Supreme Jasmine Silver Needle

Probably not the same tea since mine is the standard white one without glitter, but I got a whopping 50 grams because I wanted higher end silver needle. I should add the tea to the database, but I want to write a quicky note. Don’t worry, I’m not writing a book or a novelette.

I like it. Jasmine and the cucumber, stone fruit, and light tea base are really well balanced, the needles are super furry. It makes a decent western or tumbler style tea, but best gong fu so far. You really have to abuse it for bitterness. Oddly enough, it became more bitter with sugar after a western steep for my mom, so there’s more to explore. I am a tea purist, but I’ve rarely had that happen.

A part of me wishes I got a little bit less of it, but I won’t have a problem sharing it and drinking it down this spring.

Adventaggedon Day 15: Tea 3/8

Welp, another luster tea.

I think Cameron B. and I are on the same page of just being a bit over them. My main issue is that I saw the name of the tea when I opened my advents this morning and I saw nothing in the name that would have led me to believe this was going to be a sparkly tea so I got really excited about the possibility of having two teas I could brew gongfu today! So it was just so much more disappointing opening the packet and realizing that would not be the case. I’m just not at a place where I’m willing to introduce luster dust to my gongfu teaware…

Very similar to Cameron, what I ended up doing was steeping this one Grandpa/lazy style while I washed some dishes earlier this evening. I’m also having a hard time reconciling my frustration with the glitter alongside the fact I actually really enjoyed the taste of the tea. It was such a good level of jasmine; and also a really sweet and fresh leaning jasmine that perfectly complimented the more creamy and refreshing notes of the bai hao yin zhen base. Were it not for the mess it made in my cup and the disappointment I felt opening the packet… I would have enjoyed this tea quite a lot!

Kiani Tea Advent Calendar 2021 – Day 15

So I was all ready to do a casual gongfu session with this tea, and then I cut open the packet and saw luster dust.

NOOOOOOOO…

But I was planning to use an inexpensive ceramic gaiwan that I can easily clean, so I decided to go ahead and try it anyway. I did a couple of steeps with it, and it tasted fine, but I found the amount of glitter residue everywhere (and the puddle of glitter at the bottom of the cup) pretty unappetizing, so I switched to grandpa style instead. Lazy mode, activate! Luckily, I think I’d rinsed a lot of the glitter off in those first couple of steeps… XD

I love jasmine, and I love silver needle, so this is lovely! The jasmine is sweet, creamy, luscious but not perfumey (at least, not to me). I will say since the jasmine is quite strong, it does overpower the bai hao yin zhen. So I don’t taste a whole lot of those lighter hay, grain, and cucumber notes that I would expect from a plain silver needle. Perhaps a touch of light hay in the aftertaste, but otherwise it’s all jasmine all the time! Lol. There is a bit of a stonefruit note, but not sure if that’s from the tea or the jasmine.

I guess I’ll hold off on rating, not sure how to reconcile my enjoyment of the tea with my disapproval of the luster dust… :P

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhVaRUAfPN/