White tea reviews

White and yellow teas are among the most subtle.


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Apr 26th, '10, 00:29
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White tea reviews

by debunix » Apr 26th, '10, 00:29

Thought it might be time for a reusable topic.

A new-to-me white tea today: Supreme Silver Dragon White Tea
from Wing Hop Fung

Not too expensive ($48/lb), this tea is curled and delicate, leaves smell vegetal but not strong.

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5 grams tea, 5 oz/150mL water 165 degrees, infused about 30 seconds in a glass teapot,

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then mixed the first two infusions together as I am drinking them. The liquor is pale golden, sweet, very delicate floral flavor, with a nice thick body, hints of sweet peas, no hint of astringency or bitterness.

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A 3rd and 4th infusion are losing body and sweetness, some astringency coming through.

The damp leaves smelled like asparagus after the 2nd infusion, but can’t distinguish much after the 4th.

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Overall, this is a nice, mellow, sweet white tea, and not too pricey as white teas go.

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May 5th, '10, 17:16
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Re: White tea reviews

by Chip » May 5th, '10, 17:16

Sorry for not saying so sooner, very nice review! Hopefully others will review some whites here as well. Excellent idea. :mrgreen:

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May 11th, '10, 15:17
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Re: White tea reviews

by teaisme » May 11th, '10, 15:17

Just thought I would throw in a few words about some whites I have tried recently

Floating leaves silver needles: hum...I enjoyed it a lot every once in a while when I had it

Jing tea shop silver needles: my favourite out of the bunch, much more complex, thicker buds too then flt, thicker soup too, their description is pretty spot on, I pretty much detected everything mentioned

seven cups white peony: simply very very fruity and sweet

My brewing of whites is different from many posters on Tc, but I don't think there is anything wrong with brewing whites longer (2-3 mins) at cooler temps, no bitterness or astringency for me, just a sweet sweet flavour explosion

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Jan 29th, '11, 00:11
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Re: White tea reviews

by debunix » Jan 29th, '11, 00:11

Today I tried the intriguing tea that has been sitting on my cabinet for a week, awaiting its debut. Today was the right time, as I could properly prepare some with the tea-friend who brought me a packet as a gift. Quite astonishingly, it's a LOCAL tea, from Forbidden Fruit Orchards near Santa Barbara.

We used cups holding about 5-6 oz of water, water at 160 degrees, and one teabag per cup, steeping about 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 or 4 minutes, and one last one might have been closer to 10 minutes.

This is a quite splendid delicate and floral white tea, with a hint of blueberry tartness. I am not typically a fan of flavored teas, but this one was quite impressive. I was expecting an expensive novelty: locally grown! from California! but was quite impressed by this neat little tea.

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Mar 10th, '11, 15:37
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Re: White tea reviews

by AlexZorach » Mar 10th, '11, 15:37

Beautiful pictures here!

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Re: White tea reviews

by Kunkali » Jul 14th, '11, 03:14

Huh...i lived there for 23 years and never knew they grew tea in santa barbara

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Jul 30th, '11, 01:51
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Re: White tea reviews

by debunix » Jul 30th, '11, 01:51

Zhao Lu Bai Cha - 2011 Spring Taiwan White Tea by Norbu Tea

(Another free sample with the current order from Norbu)
90mL shiboridashi, preheated, with 3.1 grams of tea, delicate intact leaves, with sweet delicate scent

160°F/71°C, 90 seconds
Peaches and honey, flowers and fruit, delicious.

160°F/71°C, 2 minutes
Peaches receding, still honey, fruity, flowers, and delicious

180°F/82°C, 2 minutes
Vegetal grassiness to the fore now, still some floral overtones, fruit/peach essence gone now

186°F/86°C, 3 minutes
Floral, sweet, vegetal, pleasant, but I think the leaves are mostly done now.

This is a lovely tea, very reminiscent of Bai Mu Dan, and should be delicious iced. I’m going to prepare a cup of that to drink tonight—will update when I do.

(later)
As anticipated, this one also makes terrific iced tea. I used about 3 grams in a 10 ounce up, cool tap water, and refrigerated it. 12 hours later, rich and floral and fruity with a bit of something not bitter, but a bit of a counterpoint to the sweet fruitiness. Mmmm.

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