Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: pale green, covered in downy hairs
Ingredients: white tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 175 degrees
Preparation Method: glass teapot
Liquor: pale gold
The first thing that I noticed about this tea was the leaves. While all silver needles are covered in downy hairs, these leaves were positively fluffy. I was amazed to actually see the hairs falling off into the water during steeping. This is a phenomenon that I’ve been told happens but I had never actually seen it for myself. The taste was sweet and mellow with definite notes of honeydew melon. It was vegetal without becoming grassy and the finish had a pleasant crisp dryness. I won’t say that it was the best silver needle I’ve ever had but it is definitely one of the better ones in recent memory. I really enjoy that JING Tea gives exact sourcing information for many of their teas. This particular one was picked between March 25th and April 5th 2013 from the Tai Mu Mountain tea garden in Fujian, China. I often share leftovers from my tea samples with friends and coworkers but I think I am going to be a bit selfish and keep this one all for myself.
Silver Needle sample provided by JING Tea.