3 Leaf Tea, Silver Snail

Picture Credit: threeleaftea.com

3 Leaf Tea Description:
This white tea is grown in Fuding, in Fujian Province in China. The tea is made from the buds that grow on bushes then lightly roasted and rolled. As the buds dry, they twist into small spirals. For being a white tea, the taste is strong with a gentle sweetness that follows each sip.

Sample provided by 3 Leaf Tea

My Review:
I am in the middle of Holy Week services at our church. I play guitar and write out the chord charts for the team. Add on to this updating the church website and trying to write on this blog, and you get a little bit of how my days have gone lately. I mention this because I have been absolutely swamped. It is like a full time job at the moment. And then we get to add seasonal allergies on top of it all. I don't normally review stress relieving bubble baths here so I guess we should have some tea.

Today, I am steeping the last of this season's samples from 3 Leaf Tea. Silver Snail is listed here as a white tea from Fuding which is the home of great white teas. The leaf is rolled into loose balls and resembles jasmine pearls without the jasmine.

Looking at the balls you can understand why this is listed as a white tea. There is a lot of silver colored buds present. I have discovered in my research that the Chinese debate among themselves if this is a white or a green.

My sense of smell is a little out of sorts at the moment. Sniffing the dry leaf I get notes of marine, but again I am probably missing a lot.

I put the snails into my press and added freshly filtered water heated to 175F. I let it steep 2 minutes while I rinsed and warmed my mug.

When I returned I found the press was filled with buds and leaves. In comparison, White Peony also contains a fair amount of leaf in addition to buds, while Silver needle is composed of only buds. While I was expecting the latter here, it is obvious this tea contains a lot of leaf.

Generally, I find the mix of leaf and buds produces a less nuanced tea but a stronger flavor. People who normally drink stout black tea or don't like subtle light flavored teas should consider the white teas that contain more leaf. I believe it would make a better match.

The steeped leaf has a warm and inviting vegetal fragrance. The liquor is a golden yellow.

The aroma off the mug seems to have nutmeg and floral notes. It smells quite lovely.

The taste is really hard to define. It is definitely different than any white tea I have had before. On the other hand it doesn't come off as really a green tea either. It has a well defined bite travelling throughout the sip. It is the good kind of bitter. This sensation reminds me of a Chinese green. Like the aroma, I am getting traces of spice, nutmeg in particular, and floral. It is not on the level or intensity of a green high mountain oolong, yet that is my point of comparison. There is also an earthy woods flavor that kind of rests under other notes. This earthy quality speaks to me as a white tea.

As I said earlier this is a hard to define tea. The flavor is strong and would probably strike most people as a green tea when tasting. That is not s bad thing. Even though it has a strong flavor, there is good depth to the cup. This has some unique and interesting qualities whatever angle to approach it from.

You can find 3 Leaf Tea Silver Snail here.

Stash, White Christmas

Stash Description:
Dream of a white Christmas as you sip this delightful holiday tea. A unique blend of white tea, cool peppermint and a hint of ginger. Adding a touch of sugar or honey brings out the distinct flavor notes.

Ingredients:
white tea, peppermint, ginger root

My Review:
Yeah, yeah, I know - Christmas is over. Except, it was sunny and shirt sleeve weather around here on Christmas. Today it is bitter cold and windy with blowing snow. The trees are covered and it just feels like the proper time to drink this one.

I discovered Stash Tea years ago just as my adventure into new teas was beginning to blossom. A local yard and garden center kept a big bowl of assorted Stash teas near their door to encourage people to try them and hopefully buy them. It seemed to work on me at least. I had not seen this one before now.

I have three bags to experiment with, a gift from a friend. Going online to check out the box reveals a weight of 29g for 18 bags. That translates into 1.6g per bag. You should keep your cup small - say 6 oz, I chose to purposely ignore my own advice because who drinks only 6 oz at a time in the land of supersize it. Seriously Stash give us at least 2g. 2.5 would be better.

I used boiling water for the first cup. It does not tell you on the envelop that Stash recommends 150-170F water. Maybe it is on the box. It is on the website. My conviction is most bag tea drinkers will ignore directions and use boiling or near boiling water.

I'm also of the opinion most people will leave the bag in the cup. I however chose not to do so and removed it after three minutes.

The aroma is decidedly peppermint. It is not overwhelming. Cooling peppermint is also the predominate taste. It is at a pleasant level. With the first bag I prepared a few days ago, I could not readily detect the ginger. Today it seems more accessible. It adds just a small hit of heat at the end of the minty chill. Now that I am experiencing it, I find it kind of a neat shift. The only other ingredient listed is the white tea. I really only catch it around the edges of the sip and it seems muted. I do sense it as more present in the aftertaste.

I did add sweetener to the cup as I thought it was improved by doing so. Feel free to disagree.

I decided to go ahead and use the final bag with water heated properly to 160F - mid range of the recommended temperature. The cup was steeped for three minutes.

So did it make a difference? I have to say yes! The cup seems naturally sweeter and the flavor more rounded. With cooler water the white tea comes to life a little more. The bag gets in the way of this tea and it is still a bit muted but do pay attention to how you brew this one. You will be rewarded.

Reading back, I feel like I gave White Christmas a bit of a hard time. If you are just beginning to broaden your tea experience or are just looking for a pleasant convenient bagged tea, this is well done. I think the personal issue for me is the muted flavor. Experience can sometimes sidetrack the enjoyment of a simple cup.

Good Earth, Mango Me Crazy

Good Earth Description:
It’s the little things in life that make us smile. Like the crazy, happy feeling you get with a first peek of sun or toes in the sand. Or in this case, some Mango Me Crazy™ tea. Blended with a bold variety of breezy fruit flavors, this white tea will have you feeling like summer is just around the corner whenever you enjoy it.

Ingredients:
White tea, rosehip, sweet blackberry leaf, natural mango and mangosteen flavor with other natural flavors, mangosteen peel, chamomile, hibiscus, citric acid, steviol glycosides (stevia), natural flavor.

Sample provided by Good Earth

My Review:
I'm feeling a little less than 100% today. We used a couple plug in air fresheners in the house. I learned I can't be around them as it flared up a pretty severe respiratory attack. Beyond the air fresheners, this is not a good time of year for those of us with breathing issues. First its colder out so outside air is not a big part of the day. Then every store you go in seems to have candles burning or heavily scented wreathes and potpourri. At least there is tea to give some comfort.

Today, I wanted something easy and light to remind me of warm summer air. This bagged offering from Good Earth is a white tea flavored with tropical fruit. I have never actually experienced ocean breezes but today I am imagining that I am on the beach typing this review.

Each bag contains 2 g of leaf. They come sealed in individual foil envelops to increase freshness. The packaging is bright and cheery. I only have one envelop and it does not have brewing instructions, although from previous experience with Good Earth, I know it is on the box.

Since I do not have printed instructions, I planned to default to my old tea bag ways of boiling water and a 4 minute steep. Except as the water heated, I just couldn't do it. I stopped the water at around 195 F. I just can't boil white tea unless I know it is recommended.  

The scent as I open the envelop is really nice. I have never been to the tropics and I have never smelled a real mango. The aroma here I find closely resembles a fresh peach but more prickly and just a touch tart.

When I look at the ingredients, it has me scratching my head. Rosehips? Hibiscus? Chamomile? You know what though? It actually works here. What I am tasting is the mango flavor shining through. The other ingredients seem to be added to fill out the experience. They add fullness and a touch of tart, without drawing attention to themselves. The addition of stevia is almost welcome, except it does add that odd stevia bitterness in the aftertaste. On the other hand, I am not sure if the fullness of the tart fruit bite would present without it, and certainly it would not be as sweet as fruit. It definitely does not need any additional sweetening.

This was a pleasant change of pace. I would like to try it again sometime but iced and under a tree on the beach.

You may find Good Earth Mango Me Crazy at your local Walmart or Kroger stores. It is also available online through Amazon, or order direct from Good Earth.

Teasenz, White Peony

Teasenz Description:
An authentic white tea from Fujian consisting of a mix of green coloured leaves and white silver needle buds, resembling a White Peony. Exceptionally smooth and sweet flavour. Full of flavour: It's unbelievable how many steeps you get from the same leaves.

Sample provided by Teasenz

My Review:
It has taken a few days to get to this tea that I intended to review earlier. This morning it was so coooold outside. It was near the freezing point. Pretty sure the herb garden and porch flowers won't survive, but it is that time of year. This one seems appropriate for the day.

From Fuding in the Fujian Provence of China, the home of great white teas. This is the last of the Teasenz samples they have provided. I have found all of them to be reasonably priced and wonderful in flavor. I expect no less from this one. I should also mention Teasenz offers flat $5 worldwide shipping on all orders under 2kg.

The sample packaging is a resealable aluminum pouch. The label is simple and does contain western brewing instructions.

Opening the bag I am met with the sweet scent of fresh field hay along wonderful floral notes.

The leaf is as pretty as the aroma. The silver buds are covered in white fuzz. The accompanying leaves range from light green to dark brown. Except for settling, mostly from my pathetic group box storage system, the leaves and buds appear full and intact.

The brewing instructions run counter to popular western ideas about the proper water temperature. Generally it is believed you must use cool water when steeping. Teasenz recommends 195 F. They also state that using even hotter temperature will still result in a non-bitter cup. I have found this to be generally true. The difference for me is the 3-4 minute steeping time. I often use 1-2 minutes on the first steep.

I grabbed my clear glass teapot. It hasn't seen much action lately, due to my own neglect. The 195 F water was added and I set the timer for 4 minutes.

The leaf floated on the surface at first. Then many of the leaves slowly turned and pointed downward, still clinging to the surface. Some of the brave leaves abandoned the safety of the collective and dove to the bottom.

The resulting liquor is golden yellow. It is bright and clear except for some of the tiny white fuzz common to white tea, and a few bits of leaf. I now recall why I don't use the glass teapot more often - I can't remember to use a strainer to filter out the leaf bits. It doesn't bother me personally, but it does kind of look odd in the pictures.

Taking a sip, I first catch clean fresh mountain stream water. It is filled with stone and mineral elements. This turns into a taste that reminds me of the smell from damp forest leaf. Late in the sip I catch floral notes. They are light and remind me of the namesake peony flowers.

For cup two I again steeped for 4 minutes in 195 F water. The brew color is golden yellow like the first. This time I remembered the filter!

The taste is very different. The stream water elements are replaced by a heavier darker flavor that teeters between stone, the forest leaves of the first cup, and a stone fruit note. It is maybe apricot with even some plum hints. This cup seems thicker and more syrupy.

Teasenz says this will resteep many times. My experience with white teas believes this to be true. I won't be able to confirm it today as this is all I have the time to complete.

I have had many white peony teas, this one is as good as some I have tried at twice the price. If the soothing taste of white tea appeals to you, I recommend giving Teasenz White Peony a try.

You can find Teasenz Ehite Peony here.

Teasenz, Fujian Silver Needle

Teasenz Description:
For many centuries enjoyed by imperial families in China. Fuding's Silver Needle is a pinnacle-grade white tea with a soft, smooth, and silky-sweet taste.

Silver Needle is the most famous white tea from China and also known as 'Bai Hao Yin Zhen'.

Sample provided by Teasenz

My Review:
The weather has turned back to beautiful warm sunny days and cool nights. A/C by day and furnace by night days. Love it. Not loving the fall allergies that have hit like a brick today.

I have tried several Teasenz offerings to date, and all of them have been very good. I hope the trend continues as Fujian silver needle is one of my favorites. I haven't done a lot of comparison pricing but this one seems exceptionally reasonable at $15.45 for 70g (2.5 oz).

The packaging is a resealable aluminum bag. The label is brief and clearly provides brewing recommendations.

My first test with any tea is the sniff test. I have had enough white tea that I have certain expectations. This one meets them well. The scent is that wonderful sweet hay I expect, and more. This one has a melon fruitiness along with almost a minty hint. I can't say for certain it is not the allergies, but I don't think so. It certainly smells, not only nice, but fresh.

There was a little bit of crushed leaf when I removed a scoop. I am pretty certain that is my fault. Things are a little out of hand at the moment and the bag was a little banged around. The vast majority is full white fuzzy buds with hints of green.

I used my clear glass press and water heated to 175 F. The steep time was 4 minutes.

When the water hit the leaf it all began to float. As it steeped some began to slowly sink to the bottom while standing on end. The visual dance of the leaf is an important part of my tea experience. I encourage you to take note of it while preparing your own cup.

The liquor is far more enticing than I was able to capture with my point and shoot camera. It is a deep golden amber. It is almost radiant as it captures the light and reflects it back.

So far this is shaping up to be a very nice tea.

Upon tasting, I will first tell you I have had deeper more complex white teas, but not at this price. That is not to say this is a simple one note cup. It certainly is not. In fact there is plenty of depth. I am finding it to be just what I wanted today.

It is clean and crisp. As with most white teas there is not a hint of bitterness. This is naturally sweet and does not ask to be sweetened. It is not grassy but isn't exactly the typical hay taste either. It kind of fits in between somewhere but closer to the hay. There are floral/fruit notes swirling around the taste. I still get an occasional flash that suggests mint. It is very brief and light. Quite refreshing.

As I sip, I can feel stress melting away as I begin to relax. The wonderful thing about a good tea is the feeling of rejuvenation that comes with the peaceful contentment.

This has a good solid flavor at a reasonable price. Once again I can recommend giving Teasenz a try.

You can find Teasenz Fujian Silver Needle here.

Little Red Cup Tea, Premium White Peony

Little Red Cup Tea Company Description:
Grown high on Guzhang Mountain in Hunan Province, this White Peony (Bai Mudan, 白牡丹) tea is one of the best we've ever tasted. Whole leaves plucked by hand and dried in the sun make for a full-bodied brew rich with floral notes of honey and melon.

Pull it out for guests, gift it to someone you admire, this tea is special.

Fair Trade premiums from the sale of this tea, as with the other teas from Hunan, are used by the growers for equipment purchases and much needed public works and sanitation projects.

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:

White tea - tea drinkers are divided on it. Some, especially the Assam drinking crowd, find it to be too subtle. Others, including myself, find its depth of flavor something not be be missed. White Peony, or Bai Mudan, seems to be a good middle ground for the two groups. It has a bolder flavor than Silver Needle and still maintains a good flavor profile.

This one comes to us from Hunan Province in China. I try to always enjoy the aroma of the just opened package before looking at the leaf. I don't want my eyes to sway me before my nose has a chance. I was not disappointed. The scent is pure white peony. It always seems dark to me. It also reminds me of fall. There is a leaf aroma like deep in the woods on a crisp autumn day. Along with it is hints of hay and melon.

Now I move on to visually inspecting the leaf. Check it out: there is plenty of silvery tips, ample leaves of cinnamon, and deep brown, as well as light touches of green. White Peony leaf is just lovely to look at.

I used what appears to be a lot of leaf by volume, but white tea leaf is so light and fluffy it just takes more. My resealable sample did not have brewing parameters, so I jumped over to the website and read 180 F for 3 minute steep.

The result is a dark honey colored brew with gold edges. The steeped leaf is deep browns and greens.

The taste is just what I expect from White Peony. Like the scent it tastes dark to me, while the feel is light and refreshing. The main element to me is dried leaf (again an autumn feel). There is also a touch of honey, though it is not overly sweet.

If you are in the white tea fan group, this is a lovely example of a good White Peony. If you are of the not a fan of overly subtle tea club, this one is bold enough to enjoy on a sunny afternoon soaking up some of the final warm rays before winter takes over.

You can find Little Red Cup Tea, Premium White Peony here.

TETE, White Tea

TETE Description:
In ancient China, there was a beverage that was so rare that it was reserved solely for royalty. And aptly so. For its leaves were so delicate that the rough hands of the subjects would damage it. For it smell was so intoxicating that it incurred the danger of corrupting less-traveled minds. For its taste was so subtle that only the nuanced taste buds of the aristocracy could appreciate it.

This beverage could only be made by leaves plucked at the end of winter, when the bushes woke up from their hibernation, or at the onset of winter, when the bushes prepared to sleep. It required the most delicate of fingers to spend an entire day plucking a leaf and a bud, which would yield a meager hundred grams of tea. And yet this labor of love was the tea-maker’s prize. He would look forward to stealing some for his own consumption to end of his hard day.

TÊTÊ White Tea is a specimen of that rare refreshment. It is grown and made by utmost care by farmers living at 6,000 metres. The garden where it is grown is magical. It hosts flora whose seeds make birds drunk. We anticipate that once you have a sip of this, you won’t fare much better.

Sample provided by TETE

My Review:

This Himalayan white tea is sourced from a small farm in Nepal. I am terrible at geography, and can only hope the devastation from the earthquake is minimal in the tea farm areas.

TETE has a philosophy of the need to simplify tea. They sell three teas - black, green, and this white tea. They have sourced these to be non-fussy to prepare. There are brewing instructions clearly printed on the back label, however TETE claims if you don't follow the instructions all that closely, you will still get a good cup of tea to enjoy.

The resealable packaging is simple and clearly labeled. One point of complaint is the text is so light in color it is a bit difficult for me to read.

Opening the bag I catch all the wonderful scents I expect from a premium white tea. It is sweet hay, along with fruit and floral notes. I thought I even detected a hint of malt. It scent is very nice.

The leaf itself looks really fresh. It has the silvery buds and a green leaf. Looking at it, you can imagine that it was just plucked. It hardly looks withered at all.

I used my freshly washed clear glass teapot. Along with the leaf, I added filtered water heated to 200 F per instructions. The steep time was 5 minutes. I am used to Chinese parameters that usually call for two minute steep times or something similar so I had to resist pouring early.

During the steep the leaf clung to the surface at the beginning. I was typing and not watching, so I was pretty amazed at the size of the leaf when went back to the pot to pour. The leaf is now spring green and very plump.

You can see in the center of the leaf picture a clear example of the classic two leaves and a bud.

The liquor is golden yellow and clear. Well, there is a little fine downy particles from the white tea buds floating around but that is to be expected and besides they settle quickly.

Finally getting to taste. It is definitely white tea, so the flavors are subtle. According to TETE's description, the fact that I enjoy it must make me part of the aristocracy... or a farmer. I am getting sweet hay notes. There are hints of melon and grape. I am still  catching a touch of malt. It is very light, but it is there. The aftertaste is lightly grassy and sweet like honey.

My son popped in for a visit and wanted to try this. I am more than happy to oblige. My youngest son 'hates' tea, though in reality I can't even get him to try it. To him, tea is that nasty stuff they sell at the restaurant where he works. Oh well, give him time. But I digress, back to my oldest - he took one sip and said, "It kind of tastes like lemon grass." In doesn't but I get what he means. Take out the strong lemon and keep the subtle grassy qualities and you get the basic idea.

He tasted again and said. "I bet this would be good iced." So we made another cup. The problem with that idea is the second cup is far less subtle and far more green tasting. It is good but enough different that it is not what he was wanting.

In the meantime, my cup (the first one) has reached room temperature. It is delicious. So he is most likely correct. The first cup would make an excellent iced tea. I'm not telling him though, as he would just steal my cup.

You can find TETE White Tea here

Curious Tea, Snow Bud (Xue Ya)

Curious Tea Description:
Snow Bud (Xue Ya) is a very delicate white tea that is plucked over a few days of spring every year. The name is said to originate from the appearance of the silvery buds when plucked – they look as if covered by snow. This is also reflected in the dry leaf appearance of this tea, with the leaves displaying plenty of the silvery down.

Sample provided by Curious Tea

My Review:
I knew I missed a tea during my recent world wide white tea extravaganza. I had it in my head Curious Tea had this listed as a green tea as some companies have done. Nope, they have labeled it as a white, which it is, since the leaves have not been pan fried or steamed, as in a green tea.

The resealable bag contains 50 grams of this leaf. The label is simple. The font is large (thank you Curious Tea!) and contains a brief description and brewing instructions.

Upon opening the bag, I catch sweet fresh hay. It is a very fresh and clean fragrance.

I removed about 3 grams for this session. The leaf has two noticeable characteristics. First is the plump white down covered buds that say white tea. Second is the dark leaves. They are green but against the white buds they look darker. The leaf is withered and slightly twisted.

Today I once again used my clear glass teapot. Along with the leaf, I used 6 ounces of filtered water heated to 175 F (80 C). The steep was four minutes. That is a lot longer than the last Snow Bud I tested.

The result is a very golden liquor. I was kind of hoping for the pale pinkish liquor mentioned on Curious Teas label. The wet leaf is quite nicely pea green, plump, and fresh. It has a nutty or stewed meat aroma.

The is incredibly smooth. The previous review of a Snow Bud was prepared with short steeps in a gaiwan and it was intense with a good bitter. This is mellow without the intense notes. I find the difference fascinating. The two teas look pretty much identical. It goes to show what a difference a change in time, temperature, and brewing vessel can make.

What I am getting is lightly sweet field grass, along with hints of nuts and floral. The aftertaste is lingering and has the good bite I expected up front but here it is lighter and not at all scary. Although I taste the fresh spring water and floral notes I associate with good white tea, it is the ending that drifts towards Chinese green tea that sells this to me.

This is a very nice white tea. I really enjoyed Curious Tea's brewing parameters. It made for a complex, deep, but gentle cup. If you prefer a wilder ride, crank the water temperature up to 195 F and steep for 30 seconds. It is like two different teas.

This tea was part of a monthly subscription box. Based on what I have seen so far, this tea was well worth over half the monthly price. If you are outside the UK you will have to add in some shipping costs before deciding. You can learn more here.

What-Cha, Darjeeling 1st Flush 2014 Kanchan View White Tea

What-Cha Description:
A delightful First Flush White Tea from Darjeeling, Kanchan View White is a great tasting White Tea. It is on the fuller side when compared to typical White Teas yet still lighter than Green Teas. It has a wonderful citrus taste and makes a great 'everyday' White Tea.

Sample provided by What-Cha Tea Redefined

My Review:
This appears to be the last entry in my world wide white tea extravaganza, unless of course I missed one in my box of samples. That would be a shame now wouldn't it?

Last time we looked at an Assam. Today we move northward to the Darjeeling region for this Kanchan View Tea Estate white tea. Like the Assam, I do not recall ever having experienced a white Darjeeling, I love new adventures.

Opening the resealable 10 gram sample for my first whiff from the bag, I am met with a herbaceous full aroma. I am not sure how to describe this. It is less leaf like and more vine in scent. There is a fragrance that lightly reminds me of strawberry leaves. There is also a light citrus fragrance. What leaf aroma I catch seems more green than white. It is a lovely combination.

I pulled out about a third of the leaf for today's review. What-Cha calls for 1-2 tsps per cup, but I am using a mug, so I use more leaf. Anyway, the leaf, just look at it. Isn't it beautiful? I mean seriously, it looks like it was just plucked from the bush and placed on the dish. I don't know how well you can pick up on it from the picture but there are many examples of the classic perfectly shaped leaf and a bud here.

I am once again using my clear glass teapot as my brewing vessel. I think I have done this for all the latest white teas. I may have used the press once or twice but it handles nearly identically.

The water was heated to 194 F (90 C) and I steeped for 3 1/2 minutes. These are per Wha-Cha's label directions. I appreciate that I do not have to have a web page open to find out recommended brewing parameters.

The liquor is a very yellow/golden color. It is light, clear, and bright. The wet leaf is fuller, more plump, and even more alive looking than before.

I did sniff the leaf and the pot, unfortunately a storm last night knocked out my internet modem and after I got everything rebooted, I kind of forgot what I was catching. I do know it was not a classic white tea aroma and not quite green either.

So, I finally get to taste... Wow, I'm not sure what I think. While this is hot, it has a kind of dusty feel and taste. It is not really bitter or rough edged. It is making my lips feel slightly numb. This is so very different than what I expected, I am having to take some time to process.

Once the cup cools it picks up a woodsy flavor under a vine taste. There is also a touch of muscat grape type flavor. The aftertaste is strong, lingering, slightly sweet, and plant like. What I am calling plant and vine here reminds me of the green plant of a geranium. I normally reserve this description for oolongs. There is no resemblance between this Darjeeling white and an oolong except in my brains attempt to describe the experience.

Cup two is also at 194 F and about a 3 minute steep. The color stays consistent with the first. I did pay attention to the wet leaf this time. Looks like the reason I couldn't remember the first cup scent is nothing really jumps out.

The taste while hot is not dusty like the first. This has a duel personality going on. It is darker more woodsy and almost mushroom. At the same time it has a brighter more green sheng, almost bitter but not, flavor. There is a stone fruit kind of thing like almost apricot present. As it cools I am noticing more of a floral note that reminds me of peonies. The aftertaste is again strong and green vines with a citrus touch. It leaves me with a touch of cheek tingle.

I love the leaf on this tea. I love the bold color of the brew. The taste is good. It certainly is not subtle and it is nicely complex. I try not to let my personal tastes affect my reviews. I try to judge each tea on what it is and does that match the companies description. This does accomplish that end. All that said, while there is nothing inherently wrong with this tea, I find this one just doesn't speak to my tastes personally. I could not find another review online to see if I am missing something. Out of the 37 teas I have reviewed from What-Cha, this is only the second that I have been less than enthusiastic about. As much as I hate the idea, I guess I really can't love them all,

You can find What-Cha, Darjeeling 1st Flush 2014 Kanchan View White Tea here.

What-Cha, Assam Silver Needle White Tea

What-Cha Description:
A great tasting Silver Needle with a delicate sweet taste and no detectable astringency.

Assam Tea is world famous for the strong malty character of its black teas. However, the green and white teas produced in Assam are virtually unknown. The reason for this is the prior lack of investment into tea in the Assam region, which has meant that tea producers have lacked the knowledge and tools required to produce good quality loose leaf tea outside of blacks. The recently founded company Heritage Tea has sought to address these issues by setting up a modern factory for tea processing. The new factory, combined with the knowledge and expertise of Rajen Baruah (a professional tea planter with 30 years of experience) has resulted in great quality loose leaf teas previously not found in Assam.

Sample provided by What-Cha Tea Redefined

My Review:
Continuing with my white tea extravaganza theme, we are going to the Assam region of India for today's review. White tea from Assam - who knew, right? With almost all tea grown in India being crushed, torn, and mangled into little paper bags, until recently better quality loose leaf has been hard to find. Even then, it is generally black tea. So I have no idea what I am in for here, but What-Cha knows how to pick 'em so I look forward to the experience.

Opening the resealable sample I catch a familiar fresh grassy hay scent but there is also an abundant presence of malt. Very nice aroma.

The leaf certainly shouts white tea with its white downy covered buds. It also says, but more quietly, silver needle. With silver needle we are all accustomed to the big plump buds from China. These are more needle shaped with darker colored ends. They seem more brittle as well. Don't take this description as negative. It is a very nice looking leaf, just different.

I used about 3 g in my clear glass teapot along with water heated to 80 C (176 F). The steep time was 2 1/2 minutes. I noticed as it steeped, the leaf remained at the top of the water but hung vertically. There was little movement but I was entertained just the same.

The liquor is very light in coloring, looking a lot like white grape juice. Of course with our silly hard water it wasn't long before it looked more like beer. It is very clear and bright, with the exception of some downy hair typical of white tea.

The wet leaf has a lot of green in it. It plumped nicely and kind of resembles snap pea pods.

The taste is very much to my liking. It is sweet and wonderfully malty. This is very smooth with no rough edges or bitterness. I notice some fresh field hay with just a touch of melon. There is another note present that I seldom mention. This has a honeysuckle floral that pops in and out.

I seldom use this description because honeysuckle grows in all the fence rows around here in the summer. It is a scent I know well. The taste of the liquid found in a single tiny drop inside the flower has a wonderful honey like floral taste. That reality is almost never replicated for me when tasting tea. It is here.  Love.

OK, because this is a white tea, and like most white tea the flavors are gentle and quiet. Do not go in to this expecting your normal breakfast Assam smack down. If on the other hand you, like me, love the deep but quiet flavors of white tea, then this is a beautiful one that you should try.

You can find What-Cha, Assam Silver Needle White Tea here.

What-Cha, Vietnam Wild 'Mountain Mist' Silver Needle White Tea

What-Cha Description:
A brilliant silver needle with a complex taste of melon and gentle smoke finish.
Its complex taste is as a result of mist blocking out the sun on the mountain on which it grows wild, which results in slower leaf growth and a complex taste.

Sample provided by What-Cha Tea Redefined

My Review:
Today I continue the wide world of white tea extravaganza. In the recent line up of teas this is number 7 of 10. I have reviewed several more in the past. If you have missed any and want to check them out, you can follow this link for a complete listing of all reviews of white teas.

Yesterday we were in Africa. Today we journey to Vietnam to review this mountain mist white tea. I cut open the top of the resealable pouch and breathed in the fresh field grass aroma. I don't detect melon or smoke at this point. It kind of makes me think green tea.

Scooping out about 3 gram of leaf for pictures removes all doubt. This shouts white tea. It is like someone white washed the leaves. Awesome. Close examination shows this to be a leaf and a bud. Even so it is strangely white, like snow on the leaves. Instead of soft and subtle the leaf is kind of crisp.

I used my clear glass teapot along with filtered water heated to 176 F (80 C). The recommended steep time is 2-3 minutes. I split it and down the middle at 2 1/2.

There was not a lot of leaf movement during the steep. I really did not expect much as the leaf is not particularly rolled or twisted.

The  brew is very lightly yellow tinted in the teapot but seems more apricot colored in my cup. The once ghostly white leaf is alive and green.

In the pot aroma, I'm not ready to call it melon. Maybe it lightly resembles the aroma of mush melon without the overpowering aspect. I do notice a hint of smoke. I think it is more on my fingers from playing with the leaf. What can I say, I have to involve all my senses in my tea addiction.

The wet leaf feels dense. That makes sense. I used my cup to measure the water and only got slightly more than 3/4 of it back in the first cup. Really thirsty leaf I guess.

The taste is, just wow.  At first is seems almost dairy to me. It is like milk, but has a vegetal green tea like taste behind it. The is a very good crisp amount of bitter - but not the pucker up kind. This is the refreshing type found in excellent green teas. I can't recall catching it in a white tea before. As the cup cools I realize what my taste buds were trying to decipher as dairy, while my brain kept trying to call melon (because that is what the label says) is actually creamy corn. I have tasted this before, but where?

So I started going through my notes. I am trying to convince myself it is something akin to mao feng. Then I find my note for What-Cha, Vietnam Wild 'Five Penny' Green Tea. It is also grown wild in the shaded mountain mist. To me, this also explains the unusual look of the white tea leaf. Five Penny's green leaf is battleship grey. I am assuming both come from the same varietal, maybe even the same trees.

The second cup is even more pronounced but different in flavor. Where as the first cup was an amazing green tea like cup of white, this one is more sheng like. It is brighter and more bitter. Maybe shortening the steep time would reduce this if you find it offensive. I am kind of digging it. I mean it is a white tea that resembles a green tea and a sheng puerh. Awesome. The main flavor here is apricot.

What I am discovering is 1) I really like Vietnam tea 2) Vietnam tea seem bolder than other teas. This is at least true of what I have sampled so far. If you like green tea but find the subtle nature of white tea is generally lost on you - well this tea may just speak to you. Subtle it is not. It is quite flavorful and complex.

You can find What-Cha, Vietnam Wild 'Mountain Mist' Silver Needle White Tea here.

What-Cha, Malawi Bvumbwe Peony White Tea

What-Cha Description:
A huge leaf tea with a smooth and sweet honeyed taste with apricot notes. Another great white tea from Satemwa which makes a great 'everyday' white tea.

Sourced direct from Satemwa Tea Estate in Malawi who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of great tea production while caring for the local environment, providing their employees a fair wage and contributing to the local community.

Sample provided by What-Cha Tea Redefined

My Review:
It has been a couple weeks since my last post. My lungs have been giving me fits to the point that even making tea was hard work. I think the doctors have me well on the road to feeling human, and I NEED tea.

So far in the white tea extravaganza, I have not drifted too far off the beaten trail. We did see a unique Yunnan silver needle and a snow bud that is often considered a green tea. The other three were excellent examples of the traditional take on white tea.

Well, hold on, as we are about to go way off the rails with this one. I cannot even pronounce Malawi Bvumbwe with any degree of certainty. It hails direct from the farm in Africa. My first clue this is different is the overstuffed size of the 10 gram sample bag. I've had 100 gram bags that were comparable in size.

Opening the resealable bag I am at first reminded of a barn full of new hay. The longer I sniff the more I catch a fruity malty mixture.

Measuring out the 3-4 tsps listed on the label is pretty much impossible. Instead I eyeball 1/3 of the sample bag (just over 3 grams) for my 10 ounce cup. The leaf is huge. It is not curled or twisted. It is just big leaves.

Further, this doesn't look like any white tea I've ever seen. The leaves are mostly brown with some green hiding away if you look for it.

Upon closer inspection, I notice the silvery buds. I admit to not seeing them until I asked questions. The leaf is so unusually large and brown that the buds don't jump out at you, but they are in the mix.

Today, I used my clear glass teapot to steep this leaf. Filtered water was heated to 175 F and poured over the leaf. The steep time was 3 1/2 minutes.

Looking at the steeping leaf in the teapot, it reminds me of some of the purple varietals I've sampled. White tea is produced by plucking the leaf and bud, and withering. The leaves are generally not fired to halt oxidation. So, whether the leaf is dark to begin with (as in a purple varietal) or have darkened due to oxidation, we may never know. I am pretty sure the plantation is not telling. No matter, it remains some beautiful and fascinating leaf.  

The brew is beer colored. It is even darker in later steeps. The taste is apricots drenched in fresh mountain streams. It is slightly malty. I catch lovely floral notes of peonies. It is so mellow and lightly sweet.

I sense more resemblance to a light black tea than to a white. Now, stout black tea lovers will most likely never make that connection because it is such a subtle tea. The cooler it got the more I loved the taste. It had almost a wine like bouquet with the floral notes. The trouble I had with it was, at room temperature, it becomes a gulping tea, as I found it that refreshing.

With the second cup, I add plums to the taste along with the previous apricots and peonies. While it remains smooth, it has just enough bite trying to peek through that it is interesting. This is almost like sipping a Nepalese tea.

If you enjoy a mild meditative tea, this one from Africa should not be missed. While I am not feeling entirely back in the swing of things, I really enjoyed this one. A great welcome back tea.

You can find What-Cha, Malawi Bvumbwe Peony White Tea here

Nannuoshan, Yin Zhen

Nannuoshan Description:
Yin Zhen is the highest grade of authentic Fujian white tea. Only young buds from selected varieties of tea plants are plucked to manufacture this traditional white tea.
The leaves are covered with white, downy hair. The taste is delicate, with a light sweetness reminiscent of ripe fruits.
Original Yin Zhen is specific to restricted areas in the Fujian province. The small production, the exclusive selection of young buds, picked only under perfect weather conditions, and meticulous withering and drying processes are responsible for its high price.

Sample provided by Nannuoshan

My Review:
The last few days have been absolutely gorgeous. We just got our first healthy taste of spring and I liked it. Reviewing and writing about tea kind of got traded for outdoor activities, especially for my favorite sport - porch sitting. Oh Yeah!

Now back to our white tea extravaganza. This is the fifth and final entry from Nannuoshan. This is an authentic Fujian Silver Needle. One of my personal favorites. White tea in general and specifically silver needle is sometimes seen as too subtle by tea drinkers who are more inclined to drink very brisk or highly flavored teas. Not me. I love getting lost in the cup, and meditating on and with it. Let's get started.

The review samples have all been 6 grams and packaged in brown paper sack looking exteriors with an aluminum/mylar liner. The label tells you only the tea and company names. The website must be used to glean brewing information.

Opening the bag, I smell the usual hay like aroma of silver needle. In this case it is fuller and resembles wine and fruit - maybe apples? Very lovely.

The leaf is beautiful full young silver haired buds. The buds are so soft to the touch and so strikingly nice looking, I really did not notice the green in the leaf that is captured in the picture.

I used my clear glass teapot and half the sample (3 grams). 5 ounces of filtered water (abt 150 ml) was heated to 195 F (90 C). The steep time was 30 seconds.

Looking at the liquor in the teapot it would be easy to think 30 seconds was not enough time. The brew has almost no color. It looks a little cloudy in the picture but you'll have to trust me is was clear.

The wet leaf had a deeper almost fired scent, even though I know that is not the case. It is almost malty.

The wet leaf is now almost completely green and still very fresh looking.

The first sip is melon. It is kind of like the taste when you have eaten all the red fruit from a watermelon slice and begin to scrape into the white rind. Next I am noticing cucumber. There is no bitterness and no bite, as expected. This is slightly sweet and almost salty. It feels heavy on the tongue like it has weight. There are hints of grass and hay, as well as hints of mineral. It is also, at times, leaning towards floral. Some have called it honeysuckle. I can see this but it is faint, so don't expect it to jump out at you. It is causing some light cheek tingle.

OK, who wants another cup? I do! I do! Steep time increased to 45 seconds. The taste is similar to the first but has a deeper darker vibe to it. Especially while still hot, there is a peppery note present.

I wish I had time this afternoon to go another round, but I have to eat something, then run out the door, as I have praise band practice tonight - I play guitar. I can't be late as I have invited an awesome guitarist friend to come out and jam with us tonight.

To wrap up this review. I have tasted many silver needle white teas. This is among the top two or three I've tried. Frankly once you reach that level they get hard to pick a clear winner.

You can find Nannuoshan, Yin Zhen here. I did notice, at the I wrote this note, there were only a few 50g amounts of this year's harvest left.

Nannuoshan, Dian Yin Zhen White Tea

Nannuoshan Description:
This tea is produced in the Yunnan province, where pu’er –the most famous dark tea– comes from. Dian in Chinese is the shorter form of the word Yunnan. The rest of the name refers to the appearance of the leaves; long buds, shaped like a needle (zhen), with a pale, silver hue (Yin).

Dian Yin Zhen is produced from a different tea plant and in a totally different environment than the more famous Yin Zhen from the Fujian province. Despite the similar shape, Dian Yin Zhen has a different aroma. It is an assertive white tea with an inimitable, mellow aroma and a lingering aftertaste.

There is something curious in the taste of all Yunnan teas. White, green, black and pu'er teas, they all have a common aromatic mark, revealing their origin.
So, although white and dark teas are poles apart, you will recognize a common natural tinge in Dian Yin Zhen and pu’er: the taste of Yunnan.

Sample provided by Nannuoshan

My Review:
We are back to our continuing white tea extravaganza! The final two offerings from Nannuoshan are Silver Needle type whites. This one is from Yunnan province in China. As I begin I'm not sure if I have ever tasted a Yunnan Silver Needle. I am certain I have loved virtually every tea I have sampled from the region. I have high hopes for this one.

My first whiff from the sample bag confirms the Yunnan roots (OK leaves) of this one. It's part leather, pepper, and hay. So familiar, yet somehow very different. It's comfortable and at the same time invites exploration.

Removing the leaf, it is again familiar but different. It is obviously all buds. It looks like Silver Needle. It also looks like Yunnan Golden Tips. It is different from both in its unusual color. Neither silver nor gold, this is like downy fur covered straw.

There was some settling of the leaf, resulting in a little dust, but it remains mostly fully intact. The feel of it is so unusual. It is very soft.

I am left in a quandry before brewing. The parameters on Nannuoshan's site call for 3 grams for gaiwan brewing. I don't have a scale. If this sample is 6 grams, I should use half, yet half the sample looks light. I'm trusting that this leaf is denser than it looks and half the sample really is 3 grams.

In the clear glass teapot it goes along with water heated to 90 C (195 F). I let this steep for 30 seconds, then realized I did not know where my strainer was located. A frantic search ensued and the pour was actually at more like 40 seconds.

As I am getting ready to sniff the liquor and the wet leaf, I start catching strong odors of salmon patties coming from the kitchen. You have got to be kidding. Oh, well, my wife and the cat love stinky salmon patties. I'll adjust. What I can catch is an amplified version of the dry scent (and cat food). LOL. My bad, I did not realize it was lunch time when I started.

The liquor seemed almost colorless in the pot, but is a grayish honey color when condensed in my cup.

The taste is everything I love about Yunnan tea. Absolutely no bitterness. It has a warm earthy flavor that lingers between leather, cave mineral, slightly mushroom, and loam. It almost has a smoky presence but I am pretty sure white tea is not fired to halt oxidation. I don't know if I would call this sweet, as other reviewers have, but it certainly isn't umami.

As I sit here enjoying my cup, I realize I have experienced a similar tea before in the form of white puerh. While this one is a white tea, the similarities really are quite apparent. Yep, my love for all teas Yunnan continues.

You can find Nannuoshan, Dian Yin Zhen White Tea here.

Nannuoshan, Bai Mu Dan 2008

Nannuoshan Description:
This aged Bai Mu Dan, produced in 2008, is three years older than our regular Bai Mu Dan. The difference is clear. The leaves are darker, as the tea changed during storage. Bai Mu Dan 2008 is mature, more intense and lingering; a full-bodied white tea, pleasantly sweet.

Sample provided by Nannuoshan

My Review:
Continuing with this month's white tea extravaganza, this is the third of my samples from Nannuoshan. Today's tea is different from the Bai Mu Dan reviewed here yesterday as this one is aged. I see tea conversations often where someone will comment they drink their white tea samples first because it will go bad fast, or something similar. Many of the tea companies I talk with tell me something quite different. White tea, like Puerh, often improves with age.

Somewhere back in the past I was told white tea often peaks at about 7-8 years. If this is true, then this tea is at its prime. I'm looking forward to finding out.

Cutting off the sample top, I now catch a complex blending of scents. This is at once, leafy and deeply earthy. There is a touch of sour mixed with sweet. I also catch the fragrance of hay with floral overtones.

The leaf is very dark compared to their other, and younger, Bai Mu Dan offering. It looks more mature and sturdy.  The silver buds are covered in fine downy hair. The leaves have only a slight hint of green. Mostly they are darker shades of brown, looking more like black tea at this point.

I used half the 6 gram sample and my clear glass teapot for this session. 5 ounces of filtered water were heated to 195 F. My first steep was 30 seconds.

This results in a liquor that is clear with only a light tinting of yellow. The leaf remained mostly on the top of the water during the steep. After emptying the teapot, the leaves can be seen as chocolate brown and cinnamon.

The aroma is very suggestive of a black tea. Along with the leafy and peony floral notes, I detect a healthy dose of malt.

The taste is really hard for me to identify. It is very much different than the dry or wet aromas suggest. There is a green leafy note up front, followed by maybe a touch of ginger without the heat. After this it turns a mellow mineral, followed by the mystery taste. It isn't potato but reminds me of that kind of starchy goodness when you bite into a raw potato. I am thinking maybe water chestnut, but not really. What is that familiar flavor?

This seems to pack a lot of cha qi. After one cup, I feel warm and fuzzy, very mellow, yet very focused. Must have more.

Second cup, also at 30 seconds, had a plum aroma as I poured. The taste continues where the first cup left off. There is the addition of a peppery spice note up front. This one is also much more floral. It isn't an upfront fragrance overdose. This is a pleasant peony taste.

The Nannuoshan Bai Mu Dan teas have the distinction of being the first white peony teas I ever tried where I understood the peony reference.

Cup  three was steeped for 45 seconds. Weird, it is back to having a malty aroma with a much lighter plum note. This tastes much like the second, except the spicy note is much less pronounced. The plum that I caught in the aroma is also drifting in to the taste.  

This is very different than a more youthful white peony. I am not catching melon or cucumber like I normally find, and I don't mind. The flavors that are present are complex and changing. This is a white tea and therefore the taste is far more subtle than found in flavored or breakfast teas. If you are a white tea enthusiast, this is a slightly different and yet very good one to try.

You can find Nannuoshan, Bai Mu Dan 2008 here.