaguy: I’ve been eyeing the other Kenyan and Malawi white teas since my first order from What-Cha but since I’m not a big white tea drinker, I put them on the backburner. I have a lot of teas to work through over the fall and winter but I’ll reconsider those African whites next spring!
I was iffy about the Malawi teas I’ve had, but you might have a different experience. The White Rhino is super good, but very close to a Dianhong while retaining its unique flavor that is parallel to the same one here. The Ruby White from Taiwan is incredible in its menthol notes.