Organic Nonpareil Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)

TeaVivre has done it again! They’ve made me like a tea that I didn’t think I liked before. Last time it happened with dragon well. Here we are, and they’ve changed my mind about silver needle. Previously, when I tried silver needle from another company, I thought it tasted too much like hay, and was sort of rough on the tongue…maybe astringent?

TeaVivre’s version is so good! It’s incredibly fresh and crisp! To me, it’s a straight up cucumber tea! It’s like you just crunched into some freshly sliced cucumber. The hay note is there, but much more laid back, and it’s slightly floral. I also found it to be sort of creamy…can crisp and creamy even happen in the same tea?

I enjoyed this after dinner and it was nice and light…like a palate cleanser. I could drink it any time of the day. Thanks so much to Angel for sending me this sample!!

I’ve only had one other Silver Needle before this one. It was Harney & Sons’ Silver Needle. It was back when I first got into tea, and all I noticed was that it tasted strongly of hay. xD Which disappointed me at first because everyone always seemed to love silver needle, and I just didn’t get it.
I really wanted to like it. I love how it looks and how soft and fuzzy it feels. It’s just one of those teas that I just want to feel because it’s just that soft. If I were a bug, I’d totally want to make my home in this tea because it would be so comfy…
Okay, that’s kinda weird I realize…Sorry ‘bout that…
Anywho, this tea surprised me, while it still has that tea flavor, it also has like a natural sweetener in it. The sweetness of this tea distracts from the strong hay flavor. Not bad but not something I’d buy tons of. Definitely willing to try other silver needles in the future. Probably just won’t go out of my way to buy some.

I’m surprised by the strong melon notes of this tea. The melon is followed by a hint of grass that then transforms into hay. A nice delicate tea, with little complexity and a very smooth body. The texture of it is very soft, and it is making me happy right now :)

The aroma is that of sweet hay. This tea is light and sweet. It has a pronounced melon flavor with hints of hay and cucumber.

I don’t have a lot to say about this one, it’s good and light. I haven’t drank a lot of silver needle teas but I feel like this one is a good example of what it should taste like.

My favorite white! Love to watch the beautiful tea leaves dance as they steep. A sweet, light but distinct flavor that one does not tire of. An excellent tea for everyday! A little more pricey but well worth it

Thanks to Teavivre for the generous samples, much appreciated. This was a mild silver needle. Pleasantly buttery, with hay/grass and cucumber notes most apparent. Following recommended steeping with 1 1/2 tsp its flavor was quite subtle, so next time I will try it with 2 tsp.

A very good silver needle. It is buttery, peppery and very elegant and fragile. I really like this tea. This is a tea for special occasions or when you simply want to splurge like a fine scott or brandy. Its organic to boot so kiddos to Teavivre on this fine tea.
Simply put if you like silver needles you will love this.