Silver Needle 2011

Name; Silver Needle 2011
Type; White, China, Fujian, Fuding (town), Tai Mu Mountain, 14^th April-28^th April, Cultivar, Most likely Fuding Da Bai
Price; £ 10.40 for 50 grams from Jing.

http://jingtea.com/tea/type/white/silver-needle

“Appearance: Light, plump and large downy tips

Infusion: Honeyed yellow with pale green hues

Aroma: Subtle, delicate scents with honeyed sweetness and gentle melon fruits

Taste: Light, delicate quenching flavours underpinned by cucumber and melon freshness yet surprisingly full textured with a satisfying velvety finish”

Review; Silver Needle is always a difficult one to stock in a tea shop.  It is notoriously the first tea to go stale, and is one of the most expensive (in most cases), so rarely does stock move quick enough to ensure good quality.  This is why in most tea shops around the world you’ll either get a sub-par silver needle, or the shop will instead stock a more hardy white tea like Pai Mu Dan, or white peony as it is also called (which undergoes a very very slight oxidation process and as such has a longer shelf life). 

A good silver needle consists of just the buds and gives you wonderful fruity and floral notes to it.  Now that all being said and done, let us get on with this particular one.

The aroma as I open the bag is wonderful.  A slight hint of plastic, but all in all a wonderful freshness to it meaning this tea has been well stored and air tight.  Beautiful peach/lily of the valley heavenly scent.

Leaves are whole, another good indicator.  Placing them in the water they are so light I have to force submerge them.  Lots of white hairs, another good character, and most of them stay attached to the leaves, yet another good sign.  Aroma of brewing matches with the quality and develops more into a full bodied fruitiness.  

The taste of the tea is light and delicate, yet full bodied.  Fresh and lychee, slight undertones of apricot and maybe fresh hay (not usually a good sign, but in this, I accept it as a good type of hay if that makes any since).  Smooth, it sits pleasantly in the mouth with no bitterness at all. Wet leaves are again nice and whole.  Congratulations jing, you’ve passed.  

Please enjoy this tea.  While it may be a bit pricey, this is one of the rare cases where a tea is worth its price.

-Tea Fan