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Rishi Tea: Silver Needle White Tea

I normally don't touch white teas. But someone told me that if I wish to broaden my horizons in Chinese teas, I simply have to try it. Today while I was buying a bottle of Chimay at the Whole Foods, I stopped in to get a can of Rishi's Silver Needle White Tea.

Neelix in Star Trek Voyager once stated that his culture found the history of food and drink just as appealing as consuming it and making it. I did some research into white tea to discover that it was en vogue in the 18th century (Early to mid Qing?) White tea contains the buds and young leaves of the tea plant. Supposedly, according to Wikipedia, they are higher in caffeine than green tea leaves. Imagine that.

So I put some in the gaiwan, brewed it up at 185F, at about 5 mins (steeping suggestion on the can).

I immediately upon opening up the can get notes of honeysuckle and magnolia, and I'm transported instantaneously to summer vacations to New Orleans. The aroma isn't as prominent when steeped, but it still retains the nuances. After the second and third steepings, I began to notice the aromas becoming more vegetal.

Taste is sweet and vegetal, almost spinachy in character, with a buttery finish.

Anyone ever get around to trying white tea?
 
I like white tea, but you need to forget your expectations a bit if you are used to other kinds. I like the pure sweetness of it, but it can't hold my attention as long as other teas. Nice in the summer.
 
White tea is by far my favorite "type" of tea. It takes some getting used to, but once you do, there are many subtleties that will stand out. To me, it is the purest of teas - as it is the least oxidized. Also, even lower grades of white tea, such as Pai Mu Tan and Sowmee are excellent if prepared correctly. Lastly, if you get a chance, I find that it is sometimes very refreshing to add mint to white tea. Good luck!
 
The aroma isn't as prominent when steeped, but it still retains the nuances. After the second and third steepings, I began to notice the aromas becoming more vegetal.

Taste is sweet and vegetal, almost spinachy in character, with a buttery finish.

You might using water that is too hot for white tea, which can kill the aromas. Try a temperature of 140 degrees.
 
So I put some in the gaiwan, brewed it up at 185F, at about 5 mins (steeping suggestion on the can).

Anyone ever get around to trying white tea?

Hmm you steep for five?, I usually go for 2-3 mins and I can get 3 good steeps out of a tablespoons worth.

How many steeps and how much do you use? Also, I'm just curious, but how "furry' are your leafs?

I originally purchased Silver Needle when I read about White Tea's high antioxidant content with the low caffiene. So it sounded like a good tea for after noon consumption :thumbup:
 
I approximate the brewing indications I got a year or two ago from someone who drinks largely whites:

Personally, I brew my whites in 4 oz. gaiwan. I use roughly 3.5 grams depending on the type....a little more for silver needle, a little less for bai mu dan. I will usually brew for about 2.5-3 minutes. The main thing that I have found is thta your water temperature is crucial for white teas. 165 F is my magic number and it is enough to pull out all of the heartier earthy tones as well as the subtle, sweet nuances white teas are known for. If you screw up the water temperature who cares how much or how little tea you used, the brew will be
ruined...at least in my opinion...however much that may or not be worth haha.​
I have found that I am usually happier when I use a lot more leaf than most vendors recommend. Also, I think it was Michael Harney who insists that spring growth tips (from which the best Silver Needle is made) contain a lot of everything, including caffeine. Maybe the theanine counteracts the caffeine effects, but if caffeine kept me awake, I might avoid too much silver needle in the evening.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
White teas are light and refreshing, but I've grown so accustomed to powerhouse pu'ers that they often taste like a plain glass of water by comparison. They are also fairly perishable, so don't plan on storing them for too long.
 
This post got me to drink some white tea today.

I had a sample of Silver Needle White from Green Hill Tea.

The link is to an '09 tea, the sample I had was from '08.

http://cgi.ebay.com/09-spring-tea-S...34.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301:1|293:1|294:30

The only other white teas I'd had were from tea bag; flavored and non-flavored.

A flavored white tea is good if you like the flavor because that's all you can taste.

The non-flavored tea bag I'd had in the past was from Twinings and I used water that was way too hot and seeped it to long. Needless to say I didn't care for it.

Based on the info in this thread, I used a water temperature of 140 and used shorter seep times.

The tea pieces were about an inch on average and they had a width of about an eight of an inch. It was strange stuff. The pieces clung together and had fine down on them.

The tea brewed up a light pale yellow. The initial taste was a gentle sweet followed by a pleasant favor. I can't quite describe the second favor. It was a nice fresh taste, nice but no specific notes.

The warmth and energy of the tea was a fraction of that of a young sheng.

I drank this tea in the morning, my next session will be at night. This would be good at night or on the weekend when you felt like tea but didn't need a caffeine rush

The sample was about 14 grams. I used half of it in a 12 ounce (360ml) teapot. I got 5 good cups out of it and the last one was smooth but a little week.

Thanks Texican for the motivation to give White Tea a second chance.
 
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