Lavender Silver Needle

I’m not clear if this is a tea I got in an Amoda box, or if it was gifted to me from someone else… but – it’s delicious. Apparently I really enjoy lavender in teas now, and this having a white base makes it particularly potent and pleasant. I got three solid, lavendery steepings from this – not much to say about the base because it was pretty light and I’m currently sick, but I thoroughly enjoyed this tea and will likely seek out lavender whites in the future.

This tea is quite beautiful. It’s all purple and cream and various shades of soft green. The tea leaves are long and mostly straight. Many have a soft down covering the leaves. The lavender is shaped like little bells and is perfumy and very fragrant. I’ve never had a tea with lavender before so my first thought is of the natural soaps we tend to find at the farmers’ market. I love that smell but I’m honestly not sure how much I’ll love having that fragrance in my tea.

I was worried about the steeping parameters since they suggest using boiling water for a full 4-5 minute steep, but I do like trying the recommendation from the tea shop first so we’ll see how it works here. After steeping, the tea leaves have swelled and now look very much like green bean snaps. They still smell of lavender, as does the liquid which is now a pale golden color. It carries somewhat of a minty aroma and even tastes like mint. I’m also getting something like pine in each sip. Once cooled, it becomes a bit metallic tasting in a good way. There’s a sense of drinking fresh spring water – it’s very clean and crisp. Surprisingly enough, this isn’t bitter and is a nice one on its own without sweetener.

This isn’t a tea that I would find myself wanting to gulp down quickly because it’s just that good. Instead, it’s more of a sipping tea. It’s one that I would drink slowly in order to experience all of its nuances. It’s certainly very unique.