This is the second white tea I have tried, and although it rates number two out of two, it’s still a really good light tea. The young lady at Teavana ranted about its health benefits and convinced me to purchase it instead of the Silver Needle I went there to get. I wasn’t easily convinced since it was fairly expensive, but I eventually gave in.
The tea leaves are wrapped into small balls and just look incredible. After the first steep, the tea is a very light yellow and if you look close you can see small white hairs floating inside. I am not exactly sure what they are, but I have seen them in other white teas. I am pretty sure they are supposed to be there.
Similar to the color, the taste of this tea is extremely light too. Because it is so light I find it hard to describe. If forced to, I would say a slight splash (maybe a drop) of lemon. I have to admit that after paying so much for this tea, I wish the taste was stronger than the water I steeped it in. Maybe I am paying for all the magical little white hairs. If you like the taste of warm water, this tea’s for you.
I was told that this tea had virtually no caffeine (1%) and could be considered decaffeinated. The night I purchased it, I had a few glasses before bed, and was up until 2am.
Although it might not be clear from the tone of this review, I do like this tea. It’s a perfect early evening, healthy, relaxing, and light tea.
The white hairs are called Downy hairs. They’re the reason white tea is called white, because the baby tea bud has them (but only for about 2 days of the year, which is why white tea is expensive)