Country of Origin: China
Leaf Appearance: sage green, covered in downy hairs
Ingredients: white tea
Steep time: 6 minutes
Water Temperature:
Preparation Method: ceramic teacup and mesh infuser
Liquor: very pale

I received this tea as part of the June shipment (remember the blog is pre-written ahead of time) from Zentboutique’s monthly subscription club. The taste was grassy and mildly vegetal with delicate fruity and floral notes. Straw, melon and honeysuckle were definitely brought to mind. The finish was sweet and lingered long after each sip. There was no bitterness and the mouth-feel had a pleasant buttery smoothness. I only had a small amount of leaves so I used an infuser basket this time but this tea would be perfect for brewing “grandpa style”. It would also make an excellent iced tea. Sweetener is not advisable at all because that would all but cover up the taste of the tea. Bai Hao Yin Zhen is commonly known as Silver Needle. It can be difficult to taste the nuances in this type of tea when you are first starting out. The best way to combat that is practice. Drink it often and give yourself the time to really concentrate on what you are experiencing.

You can find out more about this tea here.