Organic Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen)

This was a free sample from Teavivre. Thank you and sorry for taking so long to write it up.

So, hello, Steepster. Remember me? I stopped coming around over the past few months. I’ve still been drinking tea, but I have not written up any of the notes I made. Time to rectify that problem.

This is a really fresh smelling leaf with a smell of warm hay. The leaves are soft and fuzzy. The liquor is almost clear. There is a fresh sweetness to it that is really lovely, like a cucumber sandwich on a hot summer’s day, or a good melon. The warmth of the hay comes through in the liquor too, with a balanced savoury sweetness that makes the tea both refreshing and moreish. This is a tea that belongs in my cupboard.

A sample from Angel at Teavivre. I like white tea a lot; it was one of the first varieties of tea I really tried after black, and my initial enjoyment has stayed with me ever since. The dry leaf here looks exceptionally fresh – soft, downy buds, which are white and creamy green. No dried out grey/black buds here! I gave 1 tsp of leaf 3 minutes in water cooled to 175, and the resulting liquor is a very pale green, maybe with a tinge of yellow.

It tastes delicious. Cucumber is the first flavour I picked up; refreshing, cooling, slightly savoury. Then comes a little hay, which adds a delicate sweetness, and an almost thick creaminess. There’s a light floral note right at then end of the sip. It’s a smooth, eminently drinkable cup, with none of the “powderiness” I sometimes get from white tea. I reckon it’s going to be a fabulous resteeper!

Based on this first cup, I can safely say that Teavivre will become my go-to retailer for fresh, flavourful white teas. The leaves are so fresh looking (I’m sure the foil packaging helps with this), and the taste is so much more developed than simply “sweet water”, which is sometimes my impression of white tea.

Thanks so much to Angel and Teavivre for sending me a sample of this one. I’ll definitely be back for more!

Been saving this one back. I can’t remember if I added it in with an order or if this was one Angel sent for review, so I thought I better get to it. This stuff is amazing. When you read the flavors listed on the Steepster page for this tea, that is just what you get. The dry leaf is fruity. Steeped this is cucumber and melon, hay and grass. I have had Silver Needle from several vendors and to my tastes Teavivre is right at the top of the list. I can see if you drink mostly big bold black teas or highly flavored ones, this might be too subtle for you. As for me, I love complex quieter teas that invite you in. This does that beautifully.

Thank you, Teavivre, for providing me a free sample!

Brewed grandpa-style in a glass tumbler.

Lovely leaves, before and after being steeped. White downy hairs, then very green as they float vertically. The dry leaf aroma is oatmeal-like. Then there are cucumbers and honeydew slices. A pale green aroma – first time I imagine a color in my mind as I smell a tea. As the leaves steep, the water magnifies the honeydew aroma, nearly tricking my senses into thinking that the fruit is in front of me instead of tea. The liquor is light-bodied, thick, and clear (surprisingly because of the fuzzies). Again, honeydew, and also dried grass. Juice-like. Because of an airy quality, this tea has a calming, floating effect.

No rating because of my inexperience with white tea. But I like and would recommend this one.

Third of five recent Teavivre samples, and I am saving the unusual ones for last. The beau and I recently drank the regular Silver Needle and I am interested to see if I get nuch difference in the organic. I am going Western again and following the instructions with 75 degree water and the full pouch in the teapot. Around four minutes steeping a light yellow liquor with some serious melon and cucumber aromas.

First sips come in light, a bit melony and sweet. I recently ate some seasoned crackers and the remains of those are overpowering the tea. This is a very light tea, not one that holds up well to this particular pairing. I think this should be enjoyed on its own so you can get the full sense of light sweet hay and honeydew/cucumber flavours. No bitterness or astringency at all, I like this more than the regular Silver Needle from last week. This stands out more and has a bit of a floral note that I appreciate. I think I still preferred the white peony but this hits the spot right now.

I can’t rule out steeping parameters as a factor in my results but this stand on its own much better than it’s non-organic counterpart. A very nice light white that is easy to sip exactly as is.

EDIT: second steep at boiling for a minute is really nice. Similar flavours but even more bold. Nice to sip while I sit in the sun before going to work at the library. We were up later than usual checking out the Northern lights. Amazing!

Thank you again to Angel for the sample! I picked this one today, mostly just for a break from black teas. I don’t like drinking my greens and whites unless i happen to be in the house. Sadly, this one feel short with me – there are other white teas that i’ve had from Angel that i much prefer. For me, this was closer to “water” than a lightly flavoured white tea. :( oh well, you can’t win them all, and i didn’t hate it – just not a tea for me :)

One of my TeaVivre samples.

Tasty.

Hay.

Sweet.

Rich.

complicated and complex.

Oats.

Delicious.

I enjoyed this quite a lot.

I was really surprised how green the leaves got when steeped.

This tea kept me company through a long afternoon in the office. Pseudo gongfu, of course, following the TeaVivre recommendations for time and temperature.

And the last infusion still has incredible flavor. If it weren’t for the fact that I want to go home soon, I’d probably try another infusion or two.

I got this tea in the latest round of TeaVivre samples. I believe I was supposed to get their Chamomile Rose Silver Needle, but since I don’t like floral teas, Angel was nice enough to send me this one instead. This tea isn’t currently listed on their website. The buds look very similar to the non-organic version that I tried yesterday – they’re very fluffy and puffy with little silver hairs coating them. Dry scent is very hay-like and sweet with a distinct oat or grainy note. I noticed that the packet recommends a lower brewing temperature of around 170 degrees, but I wanted to brew these in the same way as the non-organic version so I did 185 degrees for 3 minutes.

Mm, I’m finding that I love silver needles teas. The brewed aroma conjures up visions of honey-drizzled pastries with oats and almonds. The first thing I wrote for the taste was “creamy fantastic”. And it’s totally true, too. Creamy oats and light grains with a bit of honey – I am definitely reminded of soy milk. The nice pastry and almond notes from the aroma are present here as well. There’s also something very marshmallow-like about this, even though it’s not that sweet. I can almost taste vanilla here in a very mild sense. Yums! I don’t really get the fresh melon or cucumber notes from the other silver needle, but the depth of creamy lovely flavor is fantastic. :D

Thanks TeaVivre!