Silver Needle

White and yellow teas are among the most subtle.


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Aug 24th, '08, 13:26
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by Salsero » Aug 24th, '08, 13:26

Ti wrote:
1. 180 d water - 4 min
... #1 was kind of strong.
Angela said two minutes. I guess she knows what she is talking about!

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by Chip » Aug 24th, '08, 14:58

Glad to hear you are enjoying SN, Ti!

The length of brewing is tied to how much leaf/water one uses and brewing temp. Adjusting one variable can require adjusting another. I have brewed the first steep of SN for anywhere from <1-5 minutes with very good results.

Also, the SN selection and freshness plays an important role as well.

It seems that I was most comfortable averaging 2 minutes for the first steep as well.

But as I mentioned previously, SN is a pretty easy brewer once you play around with it for a bit.
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Aug 24th, '08, 15:12
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by PolyhymnianMuse » Aug 24th, '08, 15:12

This is kind of on topic i guess...

I was actually planning on getting a yixing pot specifically for silver needle and I was wondering if anyone has has done this. What color/type of clay would be best for use with silver needle?

EDIT: woohoo 250th post

Oops, I suppose I should have asked in the yixing dedication thread :roll:

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Aug 24th, '08, 15:34
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by Salsero » Aug 24th, '08, 15:34

PolyhymnianMuse wrote: I was actually planning on getting a yixing pot specifically for silver needle
I usually think of yixing pots as well suited to heat loving teas like oolongs or puerh or blacks. Course there's no reason you can't just use cool water and enjoy a lovely (thin-walled) yixing pot for your white tea. Just watch the temp.

I think I would gravitate more toward a Japanese kyusu for whites. Not sure why. Maybe just because I am used to brewing sencha with cool water in them. I currently don't drink much white, but when I do I use an infuser basket or maybe a thin-walled gaiwan.


********edit********
Also ... what Chip says below. Yixing seems to "take the edge off" which is nice for an Assam, but maybe not so much so for SN.
Last edited by Salsero on Aug 24th, '08, 16:25, edited 1 time in total.

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Aug 24th, '08, 15:51
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by Chip » Aug 24th, '08, 15:51

Interesting question. I remember reading that lighter sublime teas are not well suited for brewing in Yixing since the pot can mellow it out even more. I used to brew all Long Jing in a Yixing, and once I went to a gaiwan, the flavor seemed more full and tasty. I had used the Yixing for almost a full year with no benefit.

But I do not make any claim to knowing about Yixing, just what I read here mostly and my Long Jing experience.

For SN, my personal preference is taller glass for viewing or a gaiwan.
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by Ti » Aug 24th, '08, 16:05

Salsero wrote:
Ti wrote:
1. 180 d water - 4 min
... #1 was kind of strong.
Angela said two minutes. I guess she knows what she is talking about!
Probably. I like to push the limits and see what happens. 2 min would probably be better for #1. I'm thinking that I could get more infusions out of it if the 1st was shorter because I expected more out of #5 but hey, what do I know? When I first tried SN I couldn't even taste it. So I'm making headway
.
I was doing other stuff that kept me away from the teapot so I set the timer for 10 min to see what would happen. At any rate, it's starting to work for me so I'm kind of happy with it.

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Sep 26th, '08, 20:25
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by gingkoseto » Sep 26th, '08, 20:25

I think PolyhymnianMuse's idea about using tea pot for silver needles is ok because silver needles like heat a lot.
What I learned about silver needles is: unlike green teas or many other white teas, silver needles were not significantly rubbed when being processed and roasted. Therefore the flavor of silver needles are more deeply "hidden" inside. When brewing, longer brewing time and high temperature are necessary.

I generally use newly boiled water and brew the tea in a glass mug (so that I can watch the tea leaves dancing). I cover the bottom of the mug with dry loose tea leaves, pour in hot, hot water (newly boiled). Then I watch them dancing. Usually after 8-10 minutes (if in winter, I use a small plate to cover my mug to conserve heat), the tea water becomes yellow. The flavor of the tea is not out yet until you see a bit of yellow color.

So, generally, I use nearly 212 degree water, brew for more than 8 minutes. And I always brew for a second time. The second time, a few minutes is ok.

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Nov 26th, '08, 14:22
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by Victoria » Nov 26th, '08, 14:22

WadeF wrote: I just got some Silver Needle tea and made my first cup. I have seen people mention they keep the leaves and re-steep. I was wondering how to care for the leaves between steeps. Is it okay to just leave them sit in the tea maker all day between uses? Thanks. :)
Yes it should be fine. You will want to raise the temp a little and go at least 2 minutes longer than the first steep. Silver Needle is delicate, you may get a decent 2nd steep, you may not.

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by Chip » Nov 26th, '08, 21:37

Welcome to TeaChat, Wade. Please stop by the TeaDay forum and share what is in your cup.

The Adagio SN goes pretty many steeps for me, but I don't use their brewing directions which calls for 7 (?) minutes. I use more leaf and brew shorter steeps of a couple minutes. I usually match the time for the second steep then increase it for each successive steep.

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