A nice little sample I received with my order. Been wanting to try it but been lazy. So, here we go!
This is a very interesting and different white tea from any other white tea I’ve had before. I don’t get any hay or straw notes or the sweetness I get from Silver Needles. Instead I get steamed green vegetables with a touch of butter.
There’s a crispness to it that seems odd since I’m getting butter notes. There’s a hint of floral notes, more so as the tea starts to cool. There is a spice flavor in the aftertaste like pepper, but not quite. It reminds me of a Darjeeling. Tea grown from that area (or Ceylon) doesn’t exactly tickle me pink.
I can see where people say they get tea ice cream. It’s not something that jumps at me screaming ice cream either. It’s in the way the greens mix with the buttery notes and retains the crispness.
Now that the tea has cooled considerably I can taste the traditional white tea hay notes. It still smells and tastes like steamed green veggies. There is a slight astringency in the aftertaste, more as the tea cools, not enough to be unpleasant.
This is a very interesting tea, one I’m glad I tried, but one that unfortunately doesn’t quite fit my flavor preferences.