Silver Needle

Tea: Silver Needle
Vendor: Tao of Tea
Price: $ 3.50 / oz
Source: Nan Yue Heng Shan, Hunnan Province, China
Vendor Description: Also known as 'Yin Zhen', Silver Needles is an organic, famous white tea with rich tea history.

Leaf: The leaf for this silver needle was at the same time familiar and different than most of the needles I have seen for a silver needle. The leaf is coated in the trademark white hairs which give it its name, but at the same time the leaves were much longer and thinner than most of the other silver needles I have seen. Another thing that caught my eye about this tea was the browning I noticed on the ends of the buds where they have been picked. I'm not sure how this compares to other silver needles, but for some reason on this tea it was more noticeable and prominent.

1st Infusion: This tea has a very strong and prominent silver needle aroma to it. Combined in the normal aroma was a hint at grassiness. The tea itself had a very prominent and light clean taste to it. It felt though as there were multiple parts to the flavor, each feeling like their own distinct flavor, but at the same time all representing different white tea flavors. The combination of flavors lasted for a long time for a silver needle. This tea was also very full bodied for a silver needle. There was a light sense of astringency on the back end.

2nd Infusion: The flavor was a bit lighter on this infusion. The taste had a very nice crispness to it, but it was still very full bodied. The flavor was sweeter in taste, but this was balanced by a light bitterness and a light astringency.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: This was a very unusual silver needle. The flavors felt complicated and convoluted, but was very good. It almost felt like a combination of different silver needle flavors in one. The price was very good, especially for a silver needle. I wouldn't consider this to be a standard tasting silver needle, but it was good nonetheless.